Sightseeing train in Japan to offer passengers a taste of Singaporean cuisine

SAITAMA, Japan: A sightseeing train in Japan connecting Tokyo and Saitama prefecture will offer passengers a taste of Singaporean cuisine from January.
 
The Singapore-themed train, where they will be served Singaporean culinary delights while enjoying the changing seasonal scenery of Japan from their window, will run for three months.
 
The tie-up between Seibu Railway and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) seeks to promote awareness of rural Japan to visitors, while encouraging more Japanese to travel to Singapore.

ATTRACTING TOURISTS TO SINGAPORE

This comes as Japanese arrivals to Singapore have lagged following COVID-19, and have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.  
 
STB said it is keen to attract more Japanese visitors through this dining experience.
 
In general, outbound travel from Japan has remained sluggish, partly due to the weak Japanese yen.
 
As of July this year, visitor arrivals from Japan to Singapore stood at nearly 300,000, according to STB. 
 
STB has seen an 80 per cent jump in people visiting between January and July this year, compared with the same period last year, said its regional director for North Asia Serene Tan.
 
“Because our objectives are similar, the customer segments we are trying to target are similar.”
 
Seibu Railway attracts around 1.6 million commuters a day on a nearly 180km railway network running through Tokyo and Saitama prefecture. 　

FINE DINING ON A TRAIN

The railway’s experience of dining on fine cuisine on a moving train is not new, and is usually offered on weekends between central Tokyo and the scenic mountainous area of Chichibu.
 
Called "52 Seats of Happiness”, it was launched in 2016. 
 
So far, the dining train has served up French, Italian and Chinese courses, and themed drinks and desserts.
 
However, it has not been promoted much overseas.
 
Seibu Railway is looking to change that through its collaboration with STB.
 
Japan welcomed a record 21 million inbound tourists as of July this year, according to the country’s National Tourism Organization.
 
But most first-time visitors do not venture off the beaten track.
 
A lesser-known destination, Chichibu - more than an hour away from Tokyo - for instance, “is still quite relaxed”, said Mr Hirotoshi Tsutsumi, general manager of the sales and marketing division at Seibu Railway. 
 
He said that the proportion of tourists is low, adding that a myriad of festivals is held there. 
 
“More than one festival is held there during the day, meaning you are likely to encounter a festival when you are there,” he said.
 
For passengers, the food on board will be an experience.
 
Michelin-starred chef Tatsuya Noda, who visited Singapore for the first time in July, will be crafting a menu of Singaporean fusion cuisine.
 
“I want to present my first-hand experience of what has inspired me in the cuisine,” he said.