Japan Railways is turning its ‘shinkansen’ bullet trains to a new service: Tour packages catering to passengers traveling with their dogs on what the rail operator calls a ‘Woof-cation’ on a ‘shinkansen for pets.’
JR rules call for dogs to travel in cages, but for the chartered trains running the Woof-cation route, the dogs will get 40 minutes of ‘family time’ riding with their owners at their seats. No heads out the window allowed. There’s room on the train for 30 couples and their pets, with rates starting at 106,000 yen or $800.
The Woof-cation will take passengers from Tokyo to Karuizawa City in Nagano Prefecture, where they will spend the night at one of two pet-friendly accommodations — the Karuizawa Prince Hotel East Dog Cottage, which offers services for canine guests such as nail clipping, ear cleaning and other treatments, or the Dog Dept Garden Hotel, a newly built resort-style complex with an open terrace café, restaurant, and an all-weather indoor dog run.
