If you’ve ever wanted to ride Japan’s shinkansen, the country’s famous bullet train, there might be a new reason to plan a trip.
Kagoshima’s governor, Koichi Shiota, recently shared that some foreign visitors may be able to travel along the Kyushu Shinkansen Line without paying the fare. The line stretches from Fukuoka in the north down to Kagoshima in the south, passing through cities like Kumamoto along the way.
Photo: Fikri Rasyid/Unsplash
Free tickets would only cover one-way trips, from Hakata Station in Fukuoka to Kagoshima-Chūō Station. Normally, the 90-minute ride costs about 11,500 yen (around ₱4,300).
The program is meant to encourage tourism in Kagoshima prefecture, which has seen a drop in international visitors since the pandemic. Right now, the plan seems to prioritize travelers from South Korea, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, likely because of direct flights to the area. But there’s talk of including tourists from other countries as well.
How exactly travelers will claim the free tickets hasn’t been announced yet, but it could be a neat incentive for anyone thinking about a trip to southern Japan.
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What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.
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AloJapan.com