Foreign tourists may soon get a free one-way ticket to ride Japan's bullet train
Japan’s iconic bullet trains, or shinkansen, are already a travel must-do, and soon, visiting travelers may get a little extra incentive to take that ride.
Kagoshima Governor Koichi Shiota announced in a press conference that foreign tourists may soon ride the Kyushu Shinkansen Line for free.
This rail line in southern Japan runs from Hakata Station in Fukuoka, the island’s largest city, to Kagoshima-Chūō Station in the south. Along the way, it stops in major cities like Kumamoto, known for its historic castle, and several smaller stations.
The free ticket is the government's way of promoting more tourists to the Kagoshima prefecture, as the number of foreign overnight visitors has dropped significantly during the pandemic and has yet to recover.
The free tickets are valid for one-way travel only. It covers the Hakata Station to the Kagoshima Chuo Station in Kagoshima City.
The roughly 90-minute trip ordinarily costs around 11,500 yen (P4,299).
Details on how tourists can avail the free shinkansen ticket have yet to be specified. According to Time Out, however, only visitors from South Korea, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong are being prioritized as these four locations have direct flights to Kagoshima.
While this is so, tourists from the US, Thailand, and other countries are being considered for the program.