Special Trains from TokyoRestaurant Trains and Observation SeatsFive Rides Worth Taking for the Ride Itself
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This is Part 5 of our guide to paid seats on Tokyo trains. At the end of Part 1 we mentioned trains that people ride for their own sake. Here they are.
Most paid seats in Tokyo are about getting there faster and more comfortably. A few trains are different. The time on board is the point.
A restaurant train serving a full course meal. A limited express where every car is Green. Private compartments. A front-row observation deck. And a steam locomotive.
All five are popular and seats are limited, so book on the day sales open if you can.
The five trains at a glance
Swipe the table sideways to see more →
| Train | Route | Rough cost | When booking opens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52 Seats of Happiness (Seibu) | Ikebukuro or Seibu-Shinjuku to Seibu-Chichibu, and others | Brunch ¥16,000, dinner ¥19,000 (meal and ride) | 8:00 on the second Thursday, three months before the run date |
| Saphir Odoriko (JR East) | Tokyo or Shinjuku to Izukyu-Shimoda | Fare plus limited express and Green Car charges (every seat is Green) | 10:00, one month before JR East, ticket sale dates |
| Spacia X (Tobu) | Asakusa to Tobu-Nikko and Kinugawa-Onsen | Fare plus limited express charge. Special seats cost extra | 9:00, one month before |
| Romancecar observation seats (Odakyu) | Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto, and others | Fare plus limited express charge (no extra for the observation seats) | 10:00, one month before |
| SL Paleo Express (Chichibu Railway) | Kumagaya to Mitsumineguchi | Fare plus an SL seat ticket, ¥1,000 online | Midnight, one month before |
52 Seats of Happiness (Seibu Railway)
Seibu's "52 Seats of Happiness" at the platform
A restaurant train that runs between Ikebukuro or Seibu-Shinjuku and Seibu-Chichibu, among other routes (Seibu, 52 Seats of Happiness overview (Japanese)). It has four cars and 52 seats, and car 3 is the kitchen. It runs as a special train on about 100 days a year, mostly weekends and holidays.
The price is ¥16,000 for the brunch course and ¥19,000 for the dinner course, the same for adults and children (Seibu, about the runs (Japanese)).
For runs from October to December 2026, the brunch course is also ¥19,000.
Booking opens three months ahead
Reservations open at 8:00 on the second Thursday, three months before the run date. The train turned ten in April 2026, and an anniversary campaign runs until March 2027 (Seibu, 10th anniversary campaign (Japanese)).
Here the meal is the trip, so it suits an anniversary or a grown-ups’ day out.
What the ride is like is in our 52 Seats of Happiness article.
Saphir Odoriko (JR East)
A limited express between Tokyo or Shinjuku and Izukyu-Shimoda on the Izu Peninsula (JR East, Saphir Odoriko (Japanese)).
Every seat is Green
Car 1 is Premium Green, cars 2 and 3 are Green private compartments, car 4 is a cafeteria, and cars 5 to 8 are Green Cars (JR East, Saphir Odoriko cars (Japanese)). The compartments come in two sizes, for one to four people and for one to six.
From October 1, 2026, the cafeteria menu changed to Western dishes overseen by the chef of a French restaurant (JR East, Saphir Odoriko news (Japanese)).
The compartments are not sold online
You cannot buy a Green private compartment on JR East’s Ekinet booking site. Buy it at a ticket office or a reserved-seat ticket machine (JR East, Saphir Odoriko cars (Japanese)). The other Green seats can be bought as ticketless limited express tickets on Ekinet (JR East, Saphir Odoriko (Japanese)). JR reserved seats go on sale at 10:00 one month before (JR East, ticket sale dates).
With a Japan Rail Pass, the private compartments cost an additional fee (JAPAN RAIL PASS, Train accommodations).
Spacia X (Tobu Railway)
A limited express between Asakusa and Tobu-Nikko or Kinugawa-Onsen (Tobu, Spacia X guide (Japanese)). Besides the standard seats, it has special seats you can book for an extra charge.
The best one is the cockpit suite at the front
The Cockpit Suite is a private room for up to seven people, ¥18,000 per room. There is also the Compartment, a private room for up to four (¥8,000 per room), the Box Seat for up to two (¥400 per box), and the sofa seats of the Cockpit Lounge (from ¥500 for one person). These are charged on top of the limited express charge.
Limited express tickets go on sale at 9:00 one month before (Tobu, How to purchase limited express tickets). How to see Nikko in a day is in our Nikko day trip guide.
＼ A day in Nikko ／
↓ Round-trip train and local buses in one pass ↓
Odakyu Romancecar observation seats (Odakyu Electric Railway)
Among the Romancecars between Shinjuku and Hakone-Yumoto, the GSE (70000 series) has observation seats at the very ends of cars 1 and 7 (Odakyu, GSE (70000 series) (Japanese)). Each end has four rows of two seats on each side, 16 seats in all.
No extra charge for the view
You pay the normal fare and limited express charge. But there are only so many seats, so buy early. Tickets go on sale at 10:00 one month before (Odakyu, buying a Romancecar ticket (Japanese)).
On Odakyu’s online booking you can pick observation seats from the seat map, but they can only be bought outright, not held as a reservation and paid later (Odakyu, e-Romancecar FAQ (Japanese)). Odakyu’s English website links to online booking in English (Odakyu, Romancecar (English)).
How to get around Hakone is in our Hakone day trip guide.
＼ Going on to Hakone? ／
↓ Trains, ropeway, boat and buses in one pass ↓
SL Paleo Express (Chichibu Railway)
The SL Paleo Express locomotive, C58 363, at a platform in Chichibu
A steam locomotive makes one round trip a day between Kumagaya and Mitsumineguchi. In 2026 it runs from March 20 to December 6, mostly on weekends and holidays (Chichibu Railway, 2026 SL schedule (Japanese)).
Every seat is reserved in advance
On top of the fare you need an SL seat ticket (Chichibu Railway, how to ride the SL (Japanese)). It costs ¥1,000 online with a credit card, or ¥1,100 at a station window or a travel agency, the same for children. Booking opens at midnight one month before and closes 30 minutes before departure.
On some days an electric locomotive pulls the train instead of the steam engine. If that happens, you can get a refund with no fee. The usual refund fee is ¥220.
The story of this 1944 locomotive, still running today, is in our SL Paleo Express article.
Which train suits you?
For a meal to remember, the 52 Seats of Happiness.
For time together with family or friends, a Saphir Odoriko compartment.
To show children the view ahead, the Romancecar observation seats or the SL Paleo Express.
For a little luxury on the way to Nikko, the Spacia X Cockpit Suite.
How these differ from ordinary paid seats is in Part 1, and how to book private-railway limited expresses, company by company, is in Part 7.
＼ Living in Japan? ／
↓ JR tickets, delivered to your door ↓
Japanese-language ad for NAVITIME Travel. Tickets are delivered to an address in Japan.
Practical information
- Checked on October 19, 2026
- 52 Seats of Happiness Brunch ¥16,000, dinner ¥19,000 (adults and children alike; brunch is also ¥19,000 from October to December 2026). Booking opens at 8:00 on the second Thursday, three months before the run date
- Saphir Odoriko All Green seats. Green private compartments are sold only at ticket offices and reserved-seat ticket machines, not on Ekinet. Reserved seats go on sale at 10:00 one month before
- Spacia X Cockpit Suite ¥18,000 per room, Compartment ¥8,000 per room, Box Seat ¥400 per box, Cockpit Lounge from ¥500 for one. Tickets from 9:00 one month before
- Romancecar observation seats 16 seats at each end of the GSE, in cars 1 and 7, at no extra charge. Tickets from 10:00 one month before
- SL Paleo Express March 20 to December 6 in 2026. SL seat ticket ¥1,000 online, ¥1,100 at a window. Booking from midnight one month before
- Official pages Seibu, 52 Seats of Happiness overview, Seibu, about the runs, Seibu, 10th anniversary campaign, JR East, Saphir Odoriko, JR East, Saphir Odoriko cars, JR East, Saphir Odoriko news, JR East, ticket sale dates, JAPAN RAIL PASS, Train accommodations, Tobu, Spacia X guide, Tobu, How to purchase limited express tickets, Odakyu, GSE (70000 series), Odakyu, buying a Romancecar ticket, Odakyu, e-Romancecar FAQ, Odakyu, Romancecar (English), Chichibu Railway, 2026 SL schedule, Chichibu Railway, how to ride the SL (most are in Japanese)
- Photos All photos are my own.
Note: Run dates, prices and booking rules change. Please check each company’s official information before you book.
Affiliate note: This article contains affiliate links to Klook and NAVITIME Travel. If you book through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
