We have to endure the smoking hazard when using the night train in Japan.


Picture source: japan-guide.com



Hokutosei: Ueno, Tokyo and Sapporo

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
N-S	N-S	S	S		N-S/L	R	S	S	S	S

S=smoking vehicle
N-S=non-smoking vehicle
R=restaurant car
L=salon car
Restaurant car is next to the smoking vehicle.
The smoking-vehicle ratio to total composition of a train = 70.6%
Non-smokers have to pass the smoking vehicle before going to the dinning room.

※This Night train has been abolished in the summer 2015.

Cassiopeia: Ueno, Tokyo and Sapporo


Picture source:Wikipedia

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
N-S	S	R	N-S	S	S	N-S	N-S	N-S	N-S	S	L

S=smoking vehicle
N-S=non-smoking vehicle
R=restaurant car
L=salon car
Restaurant car is next to the smoking vehicle.
The smoking-vehicle ratio to total composition of a train = 40.0%
Non-smokers have to pass the smoking vehicle before going to the dinning room.

※This Night train has been abolished in March 2016.

Akebono: Ueno, Tokyo and Aomori

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
N-S	N-S	N-S	N-S	S	S	S	S

S=smoking vehicle
N-S=non-smoking vehicle
The smoking-vehicle ratio to total composition of a train = 50.0%

※This Night train has been abolished in March 2014.

SunriseSeto: Tokyo and Takamatsu
SunriseIzumo: Tokyo and Izumoshi

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
N-S	N-S	N-S	N-S 　S	N-S	S	N-S	N-S	N-S	N-S	N-S 　S	N-S	S	N-S

The train vehicles are detached into two trains at Okayama station.
S=smoking vehicle
N-S=non-smoking vehicle
The smoking-vehicle ratio to total composition of a train = 21.4%

Twilight Express: Osaka and Sapporo

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
S	S	R	L	N-S	S	S	N-S	S

S=smoking vehicle
N-S=non-smoking vehicle
R=restaurant car
L=salon car
Restaurant car is next to the smoking vehicle.
The smoking-vehicle ratio to total composition of a train = 71.4%


An ashtray is the very important apparatus in the admired, popular observation car of 'Twilight Express'.
The railway company gives priority to the smoking vehicle.
Non-smokers have to pass the smoking vehicle before going to the dinning room.
Picture source:Wikipedia

※This Night train has been abolished in March 2015.

＊Hokutosei, Cassiopeia, Akebono, SunriseSeto, SunriseIzumo and Twilight Express are the sign-marks of the train.

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All Japanese sleeping limited express trains connect a smoking vehicle.

Can you believe that? All sleeper-trains in Japan are running connecting a smoking car. Smoking is freely allowed in these trains,
and, of course, there is an ashtray on a table of a room.

These sleeper-trains operated by railway companies of JR-East, JR-Hokkaido, JR-Tokai and JR-West neglect the world trend
to abolish smoking room in a railway train. This is harmful to a train passenger, train conductor and sales woman in the vehicle.
Japanese Government and a local prefecture do not control the undesirable policy of these railway companies. It is very
regretable thing, compared to the advanced countries.




Smoking rooms in a Japanese railway system
Alll JR's N700 superexpress trains provide a smoking room.
JR-Tokai: The railway company to provide a smoking vehicle and smoking booth in a train
JR Shinkansen Tokyo Station: A smoking-restriction policy is different between two JR railway companies.
Kyushu Shinkansen provides a smoking room.
JR-West and JR-East's new deluxe sleeper-trains provide smoking vehicles ( It starts operation in 2017).
Smoking booth of JR Shikoku's express trains was closed in March 2011.

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Travel by Train
All railway trains should be completely smoke -free.

　Italia Rail: Trenitalia
　Rail Travel Ireland
　Railways in Helsinki, Finland
　Train in Norway, Trondheim to Oslo

　Amtrak Acela Express: Boston-Newyork
　Washington DC Metro/Union Station
　Chicago CTA Rail
　Miami Metro Rail

　Stockholm Arlanda Airport and Express
　Stockholm County Railways
　X2000:Stockholm-Copenhagen Express
　Greater Copenhagen Railways
　Paris Rail Terminals
　Paris Metro-RER-Tram

　Korea Train Express, Airport Express and Metro
　Bangkok Mass Transit/Thai Railways
　Indian Railway
　Dehli Metro
　Airport Express and MTR, Hong Kong
　Taiwan High-Speed Rail
　China High-Speed Rail

　Portugal Metro, Railways
　Amsterdam Rail
　High-speed train in Spain 2010
　Barcelona Railways
　Railway Travel in France 2011
　Railway Travel in Germany 2011
　High-speed train in Germany, Austria and Switzerland 2013

　Vancouver Skytrain
　Edomonton Metro
　VIA train, Vancouver to Jasper
　Amtrak: Seattle to Glacier National Park
　San Francisco: cable-car, tram and Bart
　Alaskan Railroad

　Moscow Metro
　Saint Petersburg Metro
　Sapsan, high-speed train of Russia
　Allegro, high-speed train between Finland and Russia

　Railways connecting Canberra and Sydney, Australia
　Gold Coast Light-Rail
　NZ Rail: Tranz Alpine/Scenic
　Brief Journey by Australian Rail

　Narita Airport-City Rail Service
　Japanese high-speed train 'Super-Komachi'
　Japanese deluxe cruise night train 'Seven-Stars' is smokefree.

Tokyo-Aomori bullet train 'Hayabusa': Max. Speed, 320km/h
Smoking ban in the railway trains of the world

日本語

ＪＲすべての寝台特急には喫煙車両を連結
2013年9月執筆　2014年12月加筆 2016年4月加筆
禁煙席ネット主宰　日本タバコフリー学会顧問　医学博士　宮本順伯
The article was written in September 2013, and last revised in April 2016,
by Junhaku Miyamoto, M.D., PhD.