The fighters face off on a shinkansen bullet train traveling from Tokyo to Nagoya in central Japan, with applause erupting throughout the packed car as they trade kicks and perform piledrivers.
This is just the tip of a new trend in post-pandemic travel experiences, where bullet trains are being transformed into lively entertainment venues, making the journey as fun as the destination.
The shinkansen wrestling event held last September was organized by Tokyo-based DDT Pro-Wrestling using the charter car service of operator Central Japan Railway Co.
A professional wrestling event will be held on a bullet train in September 2023. (Photo courtesy of Central Japan Railway Co.)(Kyodo)
All 75 premium seats priced at 25,000 yen ($161) and reserved seats priced at 17,700 yen were sold out in about 30 minutes.
DDT Pro-Wrestling president Sanshiro Takagi said he organized the event to allow people to have “an extraordinary shinkansen experience.”
“I want to hold these events again as they left an impact on many fans,” said the 54-year-old professional fighter, adding that he also attracted attention from abroad through social media.
In March, around 60 people enjoyed sushi and sake at an upscale Tokyo restaurant while traveling in a chartered first-class Green Car on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line’s Kodama train from Tokyo to Nagoya.
Although tickets cost 55,000 yen, they also sold out quickly.
The rail operator, commonly known as JR Central, began chartering shinkansen cars in 2022 during the coronavirus pandemic to encourage people to use its trains.
Participants at a gourmet sushi and sake event held on a bullet train in March 2024. (Photo courtesy of Central Japan Railway Co.)(Kyodo)
While the cars were initially chartered for private events such as weddings and corporate presentations, the company said it is now receiving more interesting orders as the pandemic eases.
“We want to continue creating experiences that meet customers’ ‘nozomi’ (expectations),” joked a JR Central employee, making a pun on the name of the fastest shinkansen train service on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line, Nozomi.
Travel analyst Kotaro Toriumi said bullet trains, once just a means of transportation, have now taken on the additional role of serving as an entertainment platform.
“It seems that enjoying travel itself fills the void left by diminished enthusiasm for travel during the pandemic,” he said.
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