Night trains using the Japan Rail Pass.

Starting with a bit of history, long before the Shinkansen (the bullet trains) Japan was a country of night trains. These so called “blue sleeper trains” could nearly be found anywhere. Today, very few night trains remain and most have been retired due to people taking the much faster Shinkansen or cheaper night buses. Those that remain are very popular and getting a seat may not be easy. The following night trains still operate and can be booked using the JR Pass.

The Sunrise express.

The Sunrise express is a train that consists of two train sets. The Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise Seto, together they leave Tokyo travel to Osaka and Himeji, before splitting-up at Okayama station. From Okayama, one train set travels up to Matsue and Izumo-shi, while the other train set travels down to Takamatsu, Shikoku. Trains also run the reverse route back to Tokyo.

Compartments and charges.

There are different kinds of seats on board. For JR Pass users the “Nobi Nobi” can be used free of charge. These are carpeted seats to lay down on, small blankets are provided.
 There is also a single bed “type A” compartment and twin bed “type B” compartment. These compartments require an additional fare, starting at 10,800yen per person.

Getting a reservation.

The trickiest part of getting on the Sunrise Express is reserving seats. With only one service each night, seats are very limited and sometimes sell out days, if not weeks in advance. The best way to make reservations is to ask for seats the moment you are in Japan and have activated the JR Pass. It is not possible to reserve seats outside of Japan or via the internet for the Japan Rail Pass. Ticket reservations can be made up to 30 days in advance and are required in order to travel on this train. Weekend days and holidays are especially hard to book.

Also good to know:

-There are no special compartments for large luggage; you’ll have to share your bed with your suitcase.
 -There’s a small vending machine on board selling sodas and water.
 -A limited amount of power outlets can be found on board.
 -There’s a shower on board, and shower passes can be purchased from the conductor and last 6 minutes. There’s only a limited amount of these available, so purchase them the moment the conductor comes to check the tickets.

Further reading.
A very handy hand guide of night trains by JR Hokkaido
Sunrise Express (Wikipedia)
An overview of night trains in Japan (Wikipedia)

Photo ©
All other pictures © by Daniel-San.