First Class Rail Seats

First Class Rail Seats

Shinkansen bullet trains have become icons of Japan’s advanced rail technology. Now first class seating on a 300 kilometer-per- hour super express has been introduced. Named “Gran Class,” the term has been coined from the French word for “great” and the English word “class.” In addition to expanded pitch and width of the seat cushions, the car capacity is limited to just 18 people (arrayed in six rows of three seats each). In addition to individual reading lamps, seats are equipped with a motorized reclining mechanism, outlets for mobile communications, footrests and so on. In addition to a personal attendant, each Gran Class car offers such perks as boxed meals composed of ingredients from the trains’ routes of travel, plus blankets, slippers, eye masks, and complimentary reading matters.