Shinkansen driving simulator offers visitors at Tokyo hotels

161
3
Shinkansen driving simulator offers visitors at Tokyo hotels

An E 5 series Shinkansen driving simulator is installed at Hotel Metropolitan Edmont Tokyo in the capital's Chiyoda Ward Go Takahashi Urban hotels and allows guests to fly airplanes, drive bullet trains and groom their pets in a bid to counter the lack of visitors on leisure and business trips.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some accommodation buildings have been reconstructed to bring in revenue sources.

In April, Hotel Metropolitan Edmont Tokyo in the capital's Iidabashi district offered an accommodation package that allows guests to experience a professional simulator for the E 5 series bullet trains operated on the Hokkaido and Tohoku Shinkansen lines.

A 40 minute simulated driving session per guest room is provided by JR East, a company that is affiliated with East Japan Railway Co.

The train simulator's body is green and white with a pink line. It is located in the center of the hotel lobby.

The driver's cabin has 30 kilometers of footage shot from the driver's cabin, between Oyama and Utsunomiya stations on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line.

The operation system was built in 2014 to promote Shinkansen cars and the operation system to overseas markets.

It faithfully reproduces the subtle changes in speed on slopes, delicate brake operations and other factors.

The simulator was expected to draw more traffic, but an increasing number of families with children has also been drawn to it.

A representative said we wanted to inspire our guests to go on tour.

In the autumn of last year, Centrair Hotel, which is directly connected to Chubu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture, started offering a stay in the ANA Room.

The room allows guests to use a light plane simulator while watching real aircraft take off from the runway.

A real flight recorder and engine parts are on display in the room, and guests can order room service for food similar to in-flight meals.

The Tokyo Bay Tokyu Hotel in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, has collaborated with Japan Airlines Co. to replicate an airplane cabin in a guest room.

Since late April, the Wing Room has seats, window frames taken from a retired Boeing 777 jet, and a meal cart.

The hotel is connected to the Tokyo Disney Resort parks by shuttle bus, and park visitors account for 70 percent of its overnight stay.

The occupancy rate was temporarily dropped to 20 percent due to restrictions imposed during the epidemic.

The problem was how to create another market when we were dependent on Disney, according to Hiroaki Iwamoto, general manager of the hotel.

In Japan, overnight stayers decreased by 47.1 percent to 315 million in 2021 from two years ago, according to the Japan Tourism Agency.

Even though the epidemic seems to be settling down, the spread of teleworking has resulted in a decrease in business trips at hotels in urban areas.

In February, Sumitomo Realty Development Co. remodeled its hotel in Tokyo's Shibakoen district to cater to guests with pet dogs.

The hotel Inumo Shibakoen has a dog run, a restaurant that serves meals to canines and a pet beauty salon.

The floors and walls are coated with resin and covered with tiles for easy cleaning.

The hotel operator, Sumitomo Fudosan Villa Fontaine Co., said it decided to remodel after its main customers, inbound tourists, disappeared during the Pandemic.

According to Toshiyuki Masui, a certain number of tourists is expected to return, but that doesn't necessarily mean that 100 percent will come back, said Toshiyuki Masui, the company president. We need to keep developing cutting-edge hotels to cater to specific interests and tastes.