Tourism JR Central Nozomi and Hikari shinkansen to end food cart sales

Central Japan Railway said Tuesday it would phase out the famed onboard snack cart services in which a uniformed vendor dispenses beverages and light refreshments, pushing their cart through the aisles of the moving train and bowing as they enter or leave the carriage. Snack and food sales have been a mainstay on the bullet train since it began running in 1964, the year Japan hosted the first Tokyo Olympics, a railway spokesperson said, although it was not clear when the cart services began. The online response to the news was despondent, with "Super-Cold Shinkansen Ice Cream" trending fifth on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, and "In-Train Service" sixth within hours of the announcement.

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Onboard sales of food on the Nozomi train -- the fastest and most frequent service -- in pre-pandemic fiscal 2018 were down 45% from fiscal 2008. However, stores in stations along Nozomi stops saw sales grow by 16% during the same period. The third Tokaido shinkansen service, the slower Kodama, ended onboard food cart sales in 2012. Central Japan Railway, which operates the Tokaido bullet trains, will roll out vending machines on platforms serving ice cream and coffee, two of the most in-demand items on the food carts. Other vendors on the platforms will expand their lineup of bento boxed meals and alcoholic beverages as an alternative to the food carts. The pursers -- the cabin crew responsible for food cart sales -- will be reduced to two people from three per car. Starting Oct. 1, pursers no longer will wear hats and women will be allowed to wear pants to promote ease of movement.

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