Riding the world’s most luxurious train with the visionary designer who built it

Editor’s Note: This story is part of “Masters of Experience,” a series exploring the world’s most original experiences, as told by the visionaries who crafted them.

While Japan’s bullet trains may be famed for their speed, there is a train in Japan that has garnered a more exclusive reputation. Demand is often so high for a trip on this luxury sleeper train – and space so limited – that prospective passengers often have to enter a lottery for tickets.

Upon boarding the Cruise Train Seven Stars at the busy Hakata Station in the city of Fukuoka, passengers step into another world. The train’s warm wooden interiors and classic design elements evoke another time.

The Cruise Train Seven Stars has 14 suites. Designer Eiji Mitooka said the unique furniture and design combine Eastern and Western influences.

Mitooka treated each window like a painting, as if to frame the scenery outdoors.