Real French Cuisine on Rails: What Makes Les Saveurs Shima Different
What Is Les Saveurs Shima?
Built around the idea of “an elegant train journey led by fine dining,” Les Saveurs Shima is a four-car train converted from a Kintetsu limited-express 12400-series set, at a cost of roughly ¥750 million (yen) (approx. $4.7 million). The exterior is finished in deep blue and white, evoking the sea and sun of the Shima Peninsula.
A French Course Menu, Supervised by Executive Chef Hiroe Higuchi
Table seating in Car 4 (image). (Image: Kintetsu)
Car 4 seats just 16 guests for a full French course menu supervised by Executive Chef Hiroe Higuchi of the Shima Kanko Hotel. Expect Mie Prefecture’s finest ingredients — Ise lobster, abalone, Kumano jidori chicken — prepared using traditional technique.
The French course menu (image). (Image: Kintetsu)
A More Casual Option: The “French Zen” Bento
The “French Zen” bento (image). (Image: Kintetsu)
Cars 1 and 2, with 34 seats total, offer the “French Zen” — a colorful, French-inspired meal set supervised by Kintetsu and Miyako Hotels, packed with Mie Prefecture wagyu beef and Ise chicken in a wooden box, so you can enjoy elegant food casually while taking in the scenery.
The “Zen” here has nothing to do with Zen Buddhism. Written 膳, it’s the Japanese word for a lacquered tray of dishes served as a single set — so “French Zen” means a French-style meal presented in the traditional Japanese tray format, rather than course-by-course.
Launching November 1, 2026 — Tickets Open September 1
Schedule for Operation and Ticket Sales
Les Saveurs Shima begins operating on Sunday, November 1, 2026. Individual online ticket sales open on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, initially covering November and December departures; after that, each month’s tickets go on sale on the 1st of the month, three months ahead. Package tours built around Les Saveurs Shima are also being rolled out gradually from May 2026 through travel agencies such as Club Tourism.
What It Costs
There are two dining plans, with different weekday and weekend/holiday pricing:
- French Course Plan: ¥33,000 (yen) (approx. $208) weekdays / ¥36,000 (yen) (approx. $226) weekends and holidays
- French Zen Plan: ¥19,000 (yen) (approx. $119) weekdays / ¥21,000 (yen) (approx. $132) weekends and holidays
Prices include a ticket for the free-travel zone between Ise-shi and Kashikojima stations from Kintetsu-Nagoya Station, the meal itself, a welcome drink, an after-dinner drink, and all applicable taxes. Additional drinks are available for purchase on board.
Timetable and Boarding Stations
Outbound and Return Schedules
The train runs between Kintetsu-Nagoya and Kashikojima stations about six days a week, once round-trip per day.
Outbound (Kintetsu-Nagoya to Kashikojima): departs Kintetsu-Nagoya 11:05 a.m. → arrives Ise-shi 12:48 p.m. → Ujiyamada 12:51 p.m. → Isuzugawa 12:54 p.m. → Toba 1:05 p.m. → Ugata 1:29 p.m. → arrives Kashikojima 1:35 p.m.
Return (Kashikojima to Kintetsu-Nagoya): departs Kashikojima 4:35 p.m. → departs Ugata 4:41 p.m. → Toba 5:08 p.m. → Isuzugawa 5:19 p.m. → Ujiyamada 5:23 p.m. → Ise-shi 5:26 p.m. → arrives Kintetsu-Nagoya 7:12 p.m. (7:08 p.m. on weekends and holidays)
Timetable and course details. (Image: Kintetsu)
A Boarding Restriction to Know About for the French Course
If you’re booking the full French course in Car 4, note that boarding and alighting stations are limited: outbound, you can only board at Kintetsu-Nagoya and get off at Ugata or Kashikojima; on the return, you can only board at Kashikojima or Ugata and get off at Kintetsu-Nagoya. This is by design — it ensures guests have enough time to enjoy the full course at an unhurried pace.
Which Plan Should You Choose?
Les Saveurs Shima’s two dining options — the French Course in Car 4, and French Zen in Cars 1–2 — aren’t just a matter of budget.
If you want the full indulgent course experience: Car 4 is the only option, but you’ll need to ride the full Nagoya–Ugata/Kashikojima stretch without getting off along the way. It’s best suited to travelers for whom the meal itself is the whole point of the trip.
If you also want to sightsee: the French Zen in Cars 1–2 is the better fit, since it has no boarding restrictions at stops like Toba or Ise-shi — making it easy to combine with a visit to Ise Jingu Shrine as part of a full day trip.
Kintetsu is a private railway separate from JR, so the Japan Rail Pass doesn’t cover it. Tickets for Les Saveurs Shima will be sold through a dedicated reservation website, expected to launch alongside sales on September 1, 2026 — bookmark the official Kintetsu page linked below to catch it as soon as it opens.
Les Saveurs Shima turns the trip to Ise-Shima from mere transportation into a proper fine-dining occasion — a seafood-forward French menu carrying on the tradition of the Shima Kanko Hotel, enjoyed with the scenery rolling by outside. November’s inaugural departures are expected to be in high demand: if you want to guarantee a seat, a travel agency package may be the safer bet, while independent travelers should be ready right at 10:00 a.m. Japan time on September 1, when online sales open.
Official page: https://www.kintetsu.co.jp/senden/les-saveurs-shima/
(Image: Kintetsu)
Tetsudo Channel (Railway Channel) Editorial Team
(tetsudo-ch.com — Japan Travel, Trains & Weekend Outings)