Arab News Japan

There is bad news for passengers traveling on Japan’s super-fast bullet trains.

Come October 31 the on-board snack cart services between the cities of Tokyo and Osaka will be discontinued.

The reason behind such a move is a result of labour shortage.

Central Japan Railway said it would phase out the famed on-board 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.

Passengers have long enjoyed ordering coffee, ice cream or boxed lunches from these carts, while simultaneously enjoying the scenic beauty of Mount Fuji.

Snack and food sales have been a mainstay on the Shinkansen since it began running in 1964, the year Japan hosted the first Tokyo Olympics, a railway spokesperson said, but it was not clear when the cart services began.

The online response was despondent, with “Super-Cold Shinkansen Ice Cream” trending 5th on the X platform formerly known as Twitter and “In-Train Service” 6th within hours of the announcement.

“I remember that I enjoyed the ice cream every time I got on the train, and when I jumped on the last train without eating, I was saved by the sandwiches sold there,” one user said.

Passengers on first-class cars will be able to order food and drink using QR codes starting Nov. 1, the railway company said.