The Seven Stars in Kyushu is a deluxe sleeping car excursion train operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) in Japan since October 2013. The overall design concept of the train was overseen by industrial designer Eiji Mitooka. The name of the train is derived from the seven prefectures of Kyushu and the fact that the train is made up of seven cars. read more…
Kyushu or Kiushu is the third biggest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternative ancient names include Kyūkoku, Chinzei, and Tsukushi-no-shima. The historical regional name Saikaidō referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands. As of 2016, Kyushu has a population of 13 million and covers 36,782 square kilometres (14,202 sq mi). The island is mountainous, and Japan’s most active volcano, Mount Aso at 1,591 metres (5,220 ft), is on Kyushu. There are many other signs of tectonic activity, including numerous areas of hot springs. The most famous of these are in Beppu, on the east shore, and around Mt. Aso, in central Kyushu. The island is separated from Honshu by the Kanmon Straits. Today’s Kyushu Region is a politically defined region that consists of the seven prefectures on the island of Kyushu (which also includes the former Tsushima and Iki as part of Nagasaki), plus Okinawa Prefecture to the south. The region, without the Okinawa Prefecture, includes 2159 islands with a total area of 5450 km². read more…
