ENJOY UNIQUE JAPAN EXPERIENCES AT JAPAN RAIL CAFE SINGAPORE

by JH - Thursday, December 22, 2016

Japan Here We Come

Operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Singaporeans welcomed the opening of the Japan Rail Cafe on 4 Dec 2016 with much anticipation. Being the avid travelers we are, Japan is no a foreign land for many of us and a true paradise to fully immerse in food, art, culture, scenery, entertainment and so much more.

JAPAN RAIL CAFE: One-Stop Japanese Experience

Aiming to promote travel to Japan, Japan lovers can find exclusive range of Japanese trendy products merging with the convenience of rail ticketing services for Japan rail passes. Speaking of which, anyone who travels around the different regions of Japan will definitely need a JR Pass on hand and purchasing had just been made easier in this cafe.

Feel the excitement of planning for a trip to Japan with unique information and services across the board right in the cafe.

Could barely contained my anticipation as I stepped into the cafe!

Every month, the cafe will feature a lesser-known region and this month it was TOHOKU 東北 .

Look out for these interesting newsletters such as the one below; and get yourself acquainted with the different regions within Japan!

“Just in time to commemorate SJ50, we are very glad to be able to offer JAPAN RAIL CAFE as a permanent physical space to build a community for Japan lovers interact closer and come together to share their experiences on travelling to Japan. Through regular interesting onsite activities such as scrapbooking and other interactive workshops to be held, we aim to promote more interest in the less well-known sightseeing regions for adventurous Singaporeans who actively plan their own itineraries even few months prior to their trips”, says Makoto Yamataka, General Manager of JAPAN RAIL CAFE, Singapore.

The cafe is divided into 3 parts: dining area also an event space, rail pass ticketing area and retail area.

Dining Area

Highlight of the cafe. The menu adopts of combination of various F&B recipes developed by JR East Food Business (JFEB), a food subsidiary under the JR East Group owning more than 50 brands of F&B outlets in Tokyo. A range of Japanese daily plates such as burger sets, sandwich sets and rice bowls will be served, with a special menu featuring representative dishes of the monthly featured region.

We fell absolutely over the signatures.

The★Ultimate A.B.C Burger

This specialty of Becker’s, a burger restaurant chain under JFEB, this ultimate burger is made by coupling avocado, bacon, cheddar cheese and 160g juicy wagyu beef patty in between fresh lettuce and original soft buns from Boulangerie ASANOYA. Piled high with tender juicy beef and melty cheese in between, we were savoring the rich savory sweetness of the burger. You will not say no to this!

Look at the generous fillings!

Comes with choice of 2 sides and we had it with wedges and mini salad.

Kaisen Avocado Don

I believe this will be a hit for ladies who love to eat clean. Because we absolutely love the subtle sweetness of the salmon sashimi and how it comes together with everything else, including the healthy grain rice, scallops and avocado slices.

Discover another way of eating don here.

Unlike normal seafood rice bowls, this don comes served with Japanese soup for you to make your own Ochazuke by pouring the soup over the rice. To try both styles, have it as per normal first and towards the end pour in the dashi stock.

Oishi !!

The Kaisen Avocado Don was developed from the concept of JFEB’s lifestyle concept café NOMONO Kitchen , a very popular cafe in Ikebukuro, Akihabara and many other areas in Tokyo.

Watashino Curry Rice

Another hot favourite ( literally).

I heart the Japanese curry sauce. Made from black pepper base and a blend of various spices, this curry is of the right note, not too sweet or spicy, combined with minced beef. The sauce was so good when mixed in with the 10-grained rice and digged in with the crispy fried chicken cutlet.

Choose from a range of 2 other mains such as stir-fry pork or fried oysters and 1 side dish. We had was the burst-up crab cream korokke.

Drinks counter

Brought sis along with me for the tasting.

Thanks to JAPAN RAIL CAFE for the warm hospitality and the friendly service crew.

Take-away Counter

Choose from Panasonic's Life Salads or ASANOYA's bakes.

Rail Pass Area

JAPAN RAIL CAFE spots a Japan Rail Pass Counter which brings travelers much convenience! Run by JTB Singapore, you can now purchase the Japan Rail Pass and be attended by friendly and knowledgeable staff from JTB who will be able to assist you with any enquiries.

Full range JR passes from Nationwide to specific regions' are available for purchase.

From left: Special thanks to Ms Sugawara Manager JTB Singapore and Ms Cylia for generously having me take this shot of them at the Rail Pass Counter.

Retail Area

JAPAN RAIL CAFE collaborates with Oishii Japan to launch a “Food Japan Selection” just for consumers, retailing a variety of food items originating from the monthly featured region. Also, you will be able to shop Japanese trendy items from JR East’s retail stores and shopping malls – a manifestation of Japan’s “Eki Naka” aka “in-station shopping”.