Kyoto's FUTURE TRAIN Opens Dining Cars Ahead of September Art Debut

Retired Thunderbird Trains Find a New Stop in Kyoto

Three retired 681-series Thunderbird limited express train cars are becoming a destination for food, art and Japanese pop culture on a 90-meter stretch of elevated railway in Kyoto's Umekoji district. FUTURE TRAIN KYOTO DINER & CAFE began its preliminary opening on August 20, 2025, with two cars serving diners. A third car, devoted to art and events, is scheduled to open with the venue's grand opening on September 20.

As of August 25, reservations are available for the restaurant, described as Japan's first built on an abandoned elevated railway. The project brings together artist Sebastian Masuda, restaurant operator Diamond Dining and a wider effort involving eleven organizations, including West Japan Railway Company, Kyoto City and local businesses.

The attraction combines a preserved railway setting with a deliberately colorful dining experience. Guests enter through a ticket gate, eat inside repurposed express train cars and choose dishes ranging from a Wagyu burger on a plum blossom bun to a dessert inspired by Kyoto's pagodas.

FUTURE TRAIN is also a project to give unused urban space a new purpose. Its railway structures and carriages once served transport needs. Now, the elevated site is intended to support food, culture and community activity while keeping a visible connection to Kyoto's railway past.

How an Unused Railway Became a Restaurant

The disused Umekoji Line and the retired Thunderbird trains form the foundations of the project. Both were once important parts of Kyoto's transportation network. Their reuse preserves those connections while giving visitors a reason to return to infrastructure that had lost its original function.

At the center is the Umekoji Highline, where the three brightly transformed carriages occupy a 90-meter stretch of elevated track. The participating organizations set out to turn this space into a meeting point for dining, art and local activity, rather than allowing the railway structures to fade from use.

Upcycling means giving an old object a new use while retaining something of its original form. At FUTURE TRAIN, the carriages remain recognizable as railway vehicles, but their interiors now accommodate meals, drinks and, from September, an art experience. The railway itself becomes part of the visit.

The creators describe the experience as a "Journey to the Future." Each carriage has a different role, connecting the memory of train travel with a new restaurant and cultural venue. Preserving the railway setting is central to that idea, alongside introducing activities that can bring people into the Umekoji area.

Sebastian Masuda Brings Kawaii Culture Aboard

Sebastian Masuda directs the project's creative identity. A pioneer of Japan's kawaii culture, meaning cute culture, he is known for founding the 6% Doki Doki store in Harajuku, designing KAWAII MONSTER CAFE and serving as art director for music videos by pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.

Masuda's work uses vivid colors, playful motifs and environments that surround visitors with visual detail. Those qualities have made him an international ambassador for Japanese pop aesthetics. At FUTURE TRAIN, they appear in everything from the interiors to the presentation of food.

Diamond Dining, a subsidiary of DD Group, worked with Masuda to combine Kyoto's traditional elegance with the exuberance of kawaii culture. The restaurant is conceived as an art installation as well as a place to eat, inviting guests to imagine their own "colorful and diverse futures."

Masuda also linked the project to changes in the experience of railway dining. He explained his motivation in these words:

With dining cars and onboard sales disappearing, I wanted people to rediscover the appeal of eating on trains, which led to the creation of this experiential restaurant.

That wish connects the project's playful appearance to a familiar pleasure: sharing food in a railway carriage. Here, the train stays in place, while its setting and design recreate some of the anticipation associated with a journey.

Three Cars, Three Different Experiences

Car 1, the front carriage, is planned as an immersive art and event space opening on September 20, 2025. Its original driver's seat and instruments will become part of installations using video, light and sound. Scheduled performances and interactive exhibits are also planned.

Cars 2 and 3 opened for dining on August 20. Car 2 is the main dining room, designed as a retro-futuristic carriage. Plush booths and vibrant plum red decor combine the nostalgia of classic train travel with the energy of a pop art diner.

Car 3 provides a more casual bar and lounge. It includes a bar counter, comfortable box seats and raised tables styled around the idea of a railway platform. Its layout is intended for relaxed meals, drinks and conversation.

The journey begins before guests reach their seats. A ticket gate marks the entrance, while station inspired signs extend the railway theme through the venue. Birdie Buddy, the restaurant's playful mascot, appears in the decor and on the menu.

The three spaces give visitors different ways to use the same venue: a meal in the main dining car, a drink at the bar or an encounter with digital art in the front carriage once it opens. The layout encourages exploration while keeping each car's purpose distinct.

Kyoto Ingredients Meet Playful Food Design

The kitchen follows a "KYOTO Diner" theme, combining local ingredients and regional food traditions with imaginative presentation. Kyoto grown vegetables, a plum blossom shaped bun and a box inspired by station meals connect the dishes to both the city and the railway setting.

The Ume Mirai Gourmet Burger pairs Wagyu beef with Kyoto grown vegetables. Its bun takes the shape of a plum blossom, drawing on the word "ume," which means plum in Japanese and links the dish to the venue's name and setting.

The Future Ekiben Box draws on Japan's tradition of train station bento meals. Served in several tiers, it contains nine small dishes, including sandwiches, meat, fish, pasta in a Kyoto style and omurice, a dish of omelet and rice.

The box gives diners a selection of foods within one presentation, while retaining the railway association of an ekiben. Alongside the burger, it shows how the menu uses familiar meal formats as starting points for a more theatrical dining experience.

Other choices include seasonal cakes, crispy fries, yakitori, or grilled chicken skewers, and additional snacks. These sit alongside the larger signature dishes, supporting both a full meal in the dining car and a more casual visit to the bar and lounge.

Desserts and Drinks Carry the Color Theme

Birdie Buddy's Fluffy Pancakes bring the mascot to the dessert menu. They are decorated with Mont Blanc chestnut cream and the character, continuing the connection between the food and the imagery throughout the train.

The Kawaii Five-Story Pagoda Parfait takes its shape and theme from Kyoto's pagodas. Layers of Japanese sweets, fruit and colorful toppings create a tall dessert that translates a recognizable feature of the city's architecture into food.

Drinks include shakes in three colors inspired by traditional Japanese hues. Signature cocktails and mocktails use local ingredients such as yuzu, matcha and sakura, or cherry blossom. The menu therefore carries the same combination of Kyoto references and bright presentation into both alcoholic drinks and alternatives without alcohol.

Main dishes and desserts generally cost between 2,000 and 3,000 yen. The pricing reflects the premium ingredients and the experience of dining inside the transformed train cars.

A Railway Interior Reworked With Light and Color

The carriages have bright exteriors that announce their new purpose before visitors enter. Inside, neon lighting, plush seating, pastel hues and playful art details give the preserved trains a setting far removed from their former transport role.

Masuda's kawaii style runs through the venue, but each carriage has its own mood. The main dining room places guests in plum red surroundings, the lounge offers a more relaxed arrangement, and the front car is being prepared for moving images, sound and light.

The design brings nostalgia and imagined futures into the same space. Original railway features, including the front car's driving equipment, sit alongside contemporary visual installations. Station signs, the entrance gate and platform styled tables keep the train journey theme present throughout.

For visitors, that means the surroundings are part of the meal rather than a separate attraction. A burger shaped around a plum blossom, a mascot dessert and a carriage filled with vivid color all contribute to the same experience of railway dining reimagined through pop culture.

Opening Dates, Access and Reservations

FUTURE TRAIN KYOTO DINER & CAFE is at 3-7 Kankijicho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, inside the Umekoji Highline. The venue is directly connected to Umekoji-Kyotonishi Station and is about a 20-minute walk from Kyoto Station.

The opening is taking place in two stages, with the dining spaces welcoming customers before the front carriage's art program begins:

• August 20, 2025: Preliminary opening of Cars 2 and 3 for dining.
• August 25, 2025: Reservations are available, with the art carriage still awaiting its scheduled debut.
• September 20, 2025: Grand opening, including the launch of Car 1 as an art and event space.

Weekday hours are 11:00 to 16:00 and 17:00 to 23:00. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, the venue operates from 11:00 to 23:00. It has approximately 88 seats.

Reservations can be made through the official website. Advance booking is recommended because of the venue's popularity and limited seating, particularly for visitors hoping to attend the immersive art events after the September grand opening.

What the Project Means for Umekoji

Kyoto's railway heritage gives FUTURE TRAIN more than an unusual shape. Reusing the retired carriages and abandoned elevated line preserves pieces of the city's industrial past while creating a new reason for residents and tourists to visit Umekoji.

The collaboration among railway operators, city officials, local businesses and creative leaders shows how public and private organizations can work together on unused urban space. Food and cultural activity provide a new function for structures that were built for transport.

The project also places contemporary Japanese pop culture within a preserved railway setting. Kyoto's traditional references appear in ingredients, plum motifs and pagoda inspired sweets, while Masuda's colors and installations give those references a different visual language.

Plans include adding more carriages, with the ambition of creating the world's longest restaurant. No expansion date has been given. For now, the next scheduled step is the September 20 opening of the front carriage and its art experience.

FUTURE TRAIN offers a possible example for other places considering how to reuse underused infrastructure. Its immediate task is concrete: bring dining, art and community activity into an elevated railway site while keeping the history of the trains visible to a new generation of visitors.

At a Glance

• FUTURE TRAIN occupies three retired 681-series Thunderbird cars on a 90-meter stretch of Kyoto's Umekoji Highline.
• Cars 2 and 3 opened for dining on August 20, 2025. The art and event carriage is scheduled to open on September 20.
• Sebastian Masuda provides creative direction, working with Diamond Dining, a DD Group subsidiary.
• Eleven organizations, including West Japan Railway Company, Kyoto City and local businesses, are involved in the wider project.
• Signature dishes include a Wagyu burger, a box containing nine small dishes, mascot pancakes and a pagoda inspired parfait.
• Main dishes and desserts generally cost 2,000 to 3,000 yen, and the venue has approximately 88 seats.
• The restaurant is directly connected to Umekoji-Kyotonishi Station, with reservations available through its official website.