There’s a “nightclub” on a Japanese train!? The wildly popular creative project by Seibu Railway

Text and photos / Excerpted from“Don’t Get Off the Train!: Joyful Japanese Scenic Trains”Edited by Nikkei Design, translated by Chen Baiyao, published by Gakuensha

Heartfelt hospitality not reliant on car design ③ / Seibu Railway
Creative initiatives that continuously convey the charm of the areas along the line

Among all railway initiatives, there is also a humorous and creative department that continuously rolls out new events and actively seeks to attract fresh clientele — the “Smile & Smile Room” (hereafter referred to as the “Smile Room”) under the Transportation Department of Seibu Railway.

The Smile Room was originally established in 2008 as the “Smile & Smile Division,” created with the goal of “actively planning and launching events to allow more passengers to experience the joy of the areas along the line.” To strengthen interdepartmental connections, it was moved to the Transportation Department in 2013 and renamed to its current title.

The most important mission of the Smile Room is to consistently launch cutting-edge events while maintaining an always “on the offensive” attitude. As such, the initiatives often involve challenging activities.

▲ A Seibu Railway event train in collaboration with the nightclub “ageHa.” It runs between Musashi-Ryōgoku Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line and Shin-Kiba Station on the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line. Inside the train, DJs and dancers perform live, getting passengers excited and dancing along.

For example, the “SEIBU RAILWAY PRESENTS ageHa TRAIN” (hereafter referred to as the “ageHa TRAIN”), operated in June 2015, was a collaborative event train planned with the assistance of ageHa, Japan’s largest nightclub located in Shin-Kiba, Koto Ward, Tokyo. Tickets sold out during the presale period, with 960 participants over the two-day event.

“We chose a nightclub as our partner to show passengers that there are such vibrant places within the economic sphere served by Seibu Railway.” (Kanahiro Nakayama, Assistant Section Manager of the New Passenger Development section at the Smile & Smile Room, Transportation Department, Seibu Railway Headquarters). ageHa’s venue, “Shin-Kiba STUDIO COAST,” is just a five-minute walk from Shin-Kiba Station on the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line.

When people think of nightclubs, they usually think of Shibuya or Roppongi. However, since the Seibu Ikebukuro Line and Yurakucho Line were interconnected in 1998, Shin-Kiba has suddenly felt much closer to residents along the Seibu Railway lines. Even so, passengers still couldn’t truly sense that it was within easy reach. Therefore, to help more people understand that the areas covered by Seibu Railway also include some of the most cutting-edge districts of the times, and to convey the charm of the areas along the line, this event was specially planned. The event also symbolized the start of a new lifestyle along the line.

▲ The interior of the “ageHa TRAIN” was equipped with a DJ booth, sound system, and special lighting, matching the standards of a real nightclub.

On the day the ageHa TRAIN ran, multiple security personnel were stationed at Musashi-Ryōgoku Station to prevent accidents and chaos. Announcements to passengers were thorough to ensure everything went smoothly for the event.

Interestingly, the reactions of regular Seibu Line passengers were notable — many felt the station was different than usual, and numerous people posted on SNS saying it felt like an “alternate space.” Both images uploaded by participants and blog posts about the event were highly popular, and even a month after the event, the ageHa TRAIN remained a hot topic online.

▲ Passengers high-fiving dancers inside Musashi-Ryōgoku Station. Participants were required to wear special wristbands.

To maintain passenger interest, Seibu Railway continued to roll out fresh initiatives. From August 15–16, at Seibu Prince Dome near “Seibu Stadium Mae” on the Seibu Sayama Line, the event “SEIBU RAILWAY Presents Slide the City in SEIBU PRINCE DOME” combined the super-sized waterslide “Slide the City” with a bubble-filled dance party called “Foam Party.” The venue, originally mainly used for baseball games, was introduced to a wider and more diverse range of customers through this trendy party event.

The Smile Room of Seibu Railway continues to maintain its ever-“on the offensive” attitude — indeed, it’s hard to look away.