Originally Posted by
msp3
Am curious, I never see onboard sales on airport Ltd. Exp. trains or Ltd. Exp. trains that happen to double as commuter trains during rush hour (because of route) so I get that segment of passengers probably don't buy, but isn't the market for onboard sales tourists? Which I would imagine you see much more of in Kyushu and Hokkaido...
There IS a market for these passengers. But it seems that this is being specifically catered to with the “Joyful Trains” concept.
Here’s the link to JR East’s segment of this business
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/joyful/index.html?src=gnavi
Other parts of the JR network have their own “joyful” trains. All are a little different and not all of them will have a focus on local cuisine and foods, but there are definitely trains that will have catering and drink/snacks services that are designed to appeal to particular kinds of tourists, especially those from the domestic sector.