There’s a question that many Nintendo fans have asked themselves at least once: what if the daily train commute was like playing Super Mario? In Japan they decided to respond seriously. Until June 30, 2026, the JR Kyushu railway company — in collaboration with Nintendo — transforms some of its most iconic trains into real Super Mario-themed trains, as part of the Super Mario × JR Kyushu ~Let’s GO KYUSHU!~ campaign
This is not a simple sticker applied to a carriage, given that the entire fleet involved in the collaboration covers the island of Kyushu, the southernmost island of Japan, with routes that pass through the main cities of the region.
Three trains, three levels
The campaign involves three types of convoys, each with its own route and debut. The N700S Kamome runs the Takeo Onsen–Nagasaki route on the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen line and entered service on February 7, 2026. Those arriving from Hakata must change trains at Takeo Onsen, where the connection is designed to be immediate on the same track. The 800 Series Tsubame instead travels the Hakata–Kumamoto/Kagoshima Chuo route and has been operational since March 7, 2026.
Added to these is the 885 series, made up of limited express trains already active from November 29, 2025 on multiple routes between Hakata, Oita, Sasebo and other centers on the island.
The Kamome adopts Mario’s red and blue colors, with graphics of the most famous plumber in gaming history. The fifth car even houses a Fire Flower-powered Mario. Yoshi in every color, the three princesses and the entire Koopa family travel on board the Tsubame, confirming how much the Super Mario cast has expanded over the decades.
Stations enter the game
Seven main stations — Hakata, Kokura, Saga, Nagasaki, Oita, Kumamoto and Kagoshima Central — host themed photo panels for passengers. Coins, question mark blocks and green pipes appear along the routes, while a digital Stamp Rally with 100 different locations is available on the official JR Kyushu app for those determined to complete the game.
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A traveling event, the “Super Mario Festa in Kyushu”, is stopping in the plazas of the main stations, with challenges against Bowser, game demos, local products and photo areas.
A tourism strategy beyond folklore
Behind the apparent lightness of the initiative there is a precise logic of territorial development. JR Kyushu’s stated objective is to transform the route to Nagasaki into an independent tourist destination, capable of attracting visitors from all over the world to a region that remains less traveled than the classic Tokyo-Kyoto route, but which offers natural landscapes, onsen and a thousand-year history.
To strengthen the operation, the fourth official Nintendo store in Japan, Nintendo FUKUOKA, opened in Hakata on November 14, 2025, inside the AMU PLAZA shopping center.
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For those who want to get on board without further worries: a special ticket is not necessary — normal travel tickets and JR Passes are valid on all trains in the campaign.
