In this issue: What it’s like to ride the Seven Star’s Kyushu - Japan’s version of the Orient Express, a jazzy hip hop set by DJ Elly, & an easy Thai tea recipe.

What it's Like to Ride the Seven Stars Kyushu – Japan's Version of the Orient Express

In late August, I climbed aboard the Seven Stars – known as the Nanatsuboshi in Japanese – to find out what it’s like to ride the country’s most elite train. The three-night, four-day Kirishima route runs east from Fukuoka to Oita Prefecture, south to Kagoshima Prefecture and then back up through Oita, returning to Fukuoka. Reservations for tickets are accepted via a lottery system, and slots are already booked solid through 2024. On the morning of our departure from Hakata station, the passengers convened at an exclusive lounge, where crew member Satoko Yamamoto, impeccably dressed in a white conductor’s uniform adorned with gold buttons, briefed me on my itinerary. After a toast to the journey ahead, we were whisked through a priority gate onto the platform.

In true Japanese fashion, the Nanatsuboshi pulled into the station at exactly 10.37am Inside, the magnificent interior, designed by Eiji Mitooka, looks like the stage of an Agatha Christie novel set in a fantasy of Meiji-era Japan: a different type of wood was used for the paneling of each car, and the corridors are decorated with intricately crafted kumiko woodwork lattices and gold fixtures. Craftsmen from the region’s most venerated ateliers have designed every detail, from the shoji paper window screens and Aritayaki porcelain lamps in the guest rooms to the cutlery that punctuates the tables… Conde Nast Traveller

DJ Elly - Jazzy Hiphop Set

Easy Thai Tea Recipe: How to Make Thai Iced Tea at Home

It's unclear to us when and how this drink came to be. However, the story goes that a chef made this beverage to cater to a leader's taste for food with a Western twist.

Supposedly, they borrowed milk and sugar from European desserts, and the drink was served over ice to distance it from its country of origin further. Another famous tale states that pouring sweet, milky tea over ice started during the reigns of King Rama IV and King Rama V in the late 19th century… Honest Food Talks

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