A pianist entertains passengers in the lounge
Photograph: The Asahi Shimbun/Getty

A minimalist meal served in the dining car
Photograph: The Asahi Shimbun/Getty

... with twin beds below the dining area
Photograph: AFP/Getty

Introducing the five-star Shiki-shima suite …
Photograph: AFP/Getty

The suite room, one of 17 on the Train Suite Shiki-shima
Photograph: AFP/Getty

All aboard: the train’s main door
Photograph: AFP/Getty

A peek inside the futuristic observatory car
Photograph: AFP/Getty

Trainspotters watch the 10-car vehicle cross a field in Nikko, north-east of Tokyo
Photograph: Yoshitaka Sugawara/AP

Train Suite Shiki-shima departs
Photograph: AFP/Getty

Train enthusiasts snap photos of the sleeper as it makes its debut at Ueno station in Tokyo before a four-day trip to north-eastern Japan
Photograph: Kyodo News/Getty Images

The futuristic champagne-gold Train Suite Shiki-shima, operated by East Japan Railway, has five-star lounge, dining and observatory cars and features a menu devised by a Michelin-starred chef. The 10-car train accommodates just 34 passengers in 17 suites, and the most expensive room, the Shiki-shima, costs ¥950,000 (£6,600) per person for two sharing. The train embarked on its maiden journey on 1 May and seats have already been booked up until March 2018.

10. iCloud family storage plans



If you and your family members own multiple Apple devices, and use them to share media such as photos, images and videos, it makes no sense for each member to have their own iCloud storage plan. Thankfully, iOS 11 makes it possible to have shared iCloud storage plans. Up to six members of a family can share a common iCloud storage plan between them. This can be done without having to pay any extra costs on a monthly basis.

9. Smart Invert



Accessible under Accessibility in General settings, Smart Invert changes and reverses the colour of the entire display, except for images, media and some apps that use dark colour schemes. It’s worth noting that this doesn’t replace the ‘Invert Colour’ functionality that’s already present in iOS 10.