Wednesday 7 November 2012

Special Poster Trains in Shinkansen Year 2012


Tokyo Tower, JR East's penguin character and Panda (Ueno Zoo) on the EMU E2-J series

JR East has been promoting Tohoku, Joetsu, Nagano, Akita and Yamagata Shinkansens since early this year, as coined "Shinkansen Year 2012". It is because this year is the 30th anniversary of the Tohoku and the Nagano Shinkansen, the 20th anniversary of the Yamagata Shinkansen and the 15th anniversary of the Akita Shinkansen.

One of the promotion activities is the operation of special poster trains, which are decorated with local characters. For example, 4 sets of EMU E2-J series are decorated with characters on the Tohoku Shinkansen. Car number 2 is decorated with images of Tokyo Tower, Panda in the Ueno Zoo and so on (see the top photo). Meanwhile, car number 6 is decorated with images of Tanabata Festival in Sendai, Kokeshi (traditional wooden doll) in Narugo, Masamune Date (a famous warlord) etc.

4 sets of EMU E2-N series are decorated with local characters on the Nagano Shinkansen. Car number 3 is decorated with images of Zenkoji Temple, Yukimura Sanada (a famous samurai) and so on (see the following picture). Meanwhile, car number 6 is decorated with images of Jigokudani Hot Spring, Northern Japanese Alps, and ski ground in Hakuba etc.

JR East are also posting photographs of "Shinkansen and people" taken by passengers over the last 30 years on the company website. They are Shinkansen trains with children, boys, girls, couples and old people. You will be able to see Japanese people's expressions, dress and day-to-day life from 1982 to 2011 on the following website.

http://www.shinkansen-year2012.com/memory/index.html


Shinkansen stays ahead of Japanese railways.

Zenkoji temple and JR East's penguin character with Y. Sanada costume on the EMU E2-N series