JAPAN TRENDS


 

JR West has announced that a special Hello Kitty version of the Shinkansen bullet train will be in operation this summer.

Sanrio’s immensely popular cat character will decorate a 500 Series Shinkansen train. So far only concept art images are available but, needless to say, it adheres to the usual Kitty-chan kawaii theme colors of pink and white (with some gold, too), and includes motifs of Hello Kitty herself and her signature bow.

 

The new Hello Kitty train will run a return service on the Sanyo Line between Shin-Osaka and Hakata stations once a day, though the detailed schedule will be announced at a later date. Unfortunately, we don’t think that Hello Kitty herself will on board, though surely some merchandise and custom food dishes will.

https://youtu.be/EK0cdvk5rC4

 

This is not the first time that the JR Group has teamed up with Sanrio and other franchises to promote its passenger services. JR West previously had a Hello Kitty train in Wakayama, though it was not a Shinkansen.

 

Another collaboration includes the Evangelion bullet train on the Sanyo Line, which started in 2015 and ends this May. JR East also previously created the Genbi Shinkansen, a high-speed train featuring its own art gallery.