Hello Kitty Shinkansen bullet train unveiled ahead of launch in Japan
JAPAN NEWS-YOMIURI
“Hello Kitty Shinkansen” bullet train features an area for selfies.
JAPAN NEWS-YOMIURI
The “Hello Kitty Shinkansen” at the Hakata rail yard in Nakagawa, Japan, features an area for selfies.
FUKUOKA, Japan >> West Japan Railway Co. unveiled Monday a Hello Kitty Shinkansen bullet train, which will begin service Saturday between Shin-Osaka Station and Hakata Station in Fukuoka.
JR West unveiled the eight-car train at the Hakata general rail yard in Nakagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture. The train is adorned with images of Hello Kitty.
The company hopes the internationally popular character will attract tourists to the rail line.
The first and second cars have white and pink bodies bearing illustrations of Kitty. Tourist information is available in the first car, while the second car has an area where passengers can pose for photos with a statue of Hello Kitty.
The interior of the third through eighth cars is similar to a normal shinkansen, but the company says that there are Kitty illustrations hidden in these cars.
The character train will operate one round-trip a day, departing from Hakata Station at 6:40 a.m. and from Shin-Osaka Station at 11:29 a.m.
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The service will be suspended from July 18-20, Aug. 8-10, Sept. 3-5 and Sept. 26-28, according to the company’s timetable.
The company said first-day reserved seats are nearly sold out.
