There is no secret that the mouthless kitty, Hello Kitty, is huge in Japan. Notwithstanding its status as a cartoon character, the pop culture icon has been seen in places outside of cartoon series and prints. Her appearance ranges from hotel to video game to even tires, and now, it is set to appear on Japan’s fastest land transportation system, the Shinkansen, AKA the bullet train, specifically, on the trains plying West Japan Railway Co. (JR West)’s Sanyo Shinkansen Line that connects Osaka and Fukuoka. Altogether, eight 500-series cars will be getting the Kitty treatment.
As you can see from the image above, the train will feature Hello Kitty’s trademark red ribbon on a pink and white color scheme. In addition, carriage no. 1 will be cleared of seating to make way for sales of local specialties while the world’s most famous cat’s theme will continue to Car No. 2’s cabin. But why just the second carriage and not all? I don’t know? Perhaps a mindful move, knowing that not everyone is a fan, or maybe it is just too costly. So, I guess it is still a ‘yay’ for Kitty’s fans? Having said that, if you are a fan, here’s a “concept movie” to psyche you up a little:
This Hello Kitty theme is such a huge deal that JR West even even has a website dedicated to this so-called Hello Kitty Shinkansen. But its in Japanese language.
Image: West Japan Railway Co.
via Luxurylaunches.
