Latest news with #Anpanman
Yomiuri Shimbun
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Iconic Shikoku ‘Anpanman' Trains Mark 25th Anniversary
Shikoku Railway Co. (JR Shikoku) is marking the 25th anniversary of the launch of its Anpanman trains, which feature characters from the popular anime, picture book and manga series 'Anpanman.' In the Shikoku region, the main mode of transportation is cars, but the company has operated the special train service for a quarter century in the hope that children will experience the joy of traveling by trains. The trains have carried a total of about 1.15 million passengers so far and have come to represent the Shikoku region. A JR Shikoku official said, 'We express our gratitude to people who love [the Anpanman trains] and we want to continue operating them.' Free rides for children The idea for the Anpanman trains was devised partly because Takashi Yanase, the creator of Anpanman, was from Kochi. In October 2000, the first Anpanman train began service as one of the Nampu limited express trains between Kochi and Okayama. According to the company, the train, which was entirely wrapped with pictures of the characters and was operated without a set ending date, was unusual in those days. In 2001, the routes of the Anpanman train service were expanded to sections between Okayama and Matsuyama, and Takamatsu and Matsuyama. New models of Anpanman train cars debuted one after another. They include the YuYu Anpanman Car with play spaces for children, which debuted in 2002; those with reserved seats, called Anpanman Seats, on which pictures of the characters are printed, which debuted in 2005; and the Seto-Ohashi Anpanman Torokko, which has no glass in its windows and debuted in 2006. In 2012, Anpanman trains ran in Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima prefectures following the devastation of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Children in the damaged areas were invited to ride the trains free of charge. In 2023, the total number of passengers on the Anpanman trains reached 1 million. As of the end of March this year, the total number had risen to about 1.147 million. In recent years, a sizable number of people from Taiwan and other places overseas, where the anime series can be viewed online, have come to the region to ride the trains. Long-term plan In 2000, when the first Anpanman train began service, cars dominated transport in the Shikoku region, partly because of the opening of all sections of the expressways that connect the four prefectural capital cities in the Shikoku region in an X-shaped route. Toshiyuki Umehara, 86, who was then president of JR Shikoku, said that what prompted the start of the Anpanman train service was an opinion poll the company conducted, mainly surveying people on shopping streets in Kochi Prefecture. Regarding how people traveled to Osaka, most of the respondents replied that they used planes. About limited express trains, they replied that 'fares are higher than for planes' and 'the number of trains is too small.' Umehara said: 'Actually, the fares were not so high and the number of trains was large. They had the wrong impression because they had not ridden on our trains.' As he thought, he realized that he wanted people to experience train travel during their childhood and adopted an idea presented by a young employee. Umehara decided to begin limited express Anpanman train services. Umehara recalled his thoughts at the time, saying: 'Children who have ridden in Anpanman trains will surely use trains when they become adults. It was a plan on which more than 20 years would be spent.' Kiyohiro Matsuda, 78, who was then chief of JR Shikoku's train business department and later became president of the company, made the utmost effort to realize the plan. Other company officials voiced doubts such as, 'Babies and infants ride free of charge, so can it really result in a revenue increase?' Despite such worries, Umehara and Matsuda made the decision to introduce the Anpanman trains. The result, Matsuda said, was 'a joyful miscalculation.' Little children rode the trains with their parents, grandparents and other adults, but the number of adults was larger than they had predicted. When services along parts of the company's Dosan Line were suspended for about three months in 1998 due to damage from a torrential rain disaster, Anpanman trains played a role in revitalizing the affected communities after the line was restored. Future generations Twenty-five years since the trains debuted, people who grew up with them now shoulder the business operations of JR Shikoku. Sota Miyoshi, 26, who works in the company's office for the promotion of Anpanman train businesses, has worked as a conductor on Anpanman trains since joining the company in 2021. 'The image of children waving their hands for a long time even after disembarking is imprinted on my mind,' he said. These memories of children overlap with his own as he also waved at Anpanman trains running along the rail tracks in Shikokuchuo, Ehime Prefecture, where he lived as a small child. This fiscal year, JR Shikoku is operating a train with a reproduction of the exterior of the very first Anpanman train. The train will run until Jan. 12 next year between Kochi Station and Tosa Kuroshio Tetsudo Co.'s Nakamura or Sukumo stations. A JR Shikoku official said: 'This is a milestone year when we express our gratitude to the many people who have loved [Anpanman trains]. We want to offer a wide range of related services.'
SoraNews24
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
Is this Hello Kitty hotel room in Tokyo good enough to impress an 8-year-old girl?
Find out what happens when a father books a night here to impress his daughter. Our reporter P.K. Sanjun loves his daughter Rei, encouraging all her interests which, over her eight years, have ranged from Anpanman to Precure, Pokémon, Conan, Doraemon, and Crayon Shin-chan. In between, Rei has had a soft spot for Sanrio characters like Hello Kitty, so P.K. has travelled to Sanrio Puroland with her, and even bought up stacks of Happy Meals when they came with little Hello Kitty plushies, all to put a smile on her face. So when he heard about a new Hello Kitty-themed room at Asakusa's Tobu Hotel in Tokyo, his daughter immediately sprang to mind. However, he hadn't heard her mention Hello Kitty in a while so he wasn't sure if that was a phase that had passed, but when he asked her if she wanted to stay there, her eyes widened as she told him, 'I want to go! I definitely want to go! I absolutely want to stay there!!' ▼ So off they went. Though there are a few hotels around Japan with Hello Kitty-themed hotel rooms, this is the only one in Tokyo's 23 wards, and there are actually two rooms to choose from: the 'Sakura Celestial Maiden Room' and the 'Wa-Modern Room'. ▼ At his daughter's request, they stayed in the Sakura Celestial Maiden Room. Just as the name suggests, Hello Kitty, or 'Kitty-chan' as she's known in Japanese, was dressed as a celestial maiden, welcoming P.K. and Rei to their night's stay with an array of traditional motifs, and swirls of cherry blossoms in full bloom. There were two large murals of Kitty-chan on the walls, and although the sweet cat was in costume for this event, Kitty-chan's signature bow was still evident, appearing on the beds, in the form of pillows… ▼…and as handles on the bedside drawers. With four beds inside, there wasn't a lot of room to move around, but there was a beautiful Japanese-style space in the corner, with a low table and chairs, pink tatami mats with Hello Kitty bows on the edges, and a large plushie of Kitty-chan, as celestial maiden, sitting on the floor like a hostess at a traditional Japanese inn. Rei-chan squealed in delight upon seeing Kitty-chan, giving her a huge hug that showed P.K. just how strong the Sanrio bonds still were in his daughter. Hello Kitty was like a magnet for Rei, giving her a burst of excited energy that saw her jumping around the room. P.K. was so delighted to see her so hyped that he let her run wild for a little while, figuring she would eventually wear herself out from all the excitement. However, P.K. didn't quite realise the extent of his daughter's love for the cat, and the themed room, because at 10 p.m., after they'd had dinner and their nightly baths, Rei, who would normally be dozing off at this time, was as excited as ever. ▼ In fact, her voltage just kept rising. With her eyes wide open, Rei didn't look sleepy at all, and although P.K. couldn't match her excitement at being inside a pink Hello Kitty-themed room, he was happy to indulge her, allowing her to leap and squeal until she eventually wore herself out, by which time it was past 11:30 p.m. ▼ Rei fell fast asleep as if her battery had run out, hugging Kitty-chan instead of her dad. They both slept like logs in Hello Kitty's celestial paradise, and the next day, before checking out, Rei gave Kitty-chan one last hug while whispering, 'I'll definitely come and stay again.' Although P.K. couldn't see Kitty-chan respond to Rei's whispers, he had a feeling his daughter and Hello Kitty were on a different wavelength to him, communicating in secret ways he wasn't able to understand. After their night in the themed room, P.K. learned that a girl's love for Hello Kitty has the power to outlast all other character obsessions, and he also learned that if you stay in this room with a Kitty-obsessed child you may not get a lot of sleep, but you will get a ton of brownie points as a parent. Hotel information Asakusa Tobu Hotel /浅草東武ホテル Address: Tokyo-to, Taito-ku, Asakusa 1-1-15 東京都台東区浅草1-1-15 Website Photos©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [ Read in Japanese ]
Yomiuri Shimbun
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japanese Actress Mio Imada Says Drama ‘Anpan' Will Warm Your Heart Every Morning
The Yomiuri Shimbun Mio Imada Mio Imada stars in NHK's serial morning drama 'Anpan,' as the wife of an artist who is based on Takashi Yanase, the creator of 'Anpanman.' Yanase's picture book series 'Anpanman' is also a major hit as a manga series, a TV anime and a series of movies. He was inspired by his wife, Nobu Komatsu, to create the popular female character Dokin-chan. When I asked Imada, who says she loves Dokin-chan, to create a heart shape with her hands, she said, 'No problem.' Dokin-chan often appears with hearts. With her big round eyes, Imada is charming. Like scriptwriter Miho Nakazono said, Imada certainly resembles Dokin-chan. Anpanman literally gives himself (Anpanman's head is an anpan bun with sweet bean paste inside) to help those in need. 'Anpan' is the story of a couple who created such a unique hero. Nobu Asada and Takashi Yanai, played by Takumi Kitamura, meet in a town in Kochi Prefecture and work for the same newspaper after World War II. Nobu helps her husband achieve success later. Imada said their life paths had many events that connect with 'Anpanman.' 'During the war, Nobu [Asada] struggles between 'justice as a teacher' who sends children to the battlefield and 'justice as an individual' who loses a loved one in the war,' Imada said. 'She must consider justice from various angles.' After the war, Nobu became a newspaper reporter to determine what justice really is. Imada believes that whatever the couple seriously contemplates leads to 'a justice that never overturns,' which lies at the root of Anpanman. Courtesy of NHK Nobu Asada, played by Mio Imada Imada says she feels Nobu Komatsu's presence in Anpanman's world, which is filled with gentle characters. 'Yanase's experiences of war and hunger are expressed in 'Anpanman,'' she said. 'Even so, the story is always positive, and I think it's because Nobu, who was generous, soft and tough all at once, was by his side.' The drama has already been in production for more than half a year. Imada says Nobu Asada has become a part of her life. The production of a long-running morning serial is said to be mentally and physically demanding, but she says she is simply treasuring the remaining time. 'The drama will warm your hearts every morning,' she said at the time of the interview, before it started airing. The drama is broadcast on NHK from 8 a.m. Monday through Saturday and on NHK BS from 7:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. Q&A session with Imada Q. What is your favorite bread? A. Salted butter rolls. When it comes to anpan, I prefer koshi-an (smooth bean paste). Q. How do you cope with fatigue from filming? A. I soak and relax in the bathtub and drink alcohol on a day when I have worked hard. First a beer, then a highball. There is no filming on Saturdays and Sundays, so I really look forward to drinking beer after work on Fridays. Q. What advice did you receive from your predecessors, heroines of NHK morning dramas? A. Kaya Kiyohara, whom I worked with on 'Welcome Home, Monet,' as well as Hana Sugisaki and Mei Nagano, told me, 'It's tough, so call me if you need anything.' Mio Imada Born on March 5, 1997, and raised in Fukuoka Prefecture. She won the Japan Academy Film Prize's newcomer award for the movie 'Tokyo Revengers' in 2022. 'Anpan' is her second NHK serial morning drama following 'Welcome Home, Monet.'
Yomiuri Shimbun
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Kochi: 1st Design of Anpanman Train Makes Colorful Comeback; Train Runs Until Jan. 2026
The Yomiuri Shimbun A train decorated with a reproduction of the original Anpanman Train livery departs from JR Kochi Station. KOCHI — In Kochi Prefecture, where the creator of the popular picture book and anime series 'Anpanman,' Takashi Yanase, grew up, a train with livery identical to that of the original Anpanman Train is now in operation through Jan. 12 next year. The Anpanman-themed train featuring characters on the body and interior debuted on the Dosan Line in October 2000. Today, similar trains run across various lines throughout Shikoku. The reproduction is part of a commemorative project celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first train. The reproduced first Anpanman Train runs as the express trains Ashizuri, consisting of four blue cars, featuring large illustrations of Anpanman and his friends. On April 12, a ceremony was held at JR Kochi Station to send the train off, with costumed characters Anpanman and Baikinman making an appearance. As kindergarten children waved, the Ashizuri No. 3 departed for Nakamura Station at 11:49 a.m. The Anpanman train mainly runs between JR Kochi Station and Nakamura Station on the Tosa Kuroshi at 5 p.m. o Railway. Some services also start from Sukumo Station. This year, NHK is airing a drama depicting the life of Takashi Yanase and his wife, Nobu, drawing Anpanman into the spotlight. At the ceremony, Shikoku Railway Co. President Kazuyuki Shinomiya expressed his hope that 'many visitors from all over Japan will come to Kochi.'
