I caught the bullet train to Mihara the other day and it just happened to be the super-cute "Hello Kitty Shinkansen." The exterior is adorned with pictures of "kitty-chan," pink bows, and a pink ribbon motif that runs the whole length of the train. Apparently the ribbon is "embodying the wish to join hands and connect with different regions."
The interior doors and exit areas are decorated with more pictures of Kitty-chan, including the cutesy kitty-chan train conductor who tells us in English to "watch your step."
The West Japan Railway Company (JR西日本) made this 30 promo video all about it!
What I didn't know was that the front carriage is completely decked out as a Hello Kitty space, and the second carriage is specially decorated in a Kitty-chan theme. I had a reserved seat in one of the middle carriages and only found out about the cutesy carriages from this website just now!
https://www.jr-hellokittyshinkansen.jp/en/
Cheers!
David Hurley
#InspiredFocus