Society

Mickey Mouse shinkansen hits the rails in Kyushu

May 21 (Kyodo) - A special six-car Mickey Mouse-themed shinkansen bullet train has begun serving southwestern Japan's Kyushu region, with images of the beloved character splashed across its yellow livery and interiors.

Kyushu Railway Co. hopes the 800-series train, nicknamed the "JR Kyushu Waku Waku Trip Shinkansen," will entice people to visit the region by bullet train. "Waku waku" means fun and exciting in Japanese.

Festooned with various images of the iconic Walt Disney Co. character, the train is scheduled to run between Hakata Station in Fukuoka and Kagoshima-Chuo Station until late November.

Mickey Mouse is just the latest popular cartoon or anime character to be used to promote bullet train travel in Japan. Trains decorated with images of Hello Kitty and popular Japanese animation series "Neon Genesis Evangelion" plied Japanese tracks last year.

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