‘Crayon Shin-chan’ train begins service

AKITA — A train featuring characters from the popular manga and anime “Crayon Shin-chan” began running Tuesday on the JR Ou Line to promote Akita Prefecture. The title character is a mischievous little boy whose real name is Shinnosuke Nohara.

The northern end of the train’s main route is Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture. From there it extends south through the full length of Akita Prefecture, before reaching its southern terminal in Shinjo, Yamagata Prefecture. The Shin-chan train will be in service until late September.

The special two-car train is adorned with illustrations of Shin-chan’s father, Hiroshi, and others holding Babahera ice cream, a specialty of Akita Prefecture.

The project is based on a “family city agreement,” signed last month between Akita, Kumamoto and Saitama prefectures, all of which have ties to the fictional Nohara family.