Random Japan

Nankai Railways and Gundam combine their love of mobility to create the Gundam train

Casey Baseel 

In a way, it’s slightly ironic that Gundam, Japan’s most venerated giant robot, is honored with a huge statue that stands in the Odaiba district of Tokyo. The original series in the franchise was titled Mobile Suit Gundam, but that 18-meter (59-foot) isn’t going anywhere since not only is it incapable of walking, Odaiba is an island and we’re pretty sure it can’t swim, either.

Coming soon, though, is a more logical way to pay homage to the franchise: a Gundam train.


It’s been 20 years since Nankai Electric Railways started operation of its Airport Line, which connects Osaka, central Japan’s largest city, with Kansai Airport. Nankai’s executives apparently concluded that the best way to commemorate this improvement in the mobility for the region’s residents was by teaming up with anime series Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn.


The Cherry Tree That Fell To Earth From Space

A cosmic mystery is uniting monks and scientists in Japan after a cherry tree grown from a seed that orbited the Earth for eight months bloomed years earlier than expected—and with very surprising flowers.

The four-year-old sapling—grown from a cherry stone that spent time aboard the International Space Station (ISS)—burst into blossom on April 1, possibly a full six years ahead of Mother Nature’s normal schedule.

Its early blooming baffled Buddhist brothers at the ancient temple in central Japan where the tree is growing.

“We are amazed to see how fast it has grown,” Masahiro Kajita, chief priest at the Ganjoji temple in Gifu, told AFP by telephone.

MILESTONES

• Archaeologists in Fukui say they’ve discovered the world’s oldest avian eggshell fossils.
• Staff at Tama Zoo welcomed the 20 millionth passenger on their “lion buses,” which offer a close-up view of the park’s big cats. The service debuted in 1964.
• JR East has introduced a train on the Yamagata shinkansen route that offers Japan’s first-ever onboard footbath facilities.
• For the first time since 1987, the government has designated a new national park: the Kerama Islands in Okinawa, which are renowned for their coral reefs and biodiversity.

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