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The coolest train commercial you will ever see!


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Isn't it cool?

Now I really regret that I missed the launch of the new Kyushu Shinkansen.

 

Nice livery too, much more interesting than "Ambitious Japan" or Pokemon. Any chance to see it in N scale?!

 

PS: hope this hasn't been posted before, just found it on the Facebook of one of my former teacher in Japan.

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That's the thing with the Japanese, they throw a big ceremony for a new train entering service, or one being retired. With exception to a new ship being commissioned, you're never going to see anything like that in North America anytime a new plane enters service, yet alone a train. At most, you get the cookie cutter ribbon cutting ceremony where politicians can make Page A4 on the local newspaper and maybe the news crew shows up for a 15 second snippet whereas the Japanese a new train is national news.

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With 1 in 5 jobs related to the automotive industry in much of the industrial part of N. America, it is not that hard to see why there is no celebration.

 

I don't mind getting a hand on the ceremonial set too!

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I belong to other forum that the emphasis is on N. American trains and/or railfanning. I always get the impression that a lot of the members don't realize the extent of how popular trains are in Japan. There a many comments about when will Kato put out a certain N. American prototype. If that 1st commercial does prove the popularity of trains throughout Japan...nothing will. Nice video.

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Imagine that level of orchestration--or that level of implied happiness--in an Amtrak commercial.  :grin

 

But that ad probably cost more to make than Amtrak's annual budget. :-/

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CaptOblivious

Did the Kyushu shinkansen open on time? Given that it was scheduled for the day after the earthquake...

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Did the Kyushu shinkansen open on time? Given that it was scheduled for the day after the earthquake...

 

All I heard was that the official ceremony was canceled, but it sounded like the service was still started only without any fanfare out of respect.

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Did the Kyushu shinkansen open on time? Given that it was scheduled for the day after the earthquake...

 

There's a thread on that here.

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Nick_Burman

I wouldn't say the coolest, but most certainly one of the most heart-warming I've ever seen. :)

 

It is indeed very jolly. I've dowloaded it into my computer and have seen it several times over. Showed it to my mother who also thought it great. What an exercise in logistics...how did they make it?

 

Would it please be possible to "translate" what the words displayed in the film mean? Station/locality names? Also something of what the narrator says at the end, what are all those "thank you" he pronounces for?

 

Cheers NB

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I wouldn't say the coolest, but most certainly one of the most heart-warming I've ever seen. :)

I've thought for a while now that (sometimes extreme) sentimentality is a core characteristic of the Japanese.  I don't have my theory fully hammered out yet, but it's getting there.  Feel free to tell me why I'm wrong over in Off-Topic. :grin

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I've thought for a while now that (sometimes extreme) sentimentality is a core characteristic of the Japanese.  I don't have my theory fully hammered out yet, but it's getting there.  Feel free to tell me why I'm wrong over in Off-Topic. :grin

 

I wouldn't say you're off track - I've thought something similar, which is that they have to hide their emotions through so much of their daily lives that when they let them out, they do so in a way that is not very subtle.  Sometimes it comes out in shocking ways, such as when the TEPCO president burst into tears after a press conference, or in ham-handed ways, such as in their often-embarrassing TV dramas, and sometimes in endearing ways like in this train commercial.

 

In a way seeing this commercial makes me sad, because I have always thought of Japan as a really happy country (I know it's always had problems, but compared to New York, everyone just seems so much happier).  But I know that this commercial could not be made right now.  I hope Japan gets back to the mentality that made this commercial possible eventually.

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qwertyaardvark

Wow... Emotions: moved. *o*

 

Still some bittersweet residue... I am happy to see shinkansen service to a place I've never been (but desperately want to see), and yet I fear I'll never see HSR, let alone commercials likes this, in the US within my lifetime. I am 24 yrs old. :/ Even worse, I know Houston would rather die than have any meaningful public transportation. :( (Can't wait to see the Final Four Metro Fiasco to begin...)

 

I was highly amused at the idea of an Amtrak commercial being this exciting  :grin

 

Definitely has climbed to the top of my favorite JR commercials :)

 

As for translations... Enjoy!

 

(text, essentially all the stations, inclusive, between Kagoshima and Hakata)

 

Congratulations! Kagoshima Central

Congratulations! Sendai

Congratulations! Izumi

Congratulations! New Minamata

Congratulations! New Yatsushiro

Congratulations! Kumamoto

Congratulations! New Tamana

Congratulations! New Omuta

Congratulations! Chikugofunagoya

Congratulations! Kurume

Congratulations! New Tosu

Congratulations! Hakata

 

(narrator) (caution: translation done by an amateur :P )

 

On that day, for the hand waves, thank you. For the smiles, thank you. For uniting, thank you. Kyuushuu Shinkansen, opening the whole line for business. In a united Kyuushuu, a new power is born. From this united Kyuushuu, Japan is made all the more exciting. Kyuushuu Shinkansen, Let us all open this line for business.

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Mudkip Orange
I know Houston would rather die than have any meaningful public transportation.
Oh come now. Houston the city has a perfectly fine attitude towards public transport, they just have to constantly fight the suburban republicans. Unincorporated Harris County, or cities like Sugar Land that don't have a bus system, because omgz... the negro!

 

Move inside the loop, there's a crapload of routes that run every 15 minutes or less.

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qwertyaardvark

@mudkip: hahaha... fine fine... I'll give some slack... I should have attached "metropolitan area" after Houston. Though, even in the "loop" (can i safely assume u mean beltway 8? pardon my suburban Sugar Land upbringing if i'm wrong), you still have the ashby highrise jazz, protests against some of the METRORrail expansions/routes, and I'm not entirely enamored with the Metro Bus system when "buses run 4 times an hour" can also mean 4 buses in 5 mins and 55 mins of dead time.

 

Regardless, I still do dream that Houston will have a heavy rail transit. From Katy to Galveston, From Conroe to Sugar Land. Someday. Nothing to stop me from drawing routes on my Ampad.  :grin

 

Re-regardless, *knock on wood* I am looking at a job in Dallas, and am looking forward to using the DART for my daily commute!

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bikkuri bahn
I am happy to see shinkansen service to a place I've never been (but desperately want to see), and yet I fear I'll never see HSR, let alone commercials likes this, in the US within my lifetime. I am 24 yrs old.

 

I hear you- it's nice to see people actually cheering the arrival of high speed rail service.  Unfortunately in California now, the loudest voices in the HSR debate are the NIMBYs and antirail ideologues.  Sometimes the ignorance just makes me want to give up on the future of my home state. And you know, it's easy for me to just not care- just this past Monday I rode the N700 Mizuho and Nozomi on the Sanyo Shinkansen Line- the NIMBYs were as far way in my mind as say, events in Libya or Charlie Sheen's shananigans...

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qwertyaardvark

found some videos from talk shows covering the kyuushuu shinkansen commercial's makings :grin whether or not you understand japanese, it makes for a good casual watch anyways~

 

some info i gleaned from the video:

-done just few days before opening, March 9th

-about 10,500 people participated in the CM

-"Wave your hands" was written on the side of the shinkansen

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz3e_ZDD5-M

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcz3FkFiTyo

 

Also found where the rainbow scheme came from: same style as the CD case art where the music comes from, Maia Hirasawa's Boom!

 

maia_hirasawa_boom2.jpg

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I like Maia Hirsawa songs, a mix of all different cultures.  I do like the commercial and wish I was there too!  Too bad it is not connected to Nagasaki yet!

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Wait a minute! In the 1st video is that Bill's "Ruler Girl" from one of my favorite videos? Glad to see she got more work! 

 

 

found some videos from talk shows covering the kyuushuu shinkansen commercial's makings :grin whether or not you understand japanese, it makes for a good casual watch anyways~

 

some info i gleaned from the video:

-done just few days before opening, March 9th

-about 10,500 people participated in the CM

-"Wave your hands" was written on the side of the shinkansen

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz3e_ZDD5-M

 

 

Also found where the rainbow scheme came from: same style as the CD case art where the music comes from, Maia Hirasawa's Boom!

 

maia_hirasawa_boom2.jpg

 

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Nick_Burman

Wow... Emotions: moved. *o*

 

Still some bittersweet residue... I am happy to see shinkansen service to a place I've never been (but desperately want to see), and yet I fear I'll never see HSR, let alone commercials likes this, in the US within my lifetime. I am 24 yrs old. :/ Even worse, I know Houston would rather die than have any meaningful public transportation. :( (Can't wait to see the Final Four Metro Fiasco to begin...)

 

I was highly amused at the idea of an Amtrak commercial being this exciting  :grin

 

Definitely has climbed to the top of my favorite JR commercials :)

 

As for translations... Enjoy!

 

(text, essentially all the stations, inclusive, between Kagoshima and Hakata)

 

Congratulations! Kagoshima Central

Congratulations! Sendai

Congratulations! Izumi

Congratulations! New Minamata

Congratulations! New Yatsushiro

Congratulations! Kumamoto

Congratulations! New Tamana

Congratulations! New Omuta

Congratulations! Chikugofunagoya

Congratulations! Kurume

Congratulations! New Tosu

Congratulations! Hakata

 

(narrator) (caution: translation done by an amateur :P )

 

On that day, for the hand waves, thank you. For the smiles, thank you. For uniting, thank you. Kyuushuu Shinkansen, opening the whole line for business. In a united Kyuushuu, a new power is born. From this united Kyuushuu, Japan is made all the more exciting. Kyuushuu Shinkansen, Let us all open this line for business.

 

 

Excellent! Thank you very much! :hello2:

 

 

Cheers NB

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CaptOblivious

I don't know about you folks, but that song got stuck in my head. If it did yours, it's by Maia Hirasawa, and its her latest single "Boom!". She's like a Japanese Björk.

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qwertyaardvark

Your not alone Capt! I've had the song on my phone the day i found the thread and have been listening to it at work on repeat ^_^

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Your not alone Capt! I've had the song on my phone the day i found the thread and have been listening to it at work on repeat ^_^

 

Hahaha I guess a few of us have more than n-gauge trains as similar interest!  :laugh:  I also like her other song 'it doesn't stop'.

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