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The picture book "I Rode the Contact Line" is the 13th volume in the "Kumata-kun Picture Book" series, written by the late Shigeo Watanabe and illustrated by the late Yasuo Otomo.
The story tells of Kumata-kun and his son crossing the strait on a ship that is (highly likely) modeled after the Seikan Ferry that once operated
Although I had read several of Kumata-kun's picture books, I only learned about this ferry story after I became an adult and had my own children. In this article,what I noticed and thought about after reading this picture bookI will share
*Occasionally, statements such as "different from reality" appear, but we would like to make it clear that this is simply to clarify the fact that it is different from the real world we live in and is not intended to be critical
Sleeper express "Mangetsu" bound for Kumamori
When you open the picture book and look at the title page, you'll see a blue electric locomotive, labeled "EF65 1098," pulling blue passenger cars. The locomotiveFull Moonhas a headmark on the front that reads
EF65 electric locomotive
Kumata-kun and his family"Full Moon" sleeper train bound for Kumamoriwake up inside the
Given the station name "Kumamori" and the fact that you transfer to a ferry bound for "Kumadate" there,clear that Kumamori Station is modeled after Aomori Station.
Aomori Station
Kumata-kun and his family are taking a sleeper train bound for Aomori, and then transferring to the Seikan Ferry bound for Hakodate in Hokkaido,Tsugaru Strait - Winter Sceneryfollowing the exact same route as the lyrics of
Incidentally,the "Mangetsu-go" sleeper express train is unlikely to exist. I'm not even sure if there's a real train that served as its model.
Around the time this picture book was published, some of the sleeper express trains that actually had Aomori Station as their destination included "Yuzuru," "Hakutsuru," and "Akebono" (all departing from Ueno Station in Tokyo), and "Nihonkai" (departing from Osaka Station).
Furthermore, while there were trains named after stars, such as "Venus,"Galaxy"Comet," "Pleiades," "",Morning Star," the only train names I can think of that are related to the moon are "Moonlight" and "Evening Moon."
I don't know if there were any reader requests for a story about this sleeper express train, the Mangetsu, but the next volume in the Kumata-kun picture book series, volume 14, is titled "I Rode the Blue Train," and it tells the story of Kumata-kun and his family riding the Mangetsu.
This is a picture book that I have been reading since I was a child, and I plan to write an article about it at a later date. (As an aside, the story "Kumata-kun's Car" in volume 12 was written in response to a comment from a reader who saw the car that Kumata-kun's family made in volume 7, "I Went Camping," and said, "I'd like to read the story of when they bought this car.")
The illustration of the Full Moon train features things that would never be seen on the actual sleeper express train bound for Aomori. I will discuss this in a later article
Ferry "Shirokuma Maru"
When Kumata-kun gets off the sleeper train at Kumata Station, hea ship that is "as big as a building." Of course, this ship is modeled after the Aomori-Hakodate Ferry, and since the lower part of the hull is blue, itMashu Maruis probably the
Each of the Aomori-Hakodate ferries was painted in a different color, and one of the joys for passengers was seeing which color ship they would get to ride on. For example, the "Hakkoda Maru," which is preserved in Aomori City, is yellow.
The Mashu Maru, a preserved Seikan ferry in Hakodate
The Seikan Ferry "Hakkoda Maru" preserved in Aomori
The Seikan Ferrywas a railway ferry that connected Aomori Station and Hakodate Station in Hokkaido for 79 years, from 1908 to 1987. It could carry people and cars, but there were two major differences between it and a typical ferry.
One reason is that passengers could transfer from trains at Aomori Station and Hakodate Station without exiting the ticket gates, and fares were calculated together with those of other JNR/JR lines, meaning they weretreated like JNR/JR trains.
Another thing wasthey loaded railway vehicles (mainly freight cars from freight trains) directly.
For more information about the Seikan Ferry, please see the article below
After breakfast, Kumata-kun and his friends move to the lively floor where the convenience store is located
The shopHuge Hokkaido! Bear Road,has a poster that readsno attempt to hide the fact that this ferry is modeled after the Aomori-Hakodate Ferryand the depiction makesShishimaru Takeshi" (or Shishimaru Takeshi?). As the surname suggests, the captain is a lion.
And in the spacious cabins with tatami mats, many passengers spend their time doing various things such as playing guitars, reading books, and playing cards. The spaciousness of the interior is afeature unique to ships. The Seikan Ferryhave been "the most luxurious of all the Japanese National Railways' vehiclesis also said to
to Kumatathis ship also carries a freight trainexplains
The illustration depicts the entire ship. The smokestack and the freight cars loaded inside the ship have the "JR" logo on them (I don't know the exact reason, but aren't these kinds of logos usually fictional...?).
The Japanese National Railways (JNR) was privatized and divided into the various JR companies in April 1987, while the Seikan Tunnel opened in March 1988, resulting in the discontinuation of the Seikan Ferry service. This means that this picture bookdepicts the Seikan Ferry service during the short period of one year when.
The freight train cars are stored on the carriage deck, which is on the lower level of the ship. As Dad explained, passengers on the ferry could not see the freight cars on board
However, at the Hakkoda Maru, which is currently preserved in Aomori, it is possible to enter the interior deck and view the preserved railway cars
Dad is explaining toKumata-kun, "The captain is driving the ship from the bridge, which has the best view." But even if the captain is on the bridge, is he actually driving the ship as Dad is explaining and as depicted in the picture?
The author believes that the actual driving (steerage) is the job of the helmsman or navigator
In addition, the freight trains on board are a mix of large and small freight cars, giving the trains a slightly similar feel to those used in the days of the Japanese National Railways (specifically, before the reshuffling of freight trains at marshalling yards was abolished in February 1984)
So, which ferry did Kumata and his friends board? There are three clues
First, the time period issometime between 1987 and 1988(judging from the animals' clothing, it doesn't seem to be summer). Second,they ate breakfast after boarding the ship. And third, the time on the clock in the room where the guests were playing guitar and cards.was 8:35
I don't have a timetable for the exact time period, but according to a timetable from November 1986, just over a year before the Seikan Ferry was to be discontinued, the morning Seikan Ferry services were a 5:25am departure from Aomori and a 9:15am arrival in Hakodate (service 21), and a 7:30am departure from Aomori and a 11:20am arrival in Hakodate (service 23)
The description of having breakfast on board and then strolling around the ship afterwards, until it was 8:35, seems to better match the description of the23rd flight that departs Aomori at 7:30.
However, the overnight train to Aomori that you can transfer to on flight 23 is called "Hakutsuru No. 1" (departing Ueno at 10:20 PM and arriving in Aomori at 7:15 AM via the Tohoku Main Line), and it is not a Blue Train like the one depicted at the beginning of the picture book, but rather a train using the 583 series electric train.
which uses the 583 seriesYuzuru No. 1" (departing Ueno at 19:50 and arriving in Aomori at 5:08: via the Joban Line),
Sleeper express "Hakutsuru" operated by 583 series electric trains
Either way, the description in the picture book does not match the real diamond, but we have no choice but to understand that it is merely a fictional story
First of all,Kumata and his friends are traveling from "Kumamori" to "Kumadate," not from the real-life Aomori to Hakodate(although this may seem to contradict everything we've discussed so far).
Passing by Higumamaru
After encountering a school of dolphins and passing through an area where the sea is divided into three distinct colors, the Shirokuma Maru passes another ferry, theHigumamaru(whose name is unknown as it cannot be deciphered from the illustration), which is painted in white and orange.
This ship is probably modeled after the Towada Maru
According to the timetable, there is a flight (6) departing from Hakodate at 10:10 and arriving in Aomori at 14:05, so if we assume that the flight passed by at around 10:45, it would make sense
Incidentally, as you can see from this picture ofships passing each other, the international ruleis that ships should keep to the right when passing each other.
In Japan, cars and trains drive on the left side of the road, but even ships that connect Japanese ports and only pass through Japanese territorial waters must follow international rules and keep to the right (note that the center of the Tsugaru Strait is international waters, so the Seikan Ferry is not a "ship that only passes through Japanese territorial waters")
Meanwhile, Shirokumamaru arrives at Kumadate. The picture book ends with Kumata-kun saying, "I came here on the communication train, right, Dad!" But what kind of journey will the father and son have after this?
Conclusion
"I Rode the Ferry" was published in September 1987, andthe Seikan Ferry servicewas discontinued about six months later.
I'm sure some of the children who read the picture book were inspired to try riding the ferry, but I wonder what percentage of them actually got to ride the Seikan Ferry
At the beginning of the book, author Watanabe Shigeo writes, "In travel and in life, speed is not the only thing that matters. If you don't move slowly, you will miss out on what is important."
And the author says, "This time, I've decided to let Kumata-kun and his family enjoy a relaxing boat trip." Indeed, the dolphin pods in the strait and the three-colored sea that resembles a ribbon arethings that can never be seen from the Hokkaido Shinkansen, which currently runs through the Seikan Tunnel under the sea. I couldn't help but nod in agreement with the author's words.
In today's society, it's becoming increasingly difficult to take a leisurely cruise. The bullet train and air routes have improved considerably, and even high-speed ferries are now operating on the ocean. However, there are things you can't see or experience unless you take a leisurely cruise
Fortunately, ferries still operate between Aomori Port and Hokkaido. Also, it takes less time to travel to Oma Town in Aomori Prefecture, famous for its tuna, by ferry from Hakodate City than by land from Aomori City
It might be a good idea to incorporate a boat ride into your travel itinerary from time to time
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