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The picture book "I Rode the Blue Train" is the 14th volume in the "Kumata-kun's Picture Book" series, written by the late Shigeo Watanabe and illustrated by the late Yasuo Otomo.
This story is about Kumata-kun and his family riding on the "Blue Train," a sleeper express train that used to be in service
My father and his father were both railway enthusiasts, and I myself became a railway enthusiast before I even realized it
It's impossible that I don't love this picture book, and I read it countless times as a child. In fact, I still own the original book I read as a child, and I occasionally read it aloud to my daughters when they ask
"I Took the Blue Train" first edition (January 1988) owned by the author
In this article, I will share my observations and thoughts after rereading this picture book from an adult's perspective
*Please note that while descriptions to the effect of "this is different from reality" appear frequently, this is merely to highlight the fact that it is different, and there is no intention to criticize
The story of "I rode on the Blue Train"
I will now give an overview of the story of " I Rode the Blue Train " (hereinafter: this work)
"I rode the Blue Train"
Kumata-kun, his father, and his mother decided to go on a trip using the Blue Train tickets that his father had secured
Incidentally, "Blue Train" is a common name for overnight or sleeper trains that used blue passenger cars
The Kumata family goes to Kumano Station and waits for the Blue Train to arrive
In each scene—when he's waiting for nightfall at home, when his father comes home in the evening, when he arrives at Kumano Station, and when the Blue Train pulls in—Kumata-kun's impatience to board the Blue Train is depicted
I understand completely, as I was a child like that myself
Finally, the Kumata family boarded the Blue Train "Mangetsu" as it pulled into the platform at Kumano Station, and settled into a B-class sleeping compartment with two sets of bunk beds facing each other. There, they began their meal, spreading out their bento boxes, beer, tea, fruit, and snacks
After his meal, Kumata brushed his teeth and went to the toilet, then tried to sleep on the top bunk of the bunk bed, but he couldn't fall asleep. That's understandable, considering he was sleeping alone in a moving vehicle
However, Mata-kun seems to have managed to sleep somehow, and wakes up feeling refreshed in the morning. The train arrives at its final stop, Kumamori Station, and the journey on the Blue Train Full Moon comes to an end, and the story of this work comes to an end
Incidentally, the previous volume, Volume 13, "I Rode the Renrakusen," tells the story of a family who get off the sleeper express train Mangetsu at Kumamori and board the Renrakusen to head to Kumadate on the Kumakaido
It would be natural to interpret this work as a prequel to the previous one. It seems that Kumata-kun and his family's journey continues even after they arrive at Kumamori Station
I've already written an article about the previous work, so please check that out as well
Incidentally, the author rode a Blue Train during the summer holidays of 1996, and the train he rode was the sleeper express " Seto " (departing from Tokyo and bound for Takamatsu)
The family trip to Shikoku had already been decided, but the main reason I begged my parents to let me take the Blue Train was, of course, the existence of this work
What is the destination and name of the sleeper express "Mangetsu" bound for Kumamori?
The station names "Kumano," the starting station, and "Kumamori," the destination station, are reminiscent of the real-life major departure and arrival stations for the Blue Train: "Ueno Station" in Tokyo and "Aomori Station" in Aomori Prefecture
In particular, the ferry that appeared in the previous work, which depicted a sea voyage from "Kumamori" to "Kumadate," was clearly modeled after the Seikan Ferry that connected "Aomori Station" and "Hakodate Station ," so it is safe to assume that Kumamori Station in this work also refers to Aomori Station.
While there's no definitive proof that Kumano Station corresponds to Ueno Station, among the main departure stations for sleeper express trains bound for Aomori, Ueno Station is the only one with "no" in its name. Therefore, it's reasonable to assume it's Ueno Station
The "Full Moon" train corresponds to the "night train departing from Ueno (bound for Aomori)" that appears in Sayuri Ishikawa's famous song "Tsugaru Strait - Winter Scenery"
This work was published in January 1988 (less than a year after the dissolution of Japanese National Railways and the establishment of the JR companies), but I do not have a timetable from that time, so I will look at the timetable from November 1986, which is the closest period before January 1988
It appears that there were sleeper express trains from Ueno to Aomori called " Yuzuru ," " Hakutsuru ," and " Akebono ."
Sleeper Express "Akebono"
By the way, the route you will take is
Yuzuru: Joban Line/Tohoku Main Line (Main stations served: Mito, Sendai, Morioka, Hachinohe)
Hakutsuru: Tohoku Main Line (Main stations served: Omiya, Utsunomiya, Sendai, Morioka, Hachinohe)
Akebono: Tohoku Main Line/Ou Main Line (Main stations served: Omiya, Utsunomiya, Fukushima, Yamagata, Akita, Odate, Hirosaki, Aomori)
And it was all different
Although three "Yuzuru" and two "Hakutsuru" trains were operated per day, "Yuzuru No. 1" and the two "Hakutsuru" trains were not Blue Trains, which are locomotives pulling passenger cars, but rather were trains using the 583 series electric train
Sleeper express "Hakutsuru" operated by 583 series train
All three Akebono trains per day are Blue Trains, but the third, No. 5, stops at Akita Station and does not go to Aomori Station. This means that the trains equivalent to the Full Moon are either Yuuzuru No. 3 or No. 5, or Akebono No. 1 or No. 3
It'snoting that a train called "Mangetsu-go" (Full Moon) never actually existed, so the origin of the name is unknown. The name of the overnight train from Ueno to Aomori at that time was as described above, and it seems to have no connection to the full moon.
Also, among the names of trains that actually existed in the past, there are few names related to the moon, such as "Moonlight" and "Evening Moon" (though there are quite a few trains with names related to celestial bodies, such as "Venus," "Galaxy," "Subaru," "Comet," and "Myojo")
The name doesn't allow us to identify the train that served as the model for the "Full Moon" train, so next , asIusuallydo , I'd like to try to identify the train by looking at descriptions of clocks and other details depicted in the story...but even doing that, it's impossible to determine which overnight train departing from Ueno it is.
This is because there is a very high probability that the depiction in this work is not modeled after the actual "night train from Ueno to Aomori." *As stated at the beginning of the article, there is absolutely no intention to criticize this.
Isn't the depiction of the Full Moon train based on the overnight train departing from Ueno and bound for Aomori?
There are several points in the illustrations of the Blue Train Full Moon in this work (and at the beginning of the previous work) that do not make sense as an illustration of a Blue Train departing from Ueno and bound for Aomori
First, let'sthe description of Kumano Station. The Blue Train Mangetsu arrives at platform 10 of Kumano Station. However,platform 10 at Ueno Station is actually a platform for the Joban Line, and sleeper express trains did not depart from or arrive at this platform.
The platforms at Ueno Station where the sleeper express trains actually departed and arrived were dead ends, and the appearance of the platforms was quite different from the illustrations in this work. And because the platforms were dead ends, the Blue Trains that entered the platforms at Ueno Station always needed to change direction, but it was not possible to switch the locomotive to the side of the passenger cars facing Aomori (a process called shunting) because the platforms were dead ends
When entering the station, the locomotive had to be at the very back and the train had to back in
The Blue Train departing from Ueno never actually entered the station with the locomotive leading, as depicted in this work. However, it's undeniable that the Blue Train reversing into the station in this story would be quite jarring.
That's probably why Kumano Station is depicted differently from the actual Ueno Station
Furthermore, the Mangetsu-go train was pulled by EF65 electric locomotive No. 1098 (there is a scene in the story where the father reads out the number plate) for the entire route from the starting station Kumano Station to the final stop Kumamori Station
The actual locomotive was manufactured in 1978 and, after the dissolution of Japanese National Railways (JNR), was inherited by JR East, mainly pulling night trains on the Tokaido Main Line and Sanyo Main Line. And this is a very important point:the EF65 cannot go to Aomori Station.
There are two main types of electricity that power electric locomotives: direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC). The EF65 is a locomotive that only supports DC
Regardless of the route taken from Ueno Station to Aomori Station, the power supply changes from DC to AC along the way, so it's impossible for an EF65 locomotive to pull a Blue Train all the way to Aomori Station
However, it is possible to use the EF65 if it is handed over to an electric locomotive that supports AC midway through the journey
In fact, until 1993, the "Akebono" train was pulled by an EF65 locomotive from Ueno Station to Kuroiso Station in Tochigi Prefecture
So, what was Kumano Station and the Full Moon train modeled after?
First, considering that the Blue Train departs from platform 10, the depiction of the platform, and the appearance of trains other than the Blue Train, it can be inferred that the model for the depiction of Kumano Station is Tokyo Station
For Blue Trains traveling west from Tokyo Station along the Tokaido Main Line, the EF65 locomotives pulled sleeper express trains such as the "Izumo" and "Seto," and the sleeper express "Ginga."
However, even if Kumano Station is modeled after Tokyo Station, there are some inconsistencies with reality
Blue trains departing from Tokyo Station are also pulled by locomotives from the depot to Tokyo Station, where they are reversed before departing. To reverse direction, the locomotive that pulled the passenger cars into the station is turned to the opposite side of the passenger cars (towards Osaka/Kyushu) and coupled to them before departure (*)
Only after replacing it will the headmark bearing the train's name be visible on the front of the train. In this work, the Full Moon train suddenly enters Kumano Station with the headmark already visible, which differs from the actual depiction of a Blue Train entering Tokyo Station.
*Since around 1988, the tracks for shunting locomotives had been removed, so a different locomotive from the one that had pulled the train to Tokyo Station was coupled to the Osaka side of the passenger cars, and the train departed towards Osaka
Train turning around at Tokyo Station
However, this is not a major contradiction. This is a fictional story, and it is easy to imagine that they did not bother to faithfully depict something as insignificant in the story as the locomotive turning around
Even in the picture book " Run, Diesel Engine Dede, " published in 2013 and based on an actual freight train, the depiction of the train changing direction and shunting at Aizu-Wakamatsu Station in Fukushima Prefecture was omitted. This is likely the same issue.
Now, in the scene where the Mangetsu-go train pulls into Kumano Station,the clock hands point to 6:24(which, of course, is 18:24 in railway terms, as it's nighttime). This was precisely the time when numerous Blue Trains were departing from Tokyo Station heading west.
According to the timetable, there should have actually been no Blue Trains on the platforms at Tokyo Station around 6:24 PM . However, the " Izumo No. 1 (bound for Hamada, Shimane Prefecture)," which arrived on track 9 at 6:30 PM, pulled by an EF65 locomotive, and departed at 6:50 PM, is the train that most closely resembles the one depicted in this work.
Alternatively, before March 1985, trains such as the "Fuji(bound for Miyazaki)," "Asakaze No. 1(bound for Hakata in Fukuoka Prefecture)," and "Asakaze No. 3(bound for Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture)," which departed Tokyo Station in the 6 PM hour, were also operated using EF65 locomotives.
These trains were probably used as models for the Blue Train depicted in this work
There were no sleeper express trains departing Ueno Station between 6 PM and 18 PM, so it is highly likely that the depiction of Kumano Station was not modeled after Ueno Station
It's 1988, but there's an assistant engineer on board?
It appears that there are always two bears on duty in the crew cabin of the EF65 that pulls the Full Moon
In reality, the engineer, who actually drives the train, sits on the left side in the direction of travel (right side from the viewer's perspective). Thefireman sits on the right side in the direction of traveland does not drive the train, but rather supports the engineer.
In the days when steam locomotives (SL) were in operation, the assistant engineer was an essential member of the workforce, as the operation of a steam locomotive required putting coal into the firebox, a task that the engineer could not have performed while driving
As a remnant of the days when steam locomotives had firemen on board, electric locomotives also had firemen for a while after their introduction. The 1954 film "The People Who Moved the Swallows" shows the work of firemen on both electric and steam locomotives.
However, since electric locomotives do not require coal, the scope of work for the fireman was significantly reduced compared to steam locomotives. Firemen of electric locomotives were targeted for elimination from their duties, and in 1969 , a protest and strike against the elimination of firemen occurred by the Japanese National Railways (JNR) employees' labor union . Reference: 1970 Transport White Paper (4 Labor Issues)
Although I was unable to obtain information on when the position of locomotive fireman was officially abolished, it is unlikely that anyelectric locomotive firemen still existed in 1988, when the Japanese National Railways (JNR) had already been dissolved.
Furthermore, the caps worn by the bear crew members appear to be from the Japanese National Railways era, as far as my knowledge goes (however, the JR name is clearly visible in the illustration of the station ticket office on the first page of this work, and in the logo on the side of the locomotive)
However, in the world of this work, electric locomotives still have assistant engineers on board, so we can simply interpret this as meaning that the uniform caps are in the style of those worn by the real Japan National Railways
A mysterious train that passed the Blue Train
Even more mysterious to me than the true identity of the Full Moon train is the train that passed the Blue Train after I spent the morning on board .
The design of the train depicted suggests that it was an older model, perhaps referred to as an " old-style national railway train ," even by the standards of the time
The Blue Train going from Ueno Station to Aomori Station should already be in the Tohoku region by morning, but because the old national railway trains, like the EF65, are only compatible with DC electricity, they will not pass any sleeper express trains in the Tohoku region. Also, the picture shows the train as being long, with more than seven cars, which is also quite strange for a regional train running in the Tohoku region
The old-style national electric trains were mainly used in the major cities of the Tokyo and Kansai regions, and later moved to local lines in the Chubu and Chugoku regions. However, by 1988, the old-style national electric trains had almost disappeared even on local lines, and the long train formations depicted in this work in particular would have long since become extinct
We can only imagine why such a picture was drawn, but I think it was probably chosen as the train to appear in this scene because the old national railway was a typical train that ran on local lines for many years. The photograph used as reference for the drawing was probably from the time when the old national railway ran in long formations in metropolitan areas
Conclusion
I've offered various observations, mostly pointing out discrepancies with reality, butto me, this picture book remains one of my favorites.
It's a shame that there are no more Blue Trains in Japan, and there are very few other night trains, so it's difficult to give my daughters an exciting experience like Kumata-kun's. Fortunately, however, there are clear signs of a comeback in recent years, as evidenced by the announcement of a new overnight express train connecting the Tokyo metropolitan area and the Tohoku region
![Mashu Maru](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAJYAAACWAQAAAAAUekxPAAAAAnRSTlMAAHaTzTgAAAAaSURBVEjH7cExAQAAAMKg9U9tDQ+gAACAdwMLuAABXZHjmQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg== "I read the picture book "I Got on the Train" [Aomori Prefecture]")
![Mashu Maru](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2244492_s-150x150.jpg.webp "I read the picture book "I Got on the Train" [Aomori Prefecture]")
![The former Japanese National Railways sleeper express train "Blue Train Akebono"](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/31001594_l-150x150.jpg.webp "Kosaka Railway Rail Park, where you can stay overnight in the former Japanese National Railways sleeper express train "Blue Train Akebono" [Akita Prefecture]")
![Oga_Kaya2113_Oga_19840806](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Oga_Kaya2113_Oga_19840806-150x150.jpg.webp "The history of the express "Oga" that connected Ueno and Akita and enjoyed strong demand [Akita Prefecture]")
