They've got Pokémon planes so why not Pokémon trains? As summer vacation kicks off here in Japan, Japan Rail East is rolling out four Pocket Monster bullet trains for the Tohoku and Joetsu lines and one each for the Yamagata, Akita and Nagano lines. Says one 7-year-old boy traveling with his parents to Iwate Prefecture:

I was surprised to see Pikachu, but I really like the character so I'm happy...It's a cool bullet train.

And Pikachu was surprised to see you. Summer 2008, this is the photo op. Hit the jump for a clip of the train in action.

ポケモン新幹線運行　上野駅にピカチュウも [Mainichi via Japan Probe Thanks, RB!]

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