The image you see is of the Sazae-san family riding on Kumamoto’s SL Hitoyoshi, a steam locomotive that still runs between Hitoyoshi and Kumamoto. The anime adaptation of the Sazae-san manga has been recognized by Guinness as the world’s longest-running animated television series. (Citation: http://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment/view/sazae-san-enters-guinness-world-records-as-longest-running-animated-tv-series)
It’s a little like “The Simpsons” but with none of the edginess.
The TV series started 45 years ago today on October 5, and tonight at 6 PM the anniversary show (including the ride on the SL Hitoyoshi) will be broadcast on Terebi Kumamoto (TKU).
If you would like to ride on the SL Hitoyoshi (and I highly recommend the experience), you can find the schedule on the following page.
http://www.jrkyushu.co.jp/trains/slhitoyoshi/
It’s all in Japanese but a lot of nice photos are included. The interior of the train itself is very nice but the route the train follows is also very scenic. It follows the Kumagawa (Kuma River) so you get lots of nice views of the river and the surrounding mountains.
