Ahead of Tanabata on July 7th, kindergarten children decorated the streetcar with strips of paper on which they had written their wishes. The “Tanabata Train” will be in operation for a limited time from the 26th.

The decorations were made by 11 older kindergarteners from Ushioe Dai-ni Futaba Nursery School in Kochi City.

To help tram users get into the Tanabata spirit, Tosaden Kotsu has been holding an event since 2022 in which they decorate the inside of their trains with strips of paper with wishes written on them.

The children had a great time decorating the train together with the train drivers. What wishes did they make?

(Kindergartener)
“I want a baby. It’s cute.”

(Kindergartener)
“I hope I become a good drummer.”
Q: Who would you like to ask this?
“Mom.”

Due to the effects of COVID-19, the number of streetcar passengers in 2020 fell to 3.69 million, about 1.6 million fewer than the previous year. This event was started in an effort to revive demand. The number of passengers is expected to recover to 4.76 million in 2023, and is gradually increasing.

After this, the train carrying everyone’s wishes made a round trip from the pier depot to Kochi Station. The children were the first to board the Tanabata train, enjoying the Tanabata atmosphere early on.

Q. What was it like riding the train?
(Kindergartener)
“it was fun”

(Kindergartener)
“I want to be a princess. Aladdin.”
Q: Can you use magic?
“No”

(Maki Kinoshita, Tosaden Transportation)
“The Tanabata season will soon be upon us, so I hope that everyone will enjoy the season and that this will spark their interest in trains and encourage them to ride them.”

The Tanabata train is scheduled to run until July 7th, during which time passengers will be able to write their wishes and decorate them.