One nice thing about living in Japan is the rail culture here, so very different from the freeway- and automobile-based transportation system of Southern California. Trains have crisscrossed Japan since the first tracks were laid down in 1872, and you can go just about anywhere you want by rail, either a speedy bullet train between major cities or convenient local train when taking shorter trips. While you still need a car to really get around out in the inaka (boonies) where J-List is based, residents of larger cities like Tokyo can easily get along without owning a car, and considering that a monthly parking space can cost up to $500 per month, that’s probably a good thing. Trains are an important place to advertise products, and every time you step into a train you’ll see hundreds of ads pitching everything from the newest fashion magazines to promoting rail vacations to Kyoto. Every once in a while an advertiser will pay the big bucks to purchase every inch of advertising on a train for a week, like the Hokago Tea Train, covered with images of the K-On! girls to advertise the upcoming movie.
An obsessive fan expresses his love for Mio-chan. We’re not judging him.
