For 25 years JR Shikoku has been running special Anpanman Trains that celebrate the popular children’s manga and anime character Anpanman, a superhero with a head made of anpan — a bun filled with sweet red bean paste.
The #8000 series Anpanman train on the Yosan Line
The colorful trains run along four different lines on the JR Shikoku network and celebrate the work of the manga author Takashi Yanase (1919-2013), who was born in Shikoku. The trains are decorated inside and out with images of Anpanman and other characters that Yanase created.
Red and yellow Anpanman trains on the Dosan Line
The first Anpanman train made its debut in October 2000. As part of the trains’ 25th anniversary celebrations. JR Shikoku has announced that two new Anpanman trains will be introduced on the Kotoku Line that runs between Takamatsu and Tokushima.
The new Anpanman train designs
Both trains will be two-car #2600 series trains. One will be an orange train featuring Anpanman and his friends while the other will be a blue train featuring Anpanman’s arch-enemy Baikinman and his allies.
The new Anpanman trains will debut in late October 2025. They will run as Uzushio limited express services between Takamatsu and Tokushima with a fixed schedule of five round trips per day.
Article by Michael Lambe. Photos by prof247404/pixta (1) and JR Shikoku. All rights reserved.
