Photo/Illutration The retired train car, nicknamed "green frog," has served as a Shibuya Ward tourist information center. (Provided by the Shibuya Ward tourism association)

ODATE, Akita Prefecture--Long paired with the Hachiko statue in front of JR Shibuya Station in Tokyo, the iconic “green frog” will be making a huge jump north to the famed dog’s hometown.

The retired train car, which has served as a Shibuya Ward tourist information center, will be donated to the city of Odate, Akita Prefecture, officials of the two municipalities announced.

The train car, measuring more than 11 meters long and weighing 11 tons, is nicknamed “green frog” because of its green, rounded body.

The transfer will begin by truck in late May, and the train car will be set up in the northern city by July.

Hachiko, an Akita Inu dog, originally came from Odate. The dog displayed his now-legendary loyalty to his master by waiting for him outside Shibuya Station even after his death.

“I am very pleased with Shibuya Ward’s proposal,” Odate Mayor Junji Fukuhara told a news conference on Feb. 9. “It (the train car relocation) will boost the bonds between Shibuya and Odate.”

Ken Hasebe, mayor of Shibuya Ward, also expressed high expectations for the project.

“Few ward residents know that Odate is the hometown of Hachiko,” Hasebe said at the news conference. “If they visit Odate to see the green frog, our bonds of friendship will deepen further.”

The area around Shibuya Stations is undergoing a large-scale redevelopment, and the Hachiko statue and the green frog needed to be temporarily relocated.

The ward sought a suitable location for the train car, but it could not find one nearby.

A plan was suggested to send the train car to Odate’s Akitainu Visitor Center as a symbol of friendship between the two municipalities.

The tourist facility, which opened last year, was designed in the image of what Shibuya Station looked like when Hachiko was waiting for his master. A Hachiko statue also stands in front of the center.

Odate and Shibuya, both famously connected to Hachiko, signed an agreement in 2001 to help each other during emergencies. Rice produced in Odate is also used for school meals in Shibuya, promoting interactions between children in the two municipalities.

The green frog train car ran on Tokyu Railways’ Toyoko Line, which connects Shibuya with surrounding areas, and elsewhere between 1954 and 1986. It was later used by railway operators in Nagano and Fukushima prefectures.

Tokyu Railways donated the train car to Shibuya Ward in 2006. It has housed the sightseeing information bureau of the ward’s tourism association.