Photo/Illutration The 400 series train of Osaka Metro Co., which is a common means of transportation for visitors to the Osaka Kansai Expo 2025 to reach their destination, is characterized by its spacecraft-like appearance on the front end. (Provided by Osaka Metro Co.)

Sightings of a riverboat, a prehistoric fish and spacecraft are increasingly turning heads in urban areas around the nation.

These are the "faces" adorning trains that commuters now can choose to transport them to work where previously all sported similar plain rectangular designs.

The sightings are the work of railway companies aiming to take full advantage of their carriage appearances, given the importance of train designs in shaping the images of the lines and surrounding areas.

Tobu Railway Co., headquartered in Tokyo, is expected to introduce its 90000 series train to the Tojo Line in 2026.

The top section of the new train’s face stretches forward, though the front part of its conventional counterparts is typically angled like a playground slide.

The rare sloping structure, with its protruding top section, is modeled after the bottom of a traditional “takasebune” flats boat, which was commonly used for river transport during bygone days.

The interior of the 90000 series is likewise themed around boat transport with meticulous detail.

The walls on both sides of seating showcase a “tatewakugara” Japanese-style vertical wave pattern, while the floor is designed to evoke the image of a Japanese “karesansui” dry garden.

“People and logistics in the region along the Tojo Line have their roots in boat transportation on the Arakawa river and elsewhere,” said a Tobu Railway representative. “With this in mind, the train’s concept was defined as a ‘ferryboat connecting the area, its people and the future.’”

Keio Corp., likewise based in the capital, is looking to debut its 2000 series for the Keio Line in early 2026. Its characteristic lines in the front design are marked by gently curved patterns.

The combination of a pair of round lights and a coupler section looking like a gaping mouth specifically attracted the spotlight on social media, as these features of the end car “vividly remind viewers of a prehistoric fish species known as Sacabambaspis.”

The rail operator conducted a survey of 1,300 passengers to identify their train-relevant needs. The results were analyzed with an artificial intelligence model, according to Keio.

The basic concepts for the 2000 series, such as “safe” and “friendly,” were determined by taking into account the analysis.

Keio then resorted to AI again to assess the impression each proposed external design would make on passengers. In this manner, the train’s appearance was finalized.

The 400 series train from Osaka Metro Co. is currently drawing considerable attention, since it takes visitors to the Osaka Kansai Expo 2025 to their destination.

The glass-covered octagonal front end of the train operated by the rail company in Osaka is blatantly reminiscent of a spaceship. Its face is so thoughtfully designed that LED lights are arranged at each of its four corners.

Responsible for the 400 series was Kiyoyuki Okuyama, the industrial designer behind East Japan Railway Co. (JR East)’s cruise model Train Suite Shiki-shima as well as other projects.

“My goal was to create a train that provides passengers with joy and excitement through riding,” Okuyama said.

Referring to the spate of distinctive face designs put in place in the rail industry, an engineer from a train car manufacturer highlighted recent technical improvements in particular.

“Compact, thin LED headlights and marker lamps allow for greater flexibility in designing,” the technician said.

Another reason cited by an insider is that railroad firms are concentrating on enhancing the images of areas along their own lines amid shrinking regional populations across Japanese society.

“We need to make people feel attached to our lines, so that they will ultimately choose to live by the tracks,” said an executive of a major private railway company in the Kanto region around Tokyo. “Train faces hold enormous significance, since they serve as the icons of respective areas and lines.”

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