A heartwarming tale about the turning point in the life of an elite business man in his fifties and a local train that has been running since 1911. Hajime is in line to be the next head of a prominent electronics company. He toils day and night over his work and has no time for his family. But one day, his mother in Shimane falls ill, and his best friend dies in an accident. Grief-stricken, Hajime returns home, where memories of his childhood dream come back to him. He had always wanted to be a train conductor and drive the local "bataden" Ichibata Electric Railway.
Cinematography
Glorious shots of the Ichibata Railway through rural Shimane.
Acting
Kiichi Nakai's restrained breakdown in a train uniform.
Director
Yoshinari Nishikôri
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Ichibata Electric Railway still operates and saw tourism spikes after this film's release — cinema literally saved a train line.
Japan's 'tetsu' (train otaku) subculture is usually mocked; this film treats railway obsession with rare dignity and middle-class respectability.
JP
