Odakyu updated their Mocoron (or Mokoron) poster train.
What’s Mocoron? It is a mascot character of Odakyu Electric Railway. According to Odakyu, he (or she) is a blue-colored rabbit to assist in child-rearing around the Odakyu line. He (or she) likes riding trains, and always looks for something fun. On November 29th, 2023, Odakyu made Set 5055 of the EMU 5000 series debut as the first generation Mocoron Train. It was popular among local children, but it's lacking something to be honest. The problem was that Mocoron was illustrated only on the front of the train. We couldn’t see Mocoron on the side bodies.
The new Mocoron train debuted on June 4th, 2024. It was again modified from Set 5055 of the EMU 5000 series. We can see various poses of Mocoron on the side bodies and in the train. Furthermore, the large stuffed Mocoron is boarding on the driver's cab. That’s so cute. I'm also one of his (or her) fans.
For your information, Odakyu makes much of assisting in child-rearing. For instance, the train fare for elementary school student is flat… only 50 yen (0.32 US dollar). As I posted several times, Japan's population has entered into a decreasing phase. Railway companies can't keep their arms crossed in this situation. They are in competition to attract passengers, and have to refine the value of their lines. Otherwise, the residents will move to the popular areas on other companies' lines. The strategy of Odakyu is attracting child-rearing families.
