Out of all the rail and subway lines crisscrossing Tokyo, the most well known and heavily used is the Yamanote Line which encircles downtown Tokyo. Stations along the Yamanote serve some of the city’s busiest business, education, and entertainment districts, and the result during rush hour is train cars that are so packed it’s comical (for everyone except the passengers themselves, of course).

This month, however, the Yamanote Line was the site of a gathering quite a bit more intimate than its usual pressed mass of sleeping white-collar professionals, as a couple held their wedding ceremony onboard one of its trains.

▼ A typical morning on a Yamanote Line platform

Unlike many of the lines that branch off from it, the Yamanote has no express trains. Ordinarily, each train stops at every station on the route, so some would-be passengers were surprised on the afternoon of October 14 when the electronic platform display flashed a message that the approaching train would be passing straight through  without stopping.

Ordinarily, this unexpected inconvenience would irk plenty of people, especially considering that October 14 was a public holiday (Fitness Day) here in Japan. But rather than being upset at having their leisure plans delayed for a couple of minutes as they waited for the next train, people who happened to be at the station when the special train passed by smiled when they found out why it was for private-use only.

Ironically, this year Fitness Day shared its date with the day dedicated to those machines that spare people in urban Japan the hassle of having to walk everywhere: Train Day.

In celebration, Japan Railways took applications from couples wishing to exchange their vows on the Yamanote Line. One lucky pair was selected, and while photos of the private ceremony are few and far between, the happy bride and groom were spotted as they waited for their carriage.

The special train also featured a unique reworking of its interior displays that indicate upcoming stations and transfers.

▼ Next stop: “Happiness”

Transfers to the fitional Teishukanpau and Kakatenka Lines were even accompanied by the somewhat flubbed English translations of Powerful Husband Line and Hyper Wife Line. Given that more accurate renderings would be “Overbearing Husband” and “Henpecking Wife,” we’re hoping the couple decides to stick with the course they’re already on, especially when the screen shows that if they do, they’ll momentarily be arriving at “happiness,” followed by “baby” in a few years’ time.

In closing, RocketNews24 would like to wish the newlyweds all the best as they start their new life together. Enjoy the ride, you two.

Source: Togech
Top image: Wikipedia