Spanning almost the entire length of Japan, this notebook carried the will and determination of train fans, bringing them together in a very special way.
In an age where the Internet and social media are accessible by just about anyone with a computer or a smartphone, finding people with similar interests is merely a click away.
Yet arguably, perhaps it is because of this heightened convenience that deep and real connections between people can sometimes be harder to establish. In an effort to connect Japanese train enthusiasts in a meaningful way, Twitter user @noruzo_tetsudo came up with an idea to relay a notebook by railway from the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido to the southwestern region of Kagoshima.
The notebook would be hand carried by Twitter followers who participated in the event (called “connecting railroads through followers”), and passed from person to person like a train version of the Olympic torch. @noruzo_tetsudo’s idea was met with an overwhelming response.
▼ The little book left the northern city of Sapporo
in the arms of the first member on 9 December last year.
#フォロワーでつなぐ鉄のみち
無事に札幌駅を発車しました！
これから昼食を取りながら小樽駅に向かいます。昼食は皆さまに北海道らしさを感じていただくために、北海道のご当地コンビニであるセイコーマートシリーズで揃えてみました。 pic.twitter.com/S85aG80yol
— 鉄道乗蔵 (@noruzo_tetsudo) December 9, 2018
▼ A schedule was drawn up to ensure smooth transition to the next region.
#フォロワーでつなぐ鉄のみち
当番表を最新情報に更新しました！
明日12/15(土)はいよいよ首都圏を縦断します！！『#フォロワーでつなぐ鉄のみち』とは、日本各地にいる鉄オタさんが協力し、メッセージを書いたノートをリレー形式で札幌から鹿児島までの間をつないでいく企画です。 pic.twitter.com/HEhx9Jca1x
— 鉄道乗蔵 (@noruzo_tetsudo) December 14, 2018
Members would meet up inside train stations and hand over the notebook in a gesture perhaps considered primitive by today’s standards.
▼ Yet it brought everyone together with a single purpose
that was significantly more meaningful than tapping away at smartphones.
ツイッターで知り合った全国各地の中高生の鉄道ファンらが、１冊のノートを北海道から鹿児島まで鉄道リレーで運ぶ企画に挑戦しています。順調に行けば年明けにゴール。#フォロワーでつなぐ鉄のみち
— 毎日新聞岡山支局 (@mai_okayama) December 28, 2018
Although a miscalculation caused two members to miss a scheduled meetup, a quick express train ride was all it took to rectify the situation.
Finally on 5 January 2019 at 9:45 p.m., almost one month since the event started, the notebook ended its 376.6-kilometer (234-mile) journey in Kagoshima Chuo Station.
▼ What a trip it has been!
https://twitter.com/nyaonnf/status/1081533935811584000
What started off as an ordinary notebook turned into a railway enthusiast’s treasure filled with details like the train models it was carried on, as well as heartfelt messages from the relay members. A final message at the end reads: “Railroads will never end”.
True, the same journey could have been performed much faster and with less hassle with just a few Shinkansen rides, but that would have excluded a huge number of train fans eager to be part of something grand and magnificent. Thanks to everyone’s concerted effort, the event has connected fans in a truly unique way, something that technology can never replace.
Source: Twitter/@noruzo_tetsudo, Mainichi Shimbun, Noruzo-tetsudo.site
Top image: Pakutaso