To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Sanyo Shinkansen (bullet train) line between Fukuoka and Osaka, and the 20th anniversary of the Evangelion anime series, JR West is to launch the 500 Type Eva, a special train styled after Evangelion Unit-01, one of the anime's cybernetic organisms.
The livery will be the vivid purple of Unit-01's armour, while the interior will also follow the theme, though details haven't yet been announced. There will also be plenty of merchandise available for fans.
The exact dates aren't decided yet, but the train will begin operation this autumn and remain in service until March 2017, with two journeys each day. The first (Kodama 730) will depart Hakata at 6:36am and arrive at Shin-Osaka at 11:14am; the return journey (Kodama 741) will leave Shin-Osaka at 11:32am, arriving in Hakata at 4:07pm.
Despite being the slowest of the bullet trains, this service is guaranteed to attract a lot of passengers keen to experience the ride.
Japanese: http://www.westjr.co.jp/press/article/2015/07/page_7409.html
English: http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/07/24/the-evangelion-shinkansen-will-let-you-ride-the-rails-like-a-cool-angel-this-fall/
