Real-life Spirited Away train line found in Japan?

Waterside train route in rural Japan looks like a scene from a Studio Ghibli film.

There are many times in Japan when we have to stop and pinch ourselves to see if we’ve stepped into an anime film. Sometimes, it’s when we’re at the real-life site of a scene from an anime, and other times it’s when the light hits something in a way that makes it look as if it’s an animated still. Either way, it can be hard to capture that moment on camera, but Japanese train enthusiast @DropFrame108 was able to do just that recently with a beautiful photo taken on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido.

The image is simple but arresting in its beauty, with many drawing comparisons between it and the famous train ride scene in the Studio Ghibli animated film Spirited Away.

よくこんなところに線路を敷いたと来るたびに思う
花咲線 茶内～厚岸 先ほど撮影
別寒辺牛湿原 pic.twitter.com/1qTM3jBs1I

— ドロップフレーム (@DropFrame108) August 25, 2022

The bird’s eye-view of the train above shows it running through a watery landscape, reminding us of the train scene from the Ghibli movie, only instead of cloud reflections dotting the water, there are marshy patches of green instead.

▼ Both the train above and the anime train (below) are two-carriage types, making the scene seem even more familiar.

According to @DropFrame108, the photo shows a train on the Hanasaki Line, which is the name given to a section of the Nemuro Main Line between Higashi-Kushiro and Nemuro stations.

▼ The Hanasaki Line

This particular train line is well-known amongst rail enthusiasts for being the country’s easternmost line, and home to Higashi-Nemuro Station, Japan’s easternmost train station. The photo was taken in the area around Bekanbeushi Marsh, which has been dedicated a Ramsar site, a wetland site of international importance under the Ramsar Convention established by UNESCO.

▼ The wetlands of Lake Akkeshi and Bekanbeushi Marsh.

People online were swept up in the beauty of the photo, saying:

“What a magical place!”
“This reminds me of the wetlands in When Marnie Was There!”
“It reminds me of Spirited Away!”
“I bet Chihiro and No Face are on that train.”
“It’s the magical world of Ghibli in real life!”
“I’ve been on a train there and I was taken aback by how wonderful the scenery was. I definitely want to go there again.”

It truly is a beautiful image that looks like something straight out of a magical world, and it’s one of many rural train lines in Japan worth travelling on for the picturesque scenery. Down south, at the opposite end of Japan, there’s another countryside line that’s ready to capture your heart, with staff that wave and bow to passengers on departing trains.

Source: Twitter/@DropFrame108
Featured image: Twitter/@DropFrame108
Insert image: Studio Ghibli 
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