Bright yellow Shinkansen test train races past field of sunflowers

In recent years, about 140,000 large sun owers have lled idled farmland in Ogaki, Gifu Prefecture, during the summer. On Aug. 5, railfans got the chance to snap photos of Doctor Yellow, a Tokaido Shinkansen test train, as it shot by on the tracks behind the eld and created a stunning display of complementary yellows.

e train is called the “Shinkansen doctor” due to its role in testing the tracks and overhead wires to ensure that they are in proper working order for Shinkansen passenger trains. Sightings of the train are rare, and those who manage to catch a glimpse of it are said to be blessed with good fortune.

Local farmers began planting sun owers in the 3.2-hectare eld to put to use what had been fallow land.

e tradition was suspended due to the novel coronavirus pandemic but returned this year for the rst time since 2019. (Aug. 18)

The Yomiuri Shimbun The Doctor Yellow Shinkansen test train runs beside a field of matching yellow sunflowers in Ogaki, Gifu Prefecture.