ミケRail Rolling Stock: E5 Shinkansen

The next instalment in my rolling stock blog posts, this train is the main reason why I'm now having more than one new costume this year.

E5 Shinkansen

Quite a famous train, its colours and shape are distinct and unforgettable. When most people think of a Shinkansen there is a good chance the great teal and pink long nosed train of the E5 is probably what comes to mind.

I rode this train for the first time this year in early January, taking a long but enjoyable 4 hour journey from Omiya Station in Saitama prefecture all the way to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station up in the northern most island of Japan, Hokkaido.

I love how brightly coloured the E5 is and was really excited when I found I'd be riding it. The interior is just as lovely as other Shinkansen I've ridden, with plenty of leg room, a nice recline and a plug socket at every seat! The E5 is famous for not only having standard and green class carriage but for also having the Gran Class carriage. I wasn't fortunate enough to ride in the Gran Class, as its quite expensive, but I did get to have a look when I visited the railway museum in Omiya. Maybe one day I will...

The E5 is also famous for being one of the trains that couples with another. On the Hayabusa service from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto it links with the E6, breaking apart at Morioka Station where the E5 continues onto Hokkaido and the E6 travels to Akita. I was lucky enough to see the coupling at Morioka station and have also rode in the E5 on the way back to Tokyo.

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The Outfit

Now with the luxury of the Gran Class on the E5 I was tempted to go with a very regal and pretty look but I ultimately decided against it as the teal and pink combination with the long sleek nose gave it a very sporty look.

I immediately knew what I wanted to go for, taking inspiration from both real and 2D idols, as well as sports wear. I wanted a skirt and jacket, the type of thing you might wear while playing tennis but of course with idol flare. I wanted it to have a fun vibe about it, be really comfortable to dance in and still be eye catching on stage.

The colours of the E5 go so beautifully together and I really liked the idea of having the pink accents on the skirt, they would show when I moved and danced and give an extra dimension to the skirt rather then a standard pleated skirt, The jacket I decided to make cropped as I thought it might be too hot dancing in a long sleeve and again it gave that very fun, energetic feel to the outfit.

My friend Nat had opened up commissions just as I was designing the outfit that it just seemed like the perfect time to share it with them and see if it was something they'd be interested in doing.

They came back with the design above and some really interesting fabric choices! I love how they incorporated the nose shape into the design on the jacket and the fabrics really fitted with the sportswear aspect of it. We also decided on a high waisted skirt as it would suit my figure better and be more comfortable to wear.

This isn't the final design, again I've got to keep some secrets, but I think it really shows what I was going for with respects to the outfit. I had thought of having it reversible so that I could mix and match the E5 & E6 but ultimately decided against it. Maybe in the future I'll have a matching set but I'd like to have outfits for as many different types of trains as I can and these two are quite similar.

I'm super excited to see how they bring it to life and love that I can support and collaborate with more friends through this project.

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The Setlist

This outfit is actually what I was planning to wear for Hyper Japan this year so I have an almost complete set list, I won't share it all, especially as it shares songs I plan to do for my full E7 setlist but I wanted to share a few. Of course I'm sticking with the energetic, sporty vibe the outfit gives off but I also wanted to incorporate something a bit cooler as well. One of the songs I put on my previous post about the Yamanote Line is currently included in the set list. I wonder if you can guess which one?

As with the previous post I've linked to videos or lyrics if available.

Promise Train - Up Up Girls Kakko Kari

A really fun upbeat song with lots of chances to sing along! It's very catchy and exactly what I wanted for an energetic song for the E5. It's got a lovely message to it, even saying in english "Don't Give Up Never Give Up!"

青春トレイン | Youth Train - Last Idol

Now this is a song I fell in love with on first listen, it's got a great melody and the almost country sound in the background really adds to the song. Last Idol's performance of it is incredible and mesmerising. The lyrics are forthright and almost feel like they are judging you. I really get a sense of wanting to accomplish something after hearing this song. It will be a hard one for me to perform on par with them but I hope that one day I can.

Subtitles by SaitoWinterStar

47の素敵な街へ | To the 47 Wonderful Towns - Team 8 (AKB48)

A song I have already performed, it's a song that is actually about driving in a car to all 47 prefectures of Japan. Team 8, a team of 47 girls, one from each prefecture was originally created in collaboration with Toyota. An addition to AKB48, the 'Idols you can meet' Team 8 became the 'Idols that would come to you'. Its a really fun song that I loved performing, I made a slight change to the chorus changing beloved car to beloved train but the feeling of the song, the going on an adventure, is exactly what I wanted to portray with this project and its upbeat nature fits in great with the E5 theme.

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While writing this out I've had more ideas about how the set list should go so who knows what will be in the list when I finally come to perform in this outfit but I hope you enjoyed listening to me ramble. I look forward to being able to share the outfit once it's done!