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[Marky Mark]

At least if they ever have to put on a replacement bus service they could just send someone on a bike to give her a backie.

I wonder if her parents let them know if she's missing school any time. Or if they wait for her if she's running late. What happens if she gets detention at school?

What's a backie? Is it anything like a dinky?

 

[DiipuSurotu]

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/ea...ays-open-for-one-high-school-girl-perhaps-not

Still a nice story, regardless

However, the situation may have been romanticised.

A Taiwan Apple Daily report said that the girl featured in the story does take the train every day, but the year-three student takes it from Kyu-Shirataki Station, instead of the Kami-Shirataki Station, along with more than 10 schoolmates at 7.15am. That is the only train in the morning.

On their way home, they have a choice of three trains, with one as late as 7.25pm.

Apple Daily also confirmed that Japan Railways, as part of an effort to rationalise its operations, will close three underused stations - Kami-Shirataki, Kyu-Shirataki and Shimo-Shirataki stations by March 2016.

But this may not have anything to do with the schoolgirl's graduation.

It is not clear how the story started, but nostalgia for Japan's vanishing rural villages and the heartwarming details, which many say are akin to a Hayao Miyazaki film, probably helped it spread online.

I love how it's a Taiwan newspaper that's debunking a story from China state TV.

 

[bengraven]

What's the deal with the manga books?

 

[hugocésar]

Remarkable.

 

[Fine Ham Abounds]

I'm actually extremely curious to see what happens to a first world nation when it stops replacing citizens and ends up with too much infrastructure.

 

[LayLa]

What's a backie? Is it anything like a dinky?

I imagine it's similar to a croggie

 

[MHWilliams]

I'm actually extremely curious to see what happens to a first world nation when it stops replacing citizens and ends up with too much infrastructure.

I've always found it fascinating how we don't tear down stuff that we're done with.

I assume you're talking about something less drastic, akin to small towns that slowly die. Detroit maybe? Or other semi-abandoned places like Gary, Indiana.

 

[Beartruck]

Why don't people like to fuck in that country?

Also, this is sorta nice

Japanese corporate culture dictates you don't leave work until your boss does, and if you are invited to drinks after work saying no is not an option. It's no coincidence you never see the father in many Japanese stories.

 

[foxuzamaki]

I've always found it fascinating how we don't tear down stuff that we're done with.

I assume you're talking about something less drastic, akin to small towns that slowly die. Detroit maybe? Or other semi-abandoned places like Gary, Indiana.

I'm aggressively curious how a entire bush grows on a old rail car thing

 

[TheSeks]

Does it have employees though? Like a ticket taker at least?

From the way the photos make it look, it's mostly abandoned. There's a sticky-note with a Japanese phone-number in case of emergency(?), like if she misses the train or something happens.

What's the deal with the manga books?

Abandoned. Like the local train-station near you and me. I dunno if they cleaned it out in the past... 2-3 years, but if you swing by there one day you'll see some old magazines and stuff still in there.

 

[XOMTOR]

I'm aggressively curious how a entire bush grows on a old rail car thing

Likely the deck is rotted away and the tree is growing right up through.

 

[Monocle]

Love this.

 

[mdubs]

I want a Murakami short story based on this.

Such a sweet little vignette. Can't really explain it but something about this really gets me thinking and warms my heart.

The protagonist is a high school boy who sees this mysterious girl one day holding a walkman listening to Cream and Duke Ellington on his way to the record store.
She has the most beautiful ears.
He feels drawn to her, seeing that she only takes the train alone.
In the last year of high school, he worries about what university he will go to, preferring to bury himself in books instead. One day after school, he is held up by a mysterious man who looks distinctly like the Marlborough Man, mistakenly getting on the wrong train.
It ends up being the same one as the girl, who ignores him until resigned to having to take the train back, he pulls out the novella "Carmen", and she notices saying it's one of her favourite books. They begin having wonderful conversations, and he begins to fall in love with her. He finds out that the train only exists for her to ride it. He begins taking the train more often until one day the girl vanishes, and he begins to wonder if she, or the train, ever really existed in the first place.

 

[bobawesome]

why have a wife when you can have a waifu

What if I told you it's possible to have both?

Spoiler

Wife 1 must never learn about better wife.

 

[diamount]

That's a sweet story, even if as mentioned it does bring up the population problems Japan is facing.

This is the equivalent to someone in a small town in Alaska.

 

[mdubs]

From the way the photos make it look, it's mostly abandoned. There's a sticky-note with a Japanese phone-number in case of emergency(?), like if she misses the train or something happens.



Abandoned. Like the local train-station near you and me. I dunno if they cleaned it out in the past... 2-3 years, but if you swing by there one day you'll see some old magazines and stuff still in there.

I wonder how this costs, especially if they don't staff it. Nice of them to do so though, good story

 

[GAF.]

That's nice and sad

 

[kimifan141]

Awesome

 

[Marky Mark]

I imagine it's similar to a croggie

From my researching a croggie is the same as a dinky. Is a backie similar or the same?

 

[Fritz]

I guess shame and honor are a huge part of why they keep this service going. i wouldn't know though because I aint no expert.

 

[Bold One]

those pics gave me 5 Centimetres per second feels

 

[Sölf]

That's pretty cool, but yeah, pretty inefficient. But nice nonetheless. :3

 

[GTP_Daverytimes]

The fuck. Such a random comment.

Not really, if i lived in such a country were the government goes thw extra mile for its citizen i will feel the same way that guy does.

 

[Zoc]

Sweet story. It reminds of visiting a relative somewhere in northern Ontario, where he told me the trains were so unhurried they would stop for you if you flagged them down, even between stations.

 

[The Albatross]

Quote was a little weird... "Why should I not want to die for this country..."

Oh

 

[DiipuSurotu]

Dat thread title change

 

[travisbickle]

My mate lives in a town in Wales and they have to flag the train down as there's no designated station, just a sign that tells you to "stand here and wave at train".

 

[Jakten]

My mate lives in a town in Wales and they have to flag the train down as there's no designated station, just a sign that tells you to "stand here and wave at train".

My brother ran into a similar situation in Ukraine when he visited his girlfriend. He said the train would stop in the middle of a field surrounded by forest, the only indication it was a station was a patch of dirt beside the tracks. There wasn't even a road or sidewalk or anything he had to walk down a trampled grass path through field and forest for about 5-10 minutes to reach the actual road. To get back on the train you would have to hope it was stopping to let someone off or you'd have to flag it down.

 

[dity]

The title change is brutal. I've seen so many people going "d'aww" at the story and learning that it wasn't exactly true is kind of amusing.

 

[True Savior]

The title change is brutal. I've seen so many people going "d'aww" at the story and learning that it wasn't exactly true is kind of amusing.

Sometimes the truth isn't good enough, sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.

 

[Phantast2k]

A Taiwan Apple Daily report said that the girl featured in the story does take the train every day, but the year-three student takes it from Kyu-Shirataki Station, instead of the Kami-Shirataki Station, along with more than 10 schoolmates at 7.15am. That is the only train in the morning.

On their way home, they have a choice of three trains, with one as late as 7.25pm.

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/ea...ays-open-for-one-high-school-girl-perhaps-not

Still a nice story, regardless

I though CCTV was more reliable than that :|

 

[dity]

Sometimes the truth isn't good enough, sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.

Who's being rewarded?

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

From my researching a croggie is the same as a dinky. Is a backie similar or the same?

After a quick look about, yes. I'm from Cardiff and we always called it a backie. It looks like croggie is from northern england.

For non-uk GAF a backie is riding around on your bicycle with someone on the back or 'pillion' on a motorbike. We usually had to do it when your own bike was fucked and being fixed

 

[Deleted member 80556]

Not really, if i lived in such a country were the government goes thw extra mile for its citizen i will feel the same way that guy does.

I don't think that in this context most people would jump to "I'D DIE FOR THIS COUNTRY" immediately, without being asked if they'd do so.

 

[hirokazu]

Thanks for ruining the story with the update! D:

 

[True Savior]

Who's being rewarded?

Humanity.

 

[dity]

Humanity.

Lies!

 

[dreamcastmaster]

I'm actually extremely curious to see what happens to a first world nation when it stops replacing citizens and ends up with too much infrastructure.

Detroit.

 

[Vigilant Walrus]

thank you for ruining this story

I think tuffy should have this as his tag.

 

[ItIsOkBro]

The original story was restoring people's faith in humanity n shit lol

 

[FluxWaveZ]

The original story was restoring people's faith in humanity n shit lol

We can't have that happen.

 

[clav]

Trying to verify the source, since the article didn't post a link.

http://www.appledaily.com.tw/realtimenews/article/new/20160104/766995/

Here:

《蘋果》近一步追查後，發現真相與媒體流傳的說法略有出入，這名就讀於遠輕高校的高三女學生名叫原田華奈，不過她每天搭乘列車通勤的，是白滝系列車站中的「舊白滝站」，而非網傳的「上白滝站」，她每天早上7點15分會在此搭上唯一一班列車，和其他約十多名遠輕高校的學生們一同上學。幸運的是，雖然去程只有每天早上7點15分的唯一一班車，不過比起下午只有一班列車抵達的上白滝站，舊白滝站因為有三班回程列車，所以原田有充分的時間參加弓道部的社團活動，再搭乘傍晚19點25分的回程列車回家。

此外，JR北海道為因應「經營合理化」，確實預定封閉數十個使用人數稀少的車站。「上白滝站」、「舊白滝站」、「下白滝站」三站也確實將在今年3月26日廢棄，車站廢棄的事實與原田華奈的經歷一結合，便成為具渲染力且適合網路傳播的溫情故事。

 

[norm9]

Well it's still a nice story.

 

[killer rin]

This is a nice and heartwarming to hear about. Amazing news article to start my day with. Thanks for sharing OP

 

[Strangelove77]

Yeah, that story sounded fake as shit from the beginning. It's just not something that happens.

 

[jerry1594]

Japan confirmed a callous country bereft of human kindness and not a Miyazaki movie

 

[Imperfected]

I don't think that in this context most people would jump to "I'D DIE FOR THIS COUNTRY" immediately, without being asked if they'd do so.

It's doubly confusing because Japan doesn't have an expeditionary army. Why is dying for your country even something a person would culturally leap to? Does he plan on committing a graceful suicide to avoid contributing to the "graying" problem, or something?

 

[Quixzlizx]

Not really, if i lived in such a country were the government goes thw extra mile for its citizen i will feel the same way that guy does.

You do realize that the resources being spent on this hypothetical citizen are resources not being spent on every other citizen?

You're essentially stating that you value emotional appeals over rational ones.

 

[Plywood]

Well I just got the goosies reading this story. edit: Oh, welp.

 

[BocoDragon]

Japan confirmed a callous country bereft of human kindness and not a Miyazaki movie

I laughed.