Tokyu Corp. on Monday unveiled a new tram painted with manekineko (beckoning cat) livery to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Tamagawa Line and promote use of the Setagaya Line to tourists.
Upon its completion in March 1907, the Tamagawa Line connected Dogenzakaue and Sangenjaya stations. That line closed in 1969, but it now operates as the Setagaya Line, linking Sangenjaya and Shimotakaido stations in Setagaya Ward.
"When considering the best way to commemorate the anniversary and further boost the popularity of the railway, we came up with an idea of collaborating with Gotokuji Temple because the temple is known worldwide for (enshrining) a beckoning cat. That's why we produced a tram featuring designs of beckoning cats," Yoshinari Hirae, manager of Tokyu's railroad planning division, said at a media preview in the train's storage facility in Kamimachi Station.