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Fist of the North Star Statue to Welcome Hokkaido Bullet Train
posted on by Eric Stimson
On March 26, the Hokkaido Line will finally connect Honshu, Japan's main island, to the northern island of Hokkaido by high-speed bullet train. To welcome the occasion, the Oshima-Ōno Station in Hokuto, Hokkaido, will be remodeled into the "New Hakodate-Hokuto Station," and will receive a bronze Fist of the North Star statue.
Hokuto means "north star" or more accurately "Big Dipper," and the town's name was chosen in recognition of its location and because it's an amalgamation of two older towns, just as the Big Dipper is an amalgamation of seven stars. The town has acknowledged Fist of the North Star before with the poster below, which features the town's odd sushi mascot Zūshī Hokkī pulling Souther's chariot, and with a summer festival float of Kokuoh, Raoh's horse.
The statue has the full support of the Fist of the North Star manga creators and should be ready to greet the first visitors to Hokuto's new station on March 26. Zūshī Hokkī has previously been used to promote Hokuto's sake. Fist of the North Star: Strawberry Flavor, a gag parody of the macho original, has also promoted fashion and responsible fatherhood.
[Via Comic Natalie and Netlab; Image from Algo Staff Tsūshin]
