Go Go Chuggington in Japan!

Chuggington, the British Children's series, is very popular in Japan. Chuggington airs on Fuji TV, one of Japan’s major national networks, in a regular Sunday morning slot. Fuji TV promotes it as a worldwide hit and continues to run new episodes, special campaigns, and anniversary events.

The show’s Japanese broadcast has been active for many years. It was even popular when my children were small and they were delighted when a Chuggington play area opened in our area of Saitama. I don't know if the play area still exists, but I do know that you can still ride real-life Chuggington Street cars in Okayama Prefecture. And there is even a day for the street cars; March 16th is known as Okaden Chuggington Day（おかでんチャギントンの日）in Japan.

Okaden Chuggington Day celebrates the debut of the real‑life Chuggington streetcars in Okayama on March 16, 2019. Based on the British children’s series Chuggington, the red Wilson and blue Brewster were transformed into fully functioning streetcars by Okayama Electric Tramway. The day honors this cheerful fusion of public transit and character design.