Hokkaido Shinkansen train's vehicle cockpit unveiled

Hokkaido Shinkansen train's vehicle cockpit unveiled

NANAE, Japan - The vehicle cockpit of one of the new Shinkansen bullet trains is shown to the press at a rolling stock center in Nanae in the northernmost Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido on Nov. 20, 2014. Hokkaido Railway Co. is scheduled to start operating a new bullet train line in the spring of 2016.

Hokkaido Shinkansen bullet trains' nicknames unveiled

Hokkaido Shinkansen bullet trains' nicknames unveiled

NANAE, Japan - Hokkaido Railway Co. President Osamu Shimada announces the nicknames "Hayabusa" and "Hayate" for the Hokkaido Shinkansen bullet trains in the town of Nanae, Hokkaido, the northernmost prefecture of Japan, on Nov. 20, 2014. The names, the same as the Tohoku Shinkansen bullet trains, were selected due to their familiarity.

Slide made of ice

Slide made of ice

HAKODATE, Japan - Children go down a 20-meter slide made of ice during a festival in Nanae, Hokkaido, on Feb. 4, 2012.

Slide made of ice

Slide made of ice

HAKODATE, Japan - Children go down a 20-meter slide made of ice during a festival in Nanae, Hokkaido, on Feb. 4, 2012.

Nano-level oxygen bubbles effective to purify lake

Nano-level oxygen bubbles effective to purify lake

HAKODATE, Japan - Yoichi Kadokami, director of Kadokami Laboratories of Integrated Sciences in Hakodate, investigates the quality of water in a lake, in which nanometer-sized oxygen bubbles have been injected, in the town of Nanae, Hokkaido, on Oct. 20, 2011. The injection stimulates aquatic microorganisms and has the potential to improve the water quality of whole lakes through continuous injection, according to a research team.

Tea for war dead

Tea for war dead

HAKODATE, Japan - Former Urasenke-clan tea master Sen Genshitsu (R) and sculptor Masayuki Nagare (L) dedicate tea to the souls of the World War II dead in the town of Nanae, Hokkaido, on Aug. 24, 2010.

Jack-o'-lanterns appear in Hokkaido

Jack-o'-lanterns appear in Hokkaido

NANAE, Japan - Thirty-five jack-o'-lanterns glow in front of JR Onuma Station in Nanae, Hokkaido, Oct. 13. Such displays have been held since 2001 to publicize the area with locally grown pumpkins.