In Grateful Recognition of T4: JR Central Official Photo Collection of Class 923 Dr. Yellow
£55.00 per item
A photographic record of Doctor Yellow’s final year, with rare behind-the-scenes access.
In January 2025, the seven-car yellow Shinkansen inspection train, Class 923 T4, was retired from service. Its principal role was to support the safe operation of the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen by inspecting track and infrastructure conditions while running mainly between Tokyo and Hakata at speeds of up to 270 km/h.
Widely known as the ‘doctor of the Shinkansen’ for its diagnostic function, and as the rare ‘yellow bullet train’ said to bring good fortune to those who spotted it, Doctor Yellow gradually became popular. Over time, it became one of the most recognizable vehicles in Japanese railway history. Although advances in inspection technology have enabled infrastructure monitoring to be carried out by passenger trains, making Doctor Yellow redundant, its retirement attracted considerable public attention and was widely covered by television news.
This photographic collection documents the final chapter of the T4 before and after its retirement. Railway photographer Murakami Yūta spent a year recording the train’s last days, creating a visual record of a much-loved train.
With the full cooperation of JR Central, he gained exceptional access to operations normally closed to the public, including views from the driver’s cab during the final inspection runs, as well as the meticulous maintenance work carried out at railway depots.
The book records every aspect of the train’s final year, including the careful hand-washing of its complex nose section using cleaning agents specially developed for Shinkansen vehicles. It also captures the dedication of the railway employees who maintained and operated the train and the enthusiasm of its many admirers. Through these photographs, readers gain an insight into the professionalism, attention to detail and craftsmanship that underpin Japan’s high-speed railway system.
216 pages in full colour, with approximately 400 photographs. Written in Japanese and English.
Murakami Yūta (born 1987, Tokyo) graduated from the Department of Photography at the College of Art, Nihon University. A member of the Japan Railway Photographers Society, he works professionally as a railway photographer, contributing regularly to railway, travel and photography magazines. He is also a frequent lecturer and workshop instructor.
His work focuses on the people connected with the railway industry and the everyday scenes and stories that surround them.
216 pages
26.7 x 21.5 x 0.2 cm
