The seventh month of the lunar calendar holds deep significance for people across East Asia, especially mid-month, which marks Japan's "Obon Festival." During Obon, traditions like honoring ancestors, visiting graves, and performing Bon Odori dances are observed. A unique offering used for ancestral worship during Obon is the "spirit horse" (Shoryoma), typically crafted from long vegetables like eggplants or cucumbers with chopsticks for legs, serving as a "vehicle" for ancestors to journey back and forth. But lately, these "spirit horses" have gotten seriously creative...
Japanese X (formerly Twitter) user Shirai Tetsudo (@Lab_coat313) recently flexed their "fastest spirit horse in Japan." What was it? None other than a model of the Hokkaido Shinkansen "Hayabusa" train! Specifically, it's the "Hayabusa H5" model, which can hit speeds of up to 260 km/h. The Tohoku Shinkansen's "Hayabusa" can even reach 320 km/h, so calling it the "fastest spirit horse" is no exaggeration.
▼ Is this a bit *too* fast for the ancestors?
But Shirai Tetsudo's post didn't just get likes – it sparked a challenge! Another netizen, Shika (@shikanabe), unveiled their own "spirit airplane," a passenger jet made from an eggplant. This aerial marvel was modeled after an ANA (All Nippon Airways) Boeing 787, which cruises at Mach 0.85 (about 1041 km/h)! Shika did admit this was a 2018 creation, so maybe it's out of the running, LOL.
▼ It's a land-versus-air showdown!
Other netizens were absolutely loving this "fastest spirit horse" rivalry. Comments for the "Hayabusa" included "It'd probably be even faster without the legs!" and "I bet it wouldn't even come to West Japan, LOL." As for the challenger, the "Boeing 787," fans chimed in with "So cool!" and "That's the early Boeing 787 livery!" Shirai Tetsudo even shared *another* spirit horse, this time an older train, joking, "They can take their time on the way back." Talk about some seriously creative folks!
via： ねとらぼ