Hasta La Gadget!

Remember how we blogged in October over Japan Rail’s controversial use of Saigo Takamori as the mascot the countdown boards marking the time till the new Kyushu Shinkansen line opens?

Well, as part of the same campaign JR has also recruited Kamakura-based Kayac to create Saigoudoon, a free iPhone app that produces augmented reality versions of Saigo, providing you can find him. Taking the form of a kind of quest, you use the app’s map to check out where Saigo is lurking along the Hakata-Kagoshima line. As the train tracks get closer to Hakata, so too does Saigo. Meanwhile his trademark faithful dog waits patiently at Fukuoka.

If you then actually head to the location the map tells you that Saigo has reached, the app shows you a “giant” image of the leader through your phone’s camera. You are then meant to tweet your sighting.

The app’s website, however, rather forebodingly states that “Saigou is coming” and with the remaining days until the March opening of the bullet train. Given the rebellious history of Takamori, is that perhaps the best slogan?