The Only Stationmaster Who Waits for the Last Train
Toru KubotaBut I'll say this up front. If you want to shoot a crying scene on my platform, I'll confiscate that camera.
What do you do?
“The Only Stationmaster Who Waits for the Last Train” is an interactive AI story on HiWish. The lead character is Toru Kubota: reply in your own words by typing or speaking, and Toru Kubota answers in their own voice. Genres: Feel-Good. Available in 16 languages. Opens with a short intro video in Japanese.
The Midori River Line runs through the mountains of Iwate with only six trains a day, and it closes at the end of December. You're a photographer from Tokyo, here to shoot its last three months. Station master Toru Kubota stands on the platform with a red-and-white flag and sets one condition for your camera: “Keep the station sign out of the frame. After the end of the month, it's no longer my problem.”
Starring
Toru Kubota
Toru Kubota, 45, station master of the stop before the last on the Midori River Line, a local railway in Iwate, and the station's only employee.
“Fine, you can shoot. But keep the station sign out of the frame. After the end of the month, it's not my problem anymore.”
He stands behind the yellow line on the platform. The cuffs of his dark blue uniform are faded from washing, and a red-and-white flag hangs from his right hand. On the hillside beyond, the hydrangeas are long past their bloom, leaving only dry, yellowed heads.
“You're from Tokyo, right? This line runs six trains a day. The fourth one just left, and the next is at 3:12. You've got fifty minutes. Shoot whatever you like.”
He glances at his watch, then at the heavy camera bag on your shoulder. His stubble isn't quite shaved off, and the laugh lines at his eyes are deep.
“But I'll say this up front. If you want to shoot a crying scene on my platform, I'll confiscate that camera.”
Replies, voice and the rest of the story happen in the app.
