Ecomotion Nankai

Ecomotion is a portmanteau of ecology (environment) and locomotion (movement, movement), and is the name of an environmental message train devised in 1995 by the Kyoto-based NPO Environmental Citizens and Eizan Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (titles omitted below). The exterior of the train features a nature-inspired design by Alex Boyes, an American designer who has also worked on advertising for Budweiser and other companies. The interior is free of commercial advertisements and instead features photos and posters introducing the nature along the line and environmental activities in Kyoto. On December 1, 2008, Hankyu Corporation also began operating the "Ecotrain Mirai no Yume Machi" (Future Dream Town) under the planning and supervision of the NPO Environmental Citizens, with the aim of promoting environmental actions such as preventing global warming.

The Kobe City Transportation Bureau also named this project "Ecomotion Kobe," a name chosen with hopes of becoming a movement toward environmental improvement through railways and buses, from October 2003 to the end of September 2005. Our group also uses the name "Ecomotion" as our environmental logo, placing it before our company name "Nankai," with the intention of carrying on the will and long history of the NPO "Environmental Citizens" and the "Kobe City Transportation Bureau."