GIJINKA
Gijinka (擬人化) is a Japanese term that means "humanisation" or "anthropomorphisation". It is a character design subculture that involves turning non-human things, animals, or abstract ideas into human or humanoid characters. It is different from the conventional method of anthropomorphism, as it emphasises on turning the non-human subject into a complete human/humanoid being, rather than just adding human elements (e.g. facial expressions) to the subject.
As a rail enthusiast, I enjoy applying gijinka to trains. I hope that these characters can make railway workers and rail passengers feel a stronger connection to the trains, and feel less frustrated when things go wrong on the railway if they think of these trains as characters/living beings with consciousness.
