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earth_colorsHere are the drama notes for the SP "Orient Kyuukou Satsujin Jiken":
![](https://i.imgur.com/5gnN9LK.gif")
Murder on the Orient Express. A detective novel written by Agatha Christie and published in 1934, featuring the character Hercule Poirot as the famous Belgian detective. It was adapted into a 1974 movie, TV movies, and radio and stage plays. A Japanese version was made and shown on Fuji TV in January of 2015, a 2 part special, TV movie, with an adapted screenplay by Mitani Koki, and an all-star cast.
Parts of Christie's story were based on real life events. The kidnapping case was based on the Lindbergh kidnapping of 1932. A maid from the Lindbergh house was suspected in the crime, harshly interrogated by police, and committed suicide. Christie herself rode on the Orient Express. It was said that during one of her trips aboard the Orient Express train, she and the passengers were stuck for a day due to heavy rain and flooding. On that day, some passengers on the train had apparently influenced the plot and characters of her book, most especially an American lady, a Mrs. Hilton, who was the inspiration for the character of Mrs. Hubbard (Mrs. Hatori in the SP).
(info: wiki)
Sleeper trains of Japan. The Orient Express in the SP is of course, fictional. The sleeper line that actually traveled that route (Toyo-Shimonoseki) was the "Asakaze", a limited express sleeper train service "operated by Japanese National Railways (JNR) and later by West Japan Railway Company (JR West), which ran from Tokyo to Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture" from 1956 to 2005. Other limited express sleeper trains like the Cassiopeia and the Twilight Express, are now gradually being phased out due the decline in ridership and revenues. These are more considered as "moving hotels" rather than true luxury trains. Nevertheless, it is only recently that Japan's first luxury, hi-tech cruise train, the Kyushu Seven Stars (above pic) has started operations in 2013, but is meant more as a means of tourism rather than for transportation. For more on this read nippon.
(info/quote: wiki) (pix: webry, toyokezai)
Jury system in Japan. In the SP, suspect KasaKen was tried by a single judge. In the story's time frame, Japan has actually a trial by jury system by that time, which was authorized in 1923 but was suspended in 1943. "Although the system generated relatively high acquittal rates, it was rarely used, in part because it required defendants to give up their rights to appeal the factual determinations made." A new jury system law was enacted in 2004 and came into effect in May 2009, "but it only applies to certain serious crimes."
(info/quote: wiki1, wiki2)
Shimonoseki. Acc. to wiki, it is a "city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is at the southwestern tip of Honshu, facing the Tsushima Strait and also Kitakyushu across the Kanmon Straits... Nicknamed the 'Fugu Capital,' it is known for the locally caught pufferfish and is the largest harvester of the pufferfish in Japan."
(info/quote: wiki)
Fugu no ichiyaboshi [フグの一夜干し]. Literally, pufferfish that's been dried overnight. Acc. to fishingfury, "After seasoning generously in sea salt, the fillets are steeped in a mixture of soy sauce and sweet sake, and then wind-dried overnight. When it comes to eating the dried Fugu, they are grilled – preferably over charcoal – and served hot with lemon. During the grilling process, dusting the fillets with sesame seeds or dried nori seaweed gives the fish a most wonderful aroma, and Fugu prepared this way makes a most able accompaniment to beer or sake." It can also be baked or cooked tempura-style.
(info/quote/pic: fishingfury, wadachinmi)
Tabi wa michi dzure yo wa nasake [旅は道連れ世は情け]. The complete proverb that Hotoda and Hazuma were quoting on the train. It can be interpreted as "Just as it is reassuring to have a companion when traveling, it is important for us to care for each other as we pass through this life". Another is "No road is long with good company."
(info/quote: eigo-eddy, weblio)
The Day of the Dog. Mrs. Hatori claimed that she needed to arrive in Tokyo because she will attend her daughter's "Day of the Dog." It means her daughter is on her 5th month of pregnancy, and she and her family will go to a shrine to pray for easy and safe child birth. They pray to a guardian deity in the form of a dog since dogs usually have many pups and deliver easily. The woman will wrap a bandage around her tummy, since it is believed to provide stabilization, and protection for the baby from sudden movements.
(info/pic: ja.wiki, sakura-house)
Hereditary peerage of Japan. Count Ando is part of the Kazoku ("Exalted Lineage" of Japan). He is a hakushaku [伯爵], equal to a "count" or "earl". This hereditary peerage was established in 1884 by Ito Hirobumi, one of the leaders of the Meiji Restoration and Japan's first prime minister, and he himself was declared as a koshaku (marquis), and soon a duke or a prince (In the SP, he was the one the Marchioness was said to have danced with when when she was younger). At the start, those who were given these statuses were mostly from aristocratic families and feudal warlords' families. By 1946, the Constitution of Japan abolished the kazoku "and ended the use of all titles of nobility or rank outside the immediate Imperial Family. Nonetheless, many descendants of former kazoku families continue to occupy prominent roles in Japanese society and industry." Above pics are examples of real life Kazoku couples from the Meiji and Showa eras (with statuses of viscount and count). For more pix of Japan's former nobility (and their westerns-style mansions), click here.
(info: wiki1, wiki2) (pix: omugio)
Dansō no reijin [男装の麗人]. Countess Ando and the Marchioness were talking about disguising themselves on board the Orient Express. The Marchioness wanted to go as a "danso no reijin" or "beauty dressed in men's costume", probably a reference to the androgynous look first popularized by actress Marlene Dietrich in 1930 in the movie, "Morocco". But it is more likely a reference to Kawashima Yoshiko, (the "Eastern Mata Hari") the spy who dressed up as in men's costume as well (a movie about her, portrayed by Irie Takako, called "Mamō Kenkoku no Reimei" [満蒙建国の黎明] or "Manchuria: Founding of the Sunrise" was shown in 1932).
(info: wiki, suzumodern) (pic: classiq)
Other references (mostly military-related mentioned by Col. Noto) in the SP:
Sanbō Honbu [参謀本部]. Col. Noto works for the Sanbo Honbu, also known as The Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office, or simply Army General Staff, and also, General Staff Headquarters. It is responsible for "for the preparation of war plans; the military training and employment of combined arms; military intelligence; the direction of troop maneuvers; troop deployments; and the compilation of field service military regulations, military histories, and cartography." Above pic is the Imperial General Staff Office HQ, used to be located in Nagata-cho, Kojimachi Ward, destroyed in the war.
(info/quote: wiki, ndl.go.jp)
Kokura Army Arsenal [小倉陸軍造兵廠]. Col. Noto claimed he visited this arsenal in Kokura, Kitakyushu. The original arsenal in Tokyo was destroyed by the great earthquake of 1923, and was transferred to the one in Kokura. It is said that weapons like small tanks, rifles, machine guns, anti-aircraft guns, ammunition, balloon bombs, and even chemical weapons were manufactured here.
(info: ja.wiki)
47 Ronin. Col. Noto kept likening the 12-person vengeance team to the "47 Ronin". I'm sure you're familiar with them. If not, you can read this.
Noto's war record. Noto kept dropping hints of his war history during the SP. So these are just my assumptions based on those hints. When they were younger, he and Col. Goriki probably participated in the Russian Civil War and the Siberian Intervention of 1918, where officers, as depicted in the Japanese lithograph above ("The Capture of Blagoveshchensk") rode on horseback. It is where he probably got his leg injury. He also said he was stationed in Manchuria "2 years ago" referring to the 1931 Manchuria Incident.
(info/pic: wiki)
"Wartime boom". Makuuchi explained that Todo was one of those upstarts who benefited during the wartime boom. He was referring to Japan's exporting of war materials at the end of World War I to European countries, from 1913 to 1918. As the war ended, so did the boom, thus Todo resorted to criminal activities.
(info: wiki)
The Order of the Golden Kite. Col. Goriki in the SP was awarded this medal, of a second class level. It was an exclusively military award during Imperial Japan, "conferred for bravery, leadership or command in battle".
(info/quote/pic: wiki)
Filming locations (with pics above from left to right):
Misumi West Port, Uki, Kumamoto Prefecture. The location filming site of "Shimonoseki Port". Its Meiji era design port and quay (said to be built from cut andesite) has been preserved up to this day.
(info: kyuyama) (pic: ja.wiki)
Taisha Station, Izumo, Shimane Prefecture. Where the Shimonoseki Station scene is shot. Built in 1924 and now a historic building and museum, its design and many of its original features still remain intact.
(info: guide-japan) (pic: ja.wiki)
Sapporo's Telephone Exchange Building, Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture. Filming location of Todo's office. It is one of the featured buildings in Meiji-Mura (Meiji Village) Museum, an open-air museum and architectural preserve that features selected Meiji era buildings and houses from all over Japan, dismantled, transferred to Inuyama, and then pieced back together again. The building was originally built in Sapporo, Hokkaido in 1898.
(info: pbase) (pic: ja.wiki)
Naikako Bunko (The former cabinet library), Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture. Shooting site of the court house during Todo's acquittal. This building is also included in the Meiji-Mura Museum. It used to be a part of Tokyo's Imperial Palace complex, and dates from 1911.
(info/pic: pbase)
St. Paul Daiyoji Chapel, Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture. In the SP, this is the church where Ms. Kureta works. This church is also a part of the Meiji-Mura. Originally built in 1870 in Nagasaki prefecture, it was one of the first churches put up after the ban of Christianity was lifted.
(info/pic: yamadaarchiblog)
Shibakawa Mataemon House, Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture. Interior shots of Todo's home took place in this house, also included in the Meiji-Mura Museum. "The house was built as a villa for Mr. Mataemon Shibakawa in 1911, a merchant in Osaka". Its interiors is characterized by its distinctive ajiro or wickerwork ceiling.
(info: go-centraljapan) (pic: kareido)
The Goriki House. It has two locations:
Kyukachonomiya Mansion, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. The facade of the Goriki house (and interior shots) were filmed at this western-style mansion once owned by a koshaku (marquis) of the Nanicho House. Built in 1929, and now a cultural asset of Kamakura.
(info: sakura-cafe, izumi-loc) (pic: kokkun_s)
Wakeijuku Mansion, Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. The garden scene of the Goriki house is that of the Wakeijuku mansion. It was altered with the use of CGI to make it look like and to match the architectural details of the Kyukachonomiya Mansion mentioned above (I made a gif below to show comparison of the actual to the altered). This mansion was built in 1936, and owned by a koshaku (marquis) of the Hosokawa House. It now serves as venue for symposia, wedding banquets, exhibits, as well as shooting locations for scenes depicting the Showa era.
(info: wiki) (pic: relie-wedding)
Murder on the Orient Express. A detective novel written by Agatha Christie and published in 1934, featuring the character Hercule Poirot as the famous Belgian detective. It was adapted into a 1974 movie, TV movies, and radio and stage plays. A Japanese version was made and shown on Fuji TV in January of 2015, a 2 part special, TV movie, with an adapted screenplay by Mitani Koki, and an all-star cast.
Parts of Christie's story were based on real life events. The kidnapping case was based on the Lindbergh kidnapping of 1932. A maid from the Lindbergh house was suspected in the crime, harshly interrogated by police, and committed suicide. Christie herself rode on the Orient Express. It was said that during one of her trips aboard the Orient Express train, she and the passengers were stuck for a day due to heavy rain and flooding. On that day, some passengers on the train had apparently influenced the plot and characters of her book, most especially an American lady, a Mrs. Hilton, who was the inspiration for the character of Mrs. Hubbard (Mrs. Hatori in the SP).
(info: wiki)
The real Orient Express. "Orient Express" was the name of a long-distance passenger train service established in 1883, originally plied the route from Paris to Istanbul (actual picture, above left). "Several routes in the past concurrently used the Orient Express name, or slight variants thereof. Although the original Orient Express was simply a normal international railway service, the name has become synonymous with intrigue and luxury travel."
In the SP, the steam locomotive used for the filming was that of the SL Ginga (above right pic), which is a "Joyful Train" or an excursion train primarily used for charters, special events, tourist excursions, etc.. It is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) primarily on the Kamaishi Line in the north-east Tohoku Region of Japan. "Ginga" means "galaxy" because the train's over-all design motif was inspired by the Miyazawa Kenji's novel "Night on the Galactic Railroad". For more pix of this train, here.
In the SP, the steam locomotive used for the filming was that of the SL Ginga (above right pic), which is a "Joyful Train" or an excursion train primarily used for charters, special events, tourist excursions, etc.. It is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) primarily on the Kamaishi Line in the north-east Tohoku Region of Japan. "Ginga" means "galaxy" because the train's over-all design motif was inspired by the Miyazawa Kenji's novel "Night on the Galactic Railroad". For more pix of this train, here.
Sleeper trains of Japan. The Orient Express in the SP is of course, fictional. The sleeper line that actually traveled that route (Toyo-Shimonoseki) was the "Asakaze", a limited express sleeper train service "operated by Japanese National Railways (JNR) and later by West Japan Railway Company (JR West), which ran from Tokyo to Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture" from 1956 to 2005. Other limited express sleeper trains like the Cassiopeia and the Twilight Express, are now gradually being phased out due the decline in ridership and revenues. These are more considered as "moving hotels" rather than true luxury trains. Nevertheless, it is only recently that Japan's first luxury, hi-tech cruise train, the Kyushu Seven Stars (above pic) has started operations in 2013, but is meant more as a means of tourism rather than for transportation. For more on this read nippon.
(info/quote: wiki) (pix: webry, toyokezai)
Jury system in Japan. In the SP, suspect KasaKen was tried by a single judge. In the story's time frame, Japan has actually a trial by jury system by that time, which was authorized in 1923 but was suspended in 1943. "Although the system generated relatively high acquittal rates, it was rarely used, in part because it required defendants to give up their rights to appeal the factual determinations made." A new jury system law was enacted in 2004 and came into effect in May 2009, "but it only applies to certain serious crimes."
(info/quote: wiki1, wiki2)
Shimonoseki. Acc. to wiki, it is a "city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is at the southwestern tip of Honshu, facing the Tsushima Strait and also Kitakyushu across the Kanmon Straits... Nicknamed the 'Fugu Capital,' it is known for the locally caught pufferfish and is the largest harvester of the pufferfish in Japan."
(info/quote: wiki)
Fugu no ichiyaboshi [フグの一夜干し]. Literally, pufferfish that's been dried overnight. Acc. to fishingfury, "After seasoning generously in sea salt, the fillets are steeped in a mixture of soy sauce and sweet sake, and then wind-dried overnight. When it comes to eating the dried Fugu, they are grilled – preferably over charcoal – and served hot with lemon. During the grilling process, dusting the fillets with sesame seeds or dried nori seaweed gives the fish a most wonderful aroma, and Fugu prepared this way makes a most able accompaniment to beer or sake." It can also be baked or cooked tempura-style.
(info/quote/pic: fishingfury, wadachinmi)
Tabi wa michi dzure yo wa nasake [旅は道連れ世は情け]. The complete proverb that Hotoda and Hazuma were quoting on the train. It can be interpreted as "Just as it is reassuring to have a companion when traveling, it is important for us to care for each other as we pass through this life". Another is "No road is long with good company."
(info/quote: eigo-eddy, weblio)
The Day of the Dog. Mrs. Hatori claimed that she needed to arrive in Tokyo because she will attend her daughter's "Day of the Dog." It means her daughter is on her 5th month of pregnancy, and she and her family will go to a shrine to pray for easy and safe child birth. They pray to a guardian deity in the form of a dog since dogs usually have many pups and deliver easily. The woman will wrap a bandage around her tummy, since it is believed to provide stabilization, and protection for the baby from sudden movements.
(info/pic: ja.wiki, sakura-house)
Hereditary peerage of Japan. Count Ando is part of the Kazoku ("Exalted Lineage" of Japan). He is a hakushaku [伯爵], equal to a "count" or "earl". This hereditary peerage was established in 1884 by Ito Hirobumi, one of the leaders of the Meiji Restoration and Japan's first prime minister, and he himself was declared as a koshaku (marquis), and soon a duke or a prince (In the SP, he was the one the Marchioness was said to have danced with when when she was younger). At the start, those who were given these statuses were mostly from aristocratic families and feudal warlords' families. By 1946, the Constitution of Japan abolished the kazoku "and ended the use of all titles of nobility or rank outside the immediate Imperial Family. Nonetheless, many descendants of former kazoku families continue to occupy prominent roles in Japanese society and industry." Above pics are examples of real life Kazoku couples from the Meiji and Showa eras (with statuses of viscount and count). For more pix of Japan's former nobility (and their westerns-style mansions), click here.
(info: wiki1, wiki2) (pix: omugio)
Dansō no reijin [男装の麗人]. Countess Ando and the Marchioness were talking about disguising themselves on board the Orient Express. The Marchioness wanted to go as a "danso no reijin" or "beauty dressed in men's costume", probably a reference to the androgynous look first popularized by actress Marlene Dietrich in 1930 in the movie, "Morocco". But it is more likely a reference to Kawashima Yoshiko, (the "Eastern Mata Hari") the spy who dressed up as in men's costume as well (a movie about her, portrayed by Irie Takako, called "Mamō Kenkoku no Reimei" [満蒙建国の黎明] or "Manchuria: Founding of the Sunrise" was shown in 1932).
(info: wiki, suzumodern) (pic: classiq)
Other references (mostly military-related mentioned by Col. Noto) in the SP:
Sanbō Honbu [参謀本部]. Col. Noto works for the Sanbo Honbu, also known as The Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office, or simply Army General Staff, and also, General Staff Headquarters. It is responsible for "for the preparation of war plans; the military training and employment of combined arms; military intelligence; the direction of troop maneuvers; troop deployments; and the compilation of field service military regulations, military histories, and cartography." Above pic is the Imperial General Staff Office HQ, used to be located in Nagata-cho, Kojimachi Ward, destroyed in the war.
(info/quote: wiki, ndl.go.jp)
Kokura Army Arsenal [小倉陸軍造兵廠]. Col. Noto claimed he visited this arsenal in Kokura, Kitakyushu. The original arsenal in Tokyo was destroyed by the great earthquake of 1923, and was transferred to the one in Kokura. It is said that weapons like small tanks, rifles, machine guns, anti-aircraft guns, ammunition, balloon bombs, and even chemical weapons were manufactured here.
(info: ja.wiki)
47 Ronin. Col. Noto kept likening the 12-person vengeance team to the "47 Ronin". I'm sure you're familiar with them. If not, you can read this.
Noto's war record. Noto kept dropping hints of his war history during the SP. So these are just my assumptions based on those hints. When they were younger, he and Col. Goriki probably participated in the Russian Civil War and the Siberian Intervention of 1918, where officers, as depicted in the Japanese lithograph above ("The Capture of Blagoveshchensk") rode on horseback. It is where he probably got his leg injury. He also said he was stationed in Manchuria "2 years ago" referring to the 1931 Manchuria Incident.
(info/pic: wiki)
"Wartime boom". Makuuchi explained that Todo was one of those upstarts who benefited during the wartime boom. He was referring to Japan's exporting of war materials at the end of World War I to European countries, from 1913 to 1918. As the war ended, so did the boom, thus Todo resorted to criminal activities.
(info: wiki)
The Order of the Golden Kite. Col. Goriki in the SP was awarded this medal, of a second class level. It was an exclusively military award during Imperial Japan, "conferred for bravery, leadership or command in battle".
(info/quote/pic: wiki)
Filming locations (with pics above from left to right):
Misumi West Port, Uki, Kumamoto Prefecture. The location filming site of "Shimonoseki Port". Its Meiji era design port and quay (said to be built from cut andesite) has been preserved up to this day.
(info: kyuyama) (pic: ja.wiki)
Taisha Station, Izumo, Shimane Prefecture. Where the Shimonoseki Station scene is shot. Built in 1924 and now a historic building and museum, its design and many of its original features still remain intact.
(info: guide-japan) (pic: ja.wiki)
Sapporo's Telephone Exchange Building, Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture. Filming location of Todo's office. It is one of the featured buildings in Meiji-Mura (Meiji Village) Museum, an open-air museum and architectural preserve that features selected Meiji era buildings and houses from all over Japan, dismantled, transferred to Inuyama, and then pieced back together again. The building was originally built in Sapporo, Hokkaido in 1898.
(info: pbase) (pic: ja.wiki)
Naikako Bunko (The former cabinet library), Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture. Shooting site of the court house during Todo's acquittal. This building is also included in the Meiji-Mura Museum. It used to be a part of Tokyo's Imperial Palace complex, and dates from 1911.
(info/pic: pbase)
St. Paul Daiyoji Chapel, Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture. In the SP, this is the church where Ms. Kureta works. This church is also a part of the Meiji-Mura. Originally built in 1870 in Nagasaki prefecture, it was one of the first churches put up after the ban of Christianity was lifted.
(info/pic: yamadaarchiblog)
Shibakawa Mataemon House, Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture. Interior shots of Todo's home took place in this house, also included in the Meiji-Mura Museum. "The house was built as a villa for Mr. Mataemon Shibakawa in 1911, a merchant in Osaka". Its interiors is characterized by its distinctive ajiro or wickerwork ceiling.
(info: go-centraljapan) (pic: kareido)
The Goriki House. It has two locations:
Kyukachonomiya Mansion, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. The facade of the Goriki house (and interior shots) were filmed at this western-style mansion once owned by a koshaku (marquis) of the Nanicho House. Built in 1929, and now a cultural asset of Kamakura.
(info: sakura-cafe, izumi-loc) (pic: kokkun_s)
Wakeijuku Mansion, Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. The garden scene of the Goriki house is that of the Wakeijuku mansion. It was altered with the use of CGI to make it look like and to match the architectural details of the Kyukachonomiya Mansion mentioned above (I made a gif below to show comparison of the actual to the altered). This mansion was built in 1936, and owned by a koshaku (marquis) of the Hosokawa House. It now serves as venue for symposia, wedding banquets, exhibits, as well as shooting locations for scenes depicting the Showa era.
(info: wiki) (pic: relie-wedding)
