Gosh, if I show this to my kids, I’ll have to buy plane tickets to Japan.
A life-sized Thomas the Tank Engine was spotted in the mountains of Japan, west of Tokyo and near the city of Shimada in Shizuoka prefecture. The steam engine replica belongs to the Oigawa Railway. The company is famous for its old-fashioned steam locomotives which carry passengers through isolated spots in the surrounding area, populated by mountains and hills, to one of the many hot spring resorts. Here is a YouTube video of the real Thomas (and the real Hiro, because the story continues):