Is Nobita's Dad's Name Different? 'Let's Build a Subway' / Let's Build a Subway Part 2

When plans for a new train line are announced, I get a little excited wondering which places will be connected. However, I get the impression that the number of such projects has decreased significantly compared to when I was a child.

One reason for this is that the network has expanded and congestion is gradually being resolved, and for lines running above ground, the soaring cost of land acquisition is considered a factor.

As for subways, while not as much as above-ground lines, securing land for construction is still expensive, and since the shallow underground is already being used for something, they often have to dig deeper, which again brings the problem of soaring construction costs.

While some subway extension plans seem to be alive, it is a shame to think that we may no longer experience the surprise we felt when the Oedo Line or the Fukutoshin Line opened.

Now, in the 1960s and 70s, when subways were being opened one after another not only in Tokyo but in major cities across the country, there were several stories in Fujiko's works about building subways. In particular, there are two relatively famous works in 'Obake no Q-taro' and 'Doraemon', so I would like to take them up here.

In the previous article, I introduced the work Q-chan Railway from Obake no Q-taro, which was a story where Q-chan used a large number of moles to dig a subway to fulfill Sho-chan's wish of not wanting to walk to school.

In this article, I will introduce an episode where they decide to build a subway to the office to resolve the commuting hell caused by Dad's crowded trains.

If there is one thing that has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the resolution of the commuting rush. Even though the number of people out and about has increased recently, the packed commuting hell of the past has completely disappeared.

As I wrote above, it can be said that the increase in the number of train services and the construction of new lines over many years to resolve the commuting rush have also been successful.

Let us first confirm that this work was published during a period when the commuting rush and commuting hell were becoming social issues.

Nobita, Doraemon, and Mom went shopping at a department store in the city center, and on the way back, they met up with Dad to go home together by train. Nobita and the others are waiting for the train on a station platform that is likely Shinjuku Station.

It is cut off, but since the next station is 'Minami...', this is likely the Odakyu Line platform, and the next station is 'Minami-Shinjuku'.

Fujiko-sensei used the Odakyu Line like an ordinary office worker to commute to Fujiko Pro every day, so that experience is reflected here. Also, standing next to Nobita and the others is a man who looks like Shotaro Ishinomori-sensei.

Now, the platform is overflowing with people, and a simple question occurs to Nobita.

Yes, yes, I understand Nobita's feelings well. Even though the platform is overflowing with people, when a train that is already full comes in, I end up thinking, 'Wait, can all these people actually fit?'

As expected, Nobita and the others are caught in the evening rush hour, pushed and shoved inside the train, and they scream. Even Mom is exhausted, saying, "Do you commute on a train like that every day?" but Dad just looks cool, saying I'm used to it.

After returning home, Nobita feels sorry for his dad and wants to do something for him, and he seems to have had a good idea. It was a grand-scale story about giving Dad a subway as a Christmas present.

Unlike Nobita, who is thinking of it as an extension of playing subway, saying "Dig a hole in the ground...", Doraemon, who understands things better, is shocked by the idea, calling it "absurd." He reluctantly decides to carry out Nobita's plan, saying he does have a hole-digging machine...

For the time being, they decide to start from the garden, dive underground, and dig toward the company. Since they are digging as they go, the speed is naturally slow, and a future full of difficulties awaits, such as hitting a river and having to change the course, or having to let the machine rest when hitting hard bedrock.

When they come out of the "hole-digging machine," Nobita hears the sound of digging in the soil. Doraemon replies that there couldn't be anyone else, but was it really just an auditory hallucination?

After several days of work, the subway construction is finally finished. On Christmas Eve, Doraemon and Nobita, dressed as Santa, give the present to Dad. Dad, who for some reason doesn't notice the obvious identity of Santa, is surprised to open the box and finds a commuter pass inside.

This commuter pass is a famous item among Fujiko fans, and the reason is that it was the first time Nobita's dad's name and age were recorded. It is a commuter pass for travel between "home" and "company," and it says "Mr. Nobi Nobizo, 36 years old".

Nobita's dad is known as "Nobi Nobisuke," but at the beginning, he was "Nobizo." The settings were not yet fixed, as the serialization had just begun, and even the number of siblings Nobita's dad had was vague.

The next morning, when Nobita and the others urge Dad to "use the pass from last night" as he leaves for work, Dad is surprised, asking, "Can I really use it?"

In the previous story, "Oba-Q Railway," there was a problem with the railway's power source, but this time they have the reliable Doraemon with future technology. Underground, along with the completed tracks, a train is prepared, and although it is only one car, it is quite decent.

Doraemon and Nobita wear hats and feel like conductors. Then they take Dad and start running toward the company. Dad is happy, lying on the seat and saying, "This is great," as they travel at high speed, arriving in five minutes. Considering the commuter rush, it is absolute heaven.

However, after a while, the train stops suddenly. Outside, there are many workers digging holes that cross the tracks Nobita and the others dug. They were digging a real subway.

In this case, they have no choice but to take a different path. They decide to switch to the "hole-digging machine" and dig to the company. However, perhaps due to the strain so far, the machine breaks down and the digging stops.

They try to dig by hand, but it is impossible, and the three of them are soon exhausted. Nobita and Doraemon cry and apologize to Dad, saying, "It's because we did something unnecessary." However, the kind Dad, Nobizo, says,

Conversely, he says something moving to comfort him.

Just as the bond between father and son warms up, Doraemon realizes that the hole he has been digging is about to connect to somewhere. It turns out that the place he has been digging leads to an underground passage, and there is a manhole above it.

And when he opens the manhole, it is coincidentally right in front of the office. Although he ended up covered in mud, Dad was able to get to work safely without being late.

When walking through underground passages, I sometimes wonder what lies on the other side of the walls. In complex underground connecting paths, I sometimes lose track of where I am on the surface directly above.

In that sense, underground spaces have little information, which might be why urban legends about 'underground mysteries' are created.

Thinking about such things, I put down my pen for this article.