Most new technology aims to stand out. Not so with these Japanese train cars, designed by architect Kazuyo Sejima to blend seamlessly into their surroundings as they zoom from Tokyo to mountainous Chichibu, among other destinations. The key: a reflective aluminum coating meant to help them “express a gentleness and softness” rather than the usual “sharpness” of industrial machinery, per an announcement from Seibu Railway. The company plans to debut the new cars on trains in 2018, in honor of its 100th anniversary.
–Julie Shapiro
This appears in the April 11, 2016 issue of TIME.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- For People With Disabilities, Losing Abortion Access Can Be a Matter of Life or Death
- Inside the Clandestine Efforts to Smuggle Starlink Internet Into Iran
- How to Help the Victims and Community After the Monterey Park Shooting
- The Biggest Snubs and Surprises of the 2023 Oscar Nominations
- Talking Less Will Get You More
- Kamala Harris Subtly Emerges as Powerful White House Asset
- How Avatar: The Way of Water Became the 6th Movie in History to Make $2 Billion
- Is There Really No Safe Amount of Drinking?
- How Our Cells Strategize To Keep Us Alive