hot ticket

愛知県豊橋市の豊橋鉄道市内線で路面電車に揺られながらアツアツのおでんを楽しむ「走る屋台　おでんしゃ」の運行が今年も始まりました。

‘Odensha’ hot pot tram is a hot ticket in Aichi for 10 years running

TOYOHASHI, Aichi Prefecture--The seasonal tram “Odensha” has kicked off service here for the 10th year in a row, once again offering passengers a warm and comfy ride accompanied by a delicious hot pot dish.

Japanese winter dinners are all about hot pot, especially “oden,” a dish made of daikon radishes, fish cakes, potatoes and boiled eggs in a soup made with soy sauce and other ingredients. And that’s what the ride offers, hence its name combining the hearty food with the word "densha" (train).

The runs on Toyohashi Railroad Co.'s Toyotetsu City Line started this year on Nov. 13. The tram interior is decorated with red "chochin" paper lanterns and “noren” curtains, items often seen at the entrance of traditional Japanese drinking establishments offering such menus as oden.

The ingredients of the dish are offered by local fish cake producer Yamasa Chikuwa Co. The ride also offers beer and a “bento” box of appetizers.

One Odensha ride is offered every evening, departing Ekimae Station in front of Toyohashi Station in the city at 6:25 p.m. The tram also departs at 11:57 a.m. on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays.

All services are round trips lasting an hour and 20 minutes to Undokoen-mae Station, 4.7 kilometers away, and back.

A ride is 3,900 yen ($34.25) per person, but the entire tram can be rented for a duration of a trip for a group of up to 28 people for 103,000 yen. A reservation must be made, but the train is already almost fully booked for the rest of the year.

However, there may still be some hope for the curious, as reservations for January and February opened on Nov. 24. The ride will be offered until Feb. 28, excluding the end of the year and the New Year's holidays.

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201611250034.html

今回取り上げる表現は、“hot ticket”です。『ウィズダム英和辞典』(第３版、三省堂)を引いたところ、「話題の人[事]、人気者、あこがれの的」とありました。また、「コトバンク」では「流行の最先端を行く人気者」と述べられていました。

LDOCEには“an event that is very popular or fashionable, and that everyone wants to go and see”と定義されています。

今回の記事の内容から、あつあつおでんを連想させる“hot”、そして「切符」という意味も持つ“ticket”を含む“hot ticket”が好んで用いられているのだと思います。(Blue Sky)