A rare view of a yellow-colored inspection train for Japan's Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train line passing sunflowers blooming on fallow paddy fields has attracted visitors.

About 600 people, including amateur photographers and families, visited the 3.2-hectare site in Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture in central Japan, on Monday. They took pictures of the diagnostic train dubbed Doctor Yellow.

The sunflowers are currently in full bloom at the site and have grown about 130 centimeters tall. Local residents plant about 140,000 of them each year.

Doctor Yellow trains are used on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines to check the condition of tracks and other facilities. They make inspection trips about every 10 days.

The public cannot ride the trains except for special occasions. Spotting one is said to bring happiness, and they are popular among train fans.

Central Japan Railway Company plans to retire theirs next January, and West Japan Railway Company will follow suit as early as 2027.

One man in his 70s from Nishio City in neighboring Aichi Prefecture, said he was able to take photographs he can be proud of.

Two brothers aged five and six from Kanazawa City in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, said they love the yellow color of the inspection train. The boys added that they were pleased to see the special yellow train together with sunflowers.