Early this morning, a peculiar fellow was spotted riding the rails in Tokyo. Wrapped in layers of lights and adorned in pink pinwheels, he didn’t even bother sitting in the half-empty carriage. Just what was this glowing man doing on the last train home? The answer may surprise you.

The original picture seen above only came with a brief description explaining that the man was on the last train. It was retweeted nearly 5,000 times, causing netizens to wonder just why this man stayed out so late dressed in such an extreme costume. Was he at a party? Did he lose a bet? Soon after another picture surfaced online, giving a little more insight into just what this guy was doing:

▼ “There’s a really amusing person here. He’s taking photos with everyone lol! It seems he’s training for the Tokyo Marathon. Good luck!”

The same Twitter user added, “When he runs, the pinwheels spin in the wind and light up! He’s become an idol on the train! This made my day!”

So that’s what he was doing. Tokyo Marathon participants are known for dressing up in some crazy costumes. Here’s just a small sample from the 2011 race:

So you see, this glowing runner isn’t quite as outlandish as some of the other Tokyo Marathon participants. But he sure does stand out catching a ride on the last train home amongst the sea of brown overcoats and black pants!

Source: Hachima Kikou

Images: Twitter (Asparaman, yochico310)