ticket gate
A ticket gate








bullet train
A bullet train passing by Mt. Fuji (©JNTO)
The Tokyo train network dates back to 1872, when the first line was completed. Steam locomotives pulled cars along a 29-kilometer route between Shinbashi in Tokyo and Yokohama. The year 1949 saw the birth of the Japanese National Railways, the forerunner of today's privatized Japan Railways, and a nationwide rail network sprang up rapidly after that. The crown jewel of this network was put in place in 1964, the year of the Tokyo Olympics, when the Shinkansen (bullet train) began operations on the route between Osaka and Tokyo. This line was later extended westward to Fukuoka; later additions to the Shinkansen network linked Tokyo with Niigata, Hachinohe, Yamagata, Akita, and Nagano. The Nozomi train carries Tokyoites to Osaka and Fukuoka at speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour.

Within and around the capital, the main JR lines are the Chuo Line running west from the city center, the Yamanote loop, the Keihin Tohoku Line running from Yokohama to Tokyo Station and north to Omiya, the Sobu Line servicing Chiba to the east, and the Yokosuka and Tokaido lines heading away to the southwest. There are also a number of private railways, including the Tobu (site is Japanese only), Seibu (site is Japanese only), Keio, Odakyu, Tokyu, and Keikyu networks.

The first Tokyo subway began operations in 1927, running between Ueno and Asakusa. This formed the first leg of today's Ginza Line. This was later joined by other key routes like the Marunouchi and Hibiya Lines; today there are 12 lines in all in the Tokyo Metro and Toei subway systems, and a thirteenth is scheduled to open in 2007.

Railway and subway systems today play a vital role in keeping Tokyo - and indeed, all of Japan - moving smoothly. This has in part been thanks to the amazing punctuality of the trains, which almost always arrive and depart precisely on time, something not seen in many places in the world. The trains themselves are also known for their cleanliness. Graffiti is practically nonexistent, and the stations are just as tidy as the trains that stop there. These qualities, along with the shining safety record of the trains, are points of pride for the people who keep them running.
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