Japan
Country Details
Japan: Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy, 日本 [Japanese]; Nippon.
Language: Japanese
Currency: Japanese Yen [日本円 Japanese] JPY (¥]
See Wikipedia
National Railway System
UIC code
numeric 42; alpha JP
National Railway Operator
The Japan Railways Group, commonly known as the JR Group, took over the assets of Japanese National Railways (JNR) on 1 April 1987, and consists of seven for profit stock companies. No national rail operator exits now.
The seven JR companies are six geographically based ones plus Japan Freight Railway Company (JR Freight) which uses the tracks of the other six.
Going east to west;
Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido)
East Japan Railway Company (JR East)
Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central)
West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku)
Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu)
Private Railway Operators
Timetable
- Printed: summary timetables are available in some editions of the European Rail Timetable.
- Printed Timetables [in Japanese] are issued each month by JR and JTB.
See Train Timetables and Route Finders
The JTB Version also includes private lines.
Information is available at the Man in Seat 61.
Maps
Printed Maps
JTB Mook produce a rail atlas but in Japanese only.
Robert Schwandl Publishing have produced a 3 Volume series Metros and Trams in Japan.
These have short descriptions of the systems [in German and English] with basic, but useful, diagrammatic maps of some complex city/town areas [which can include heavy rail e.g. JR lines] as well as many colour pictures of the rolling stock.
Web-based Maps
Many of the rail operators have diagrammatic maps of their systems but these will often miss out lines of their competitors.
Infrastructure
Gauges
1485 mm (4 feet 8 + 1/2 inches) Standard; JR Shinkansen, some private suburban networks/lines and subways.
1372 mm (4 feet 6 inches) Used mainly for Keiō Line branches and some regional tram systems
1067 mm (3 feet 6 inches) Cape; Used on original passenger and freight lines.
762 mm (2 feet 6 inches) Used on a couple of electrified regional lines.
Electrification
Electrification systems used by the JR Group are 1,500 V DC and 20 kV AC for conventional lines, and 25 kV AC for Shinkansen.
Electrification with 600 V DC and 750 V DC are also seen on private lines.
Frequency of AC power supply is 50 Hz in eastern Japan and 60 Hz in western Japan.
Rule of the road
Left;
Tourist Lines
Oigawa Railway - includes the only section of rack line in Japan.
Kitakyushu Bank Retro-line. Main site is in Japanese with some English links Retro Line.
Shuzenji Romney Railway Leaflet.
Metros
Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Kobe, Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka, Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo - Toei Subway, Tokyo Metro, Yokohama.
Trams/LRT Systems
See Wikipeida List
and
Recent and Future Changes
Recent Changes
The 1067 mm (3 foot 6 inch) Minamiaso Railway line fully reopened on 15 July 2023, after damage during an earthquake in April 2013 was repaired. Quake-wrecked Kumamoto railway back in service.
Substitute buses are running on the 1067 mm (3 foot 6 inch) JR West Mine and Sanin Lines from 7 July 2023 after recent rainfall damage. JR West Substitute Buses.
Future Changes
The 1067 mm (3 foot 6 inch) gauge Utsunomiya Light Rail line is due to open on 26 August 2023.
Longer Closures
The JR-East Rikuu West Line was "temporarily" suspended 14 May 2022 to facilitate construction of a tunnel for the Shinjo Sakata Road of National Route 47. This will last until at least 2024-2025.
The JR-East Yonesaka Line is partially suspended due to rainstorm damage. Full restoration could take several years while financing is sorted out.
