Tokyu – oversees a network of lines in southern Tokyo.Tobu – operates lines in Tokyo’s suburbs and prefectures to the north of the city.Seibu – runs a network of lines in the suburbs west of central Tokyo.Odakyu – runs 3 three lines from central Tokyo to the west and Kanagawa Prefecture.Keisei – operates lines from Tokyo to Chiba Prefecture, including one to Narita Airport.Keio – manages a network of railway lines west of central Tokyo.Keikyu – connects Tokyo with Yokohama and southern Kanagawa Prefecture.Some operate just a single line, while others manage larger networks.Īccording to the Japan Private Railway Association, these are the major private railway companies currently operating in the country: There are dozens of private railway companies in Japan.

The Japan Rail Pass multi-use ticket is part of the National JR Group and the JR Pass can be used on the vast majority of main services!įor more information about the national, regional and local lines, please check our maps page. You are free to select the company you wish. This is so because each company has its own price list. JR Group owns roughly 80% of the railroads, but the rest are privately owned companies.ĭue to this, when reading the visual maps above any ticket-vending machine around Japan you will notice that some lines headed in the same direction have different prices. Together, they make up the Japan Railways Group, or JR Group. However, In 1987, the JNR underwent privatization and was split into six independent rail companies: Japanese National Railways, a government-owned company, used to be in charge of the entire rail network in Japan as well as everything associated with it. The very first thing to know is that railway lines in Japan are not operated by a single company. The railway system in Japan is so well developed, punctual, extensive and diverse that you can simply assume that wherever you plan to go – there is a train that will take you there. With that in mind, we’ve created this complete guide to the train system in Japan to help solve any doubts regarding riding the densha (how you say train in Japanese!). Most Japanese rail lines have a unique name, normally taken from one of the cities or regions along the route, which means that the system is incredibly easy to navigate (the line names are even indicated on the tickets!).Įven so, figuring out how to manage the Japanese transportation system might be somewhat of a challenge for some. Due to the country’s extensive use of its rail system, 46 of the top 50 busiest stations in the world are located in Japan. There is 30,625 km of rail lines all over Japan and they carry more than 9 billion passengers per year. In Japan, railroads are the primary mode of passenger transportation, and they have been ever since the first passenger steam locomotives debuted in Japan during the Meiji Restoration in 1872. If you are planning a trip with the Japan Rail Pass, better be prepared! You will be riding Japanese trains quite often.

Complete pocket trains map