Interesting Facts!! #43

43. Trains

Transportation is used to move goods and travel. Machines like cars, airplanes and trains are used to make transportation happen. In major cities and rural areas trains are a source of transportation to get from one place to another if you don't have a car. Trains are a very convenient way for visitors and locals to travel around Japan. An extensive and reliable network of railways are covered through out Japan's four major cities Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku.

Japan has an extensive and efficient train network; however, without an intimate knowledge of the system, its complexity can make it difficult to figure out an efficient route. Most railway, bus and ferry companies publish their timetables which gives dates, times and regions trains,buses and ferries will arrive and depart from certain stations across Japan. Railroad timetables also indicates the companies that operate the trains,buses and ferries, the destinations, routing and transfers available. This is convenient for planing trips. Even though most companies post their timetables online there are very few that offer good English language resources. Luckily there are several excellent English language resources available to help travelers navigate the railway system in Japan. Route finders allow you to find transportation routes between any two train stations in Japan. The two services that are mostly recommend are Hyperdia and Jorudan.

The Japan Railways (JR) own and operate about 70 percent of Japan's railway network, the remaining 30 percent belongs to dozens of other privately owned railway companies, especially in and around metropolitan areas.

The successor of the national Japanese National Railways (JNR) is Japan Railways (JR Group), in 1987 it was privatized because of huge debts and mismanagement. The JR Group is made up of six regional passenger railway companies, which are JR Hokkaido, JR East, JR Central, JR West, JR Shikoku, and JR Kyushu, and one nationwide freight (transporting of goods) railway company, JR Freight. Together they operate a nationwide network of urban, regional and inter-regional train lines, night trains and shinkansen (bullet trains).Dozens of private railway companies exist in Japan. The smaller ones consist of just one line, while others operate quite extensive railway networks.

Most lines are served by multiple train categories, ranging from the fastest category that stops only at major stations to the slowest category that stops at every station along the way:

	Local　－　普通 (kakueki-teisha or futsu-densha) Local trains stop at every station.
	Rapid　－　快速 (kaisoku) Rapid trains skip some stations. There is no difference in the ticket price between local and rapid trains.
	Express　－　急行 (kyuko) Express trains stop at even fewer stations than rapid trains. Japan Railways (JR) charges an express fee in addition to the base fare.
	Limited Express　－　特急(tokkyu) Limited express trains stop only at major stations. A limited express fee usually has to be paid in addition to the base fare. It is typically between 500 and 4000 yen. JR railway companies always charge this fee, but some other private railway companies do not.
	Super Express　－　新幹線 (shinkansen) Shinkansen are only operated by JR. Shinkansen run along separate tracks and platforms. A limited express fee has to be paid in addition to the base fare. It is typically between 800 and 8000 yen.

Shinkansen (新幹線) are one of the widely known trains in the world also known as the "bullet train" and are operated by Japan Railways (JR). This network of high speed train lines connect Tokyo with most of the country's major cities. Running at speeds of up to 320 km/h (200 mph), the shinkansen is known for punctuality (most trains depart on time to the second and only partially late by probably 10 seconds), comfort (relatively silent cars with spacious, always forward facing seats), safety (no fatal accidents in its history) and efficiency.

The shinkansen network consists of multiple lines, among which the Tokaido Shinkansen (Tokyo - Nagoya -Kyoto - Osaka) is the oldest and most popular. All shinkansen lines (except the Akita and Yamagata Shinkansen) run on tracks that are exclusively built for and used by shinkansen trains. Thanks to the Japan Rail Pass, the shinkansen can also be a very cost effective means of travel.

Japanese train lines also consist of night trains (trains that run at night). Due to competition by cheaper overnight buses and low domestic airfares, the number of night trains in Japan has decreased dramatically in recent years. Most Japanese night trains are equipped with berths (bunk bed) in shared and private compartments. All night trains are equipped with toilets and sinks, and the better ones have also public phones, showers, a restaurant and a lounge or lobby car. Some trains also carry a few seats.

There are different classes for passengers on night trains. Some night trains offer a "Special A Class" with rather luxurious suites. Shared compartment "B class" berths cost around 6,000 yen per person, while "A class" berths cost around 10,000 yen per person. For private compartments "B class" rooms cost around 6,000 to 9,000 yen per person and "A class" rooms around 14,000 yen per person. More luxurious suites cost up to 25,000 yen per person. Night train passengers will also have to pay the base fareand (limited) express fee for the distance traveled. Unlike the base fare and limited express fee, berth surcharges are fixed and do not vary based on the distance traveled. 

As many people know to get to ride a train you need to get a ticket, card or passes. Note, that other railway companies use different rules and fares.

Ticket Vending Machine

Online Tickets

Ticket Counter

In order to purchase a ticket, you need to provide the following information:

• Number of travelers
• Date of travel
• Departure Station
• Destination Station
• Ordinary or green car
• Preference of reserved or non-reserved seat

Shinkansen Supplement Ticket

Base Fare Ticket

There are regular train tickets, they simply get you from A to B. 

IC Cards

IC Cards are prepaid rechargeable stored value cards that can be used to pay the fare for trains and buses. There are ten major IC cards, including Suica and Icoca, that are interchangeably usable in most major cities in Japan. Furthermore, there are several minor IC cards whose usability is limited to local areas.

Rail passes entitle their holders to unlimited usage of trains in a designated area. There is a variety of nationwide and regional rail passes available in Japan. The best of them all is the Japan Rail Pass. City passes are passes for unlimited city travel on subways, trams, trains and buses on one calendar day and similar tickets are offered in many cities across Japan. Tour packages combine transportation and accommodation at big discounts to individual or group travelers. They are offered by travel agencies inside and outside of Japan, including the railway companies themselves. Discount ticket shops purchase large amounts of discounted tickets and re-sell them to individual shoppers at prices which are typically around five percent below the cost of regular tickets. Discount ticket shops can be found around major railway stations in large cities. Japan has so many more trains to explore! Personally I wanna ride a bullet train. -The more you know~