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Japan's four major islands, Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku are covered by an extensive and reliable network of railways. Trains are a very convenient means to explore Japan for foreign visitors, not at last thanks to the Japan Rail Pass.
About 70 percent of Japan's railway network are owned and operated by the Japan Railways (JR), while the remaining 30 percent belong to several dozens of private railway companies, especially in and around metropolitan areas.
Read more on Japanese train tickets, timetables and on how to ride trains.
Japan Railways (JR)
Japan Railways (JR Group) is the successor of the national JNR (Japanese National Railways), which was privatized in 1987 due to huge debts.
The JR Group is made up of six regional passenger railway companies (JR Hokkaido, JR East, JR Central, JR West, JR Shikoku, and JR Kyushu) and one nationwide freight railway company (JR Freight). Together they operate a nationwide network of urban, regional and interregional train lines, night trains and bullet trains (shinkansen).
The operation areas of the regional JR companies and shinkansen lines
Private Railway Companies
Several dozens of private railway companies exist in Japan. The smaller ones consist of just one line, while others operate quite extensive railway networks. Some of the major private railway companies are listed below:
Kanto:
Chubu:
Kinki:
Kyushu:
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