Tag - rail

 
 

RAIL

Passengers wait to board a shinkansen at Kyoto Station.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 14, 2023
Nozomi shinkansen to halt nonreserved seats during peak periods
The restriction will apply between Dec. 28 this year and Jan. 4 as well as the Golden Week and Bon holiday periods.
The typical priority seat section on a Japanese train will be well marked in numerous languages.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 8, 2023
The priority seats: Are they fair game on an empty train?
Japan is a society with many unspoken rules. Are you aware of the norms that govern your place of business?
Staff put up posters about the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line at JR Fukui Station on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 31, 2023
Hokuriku Shinkansen to link Kanazawa with Tsuruga from next March
The fastest travel time between Tokyo and Fukui will be two hours and 51 minutes — down 36 minutes from the time required on the current shortest route.
Mount Fuji has seen a large increase in the number of hikers, prompting a local government to devise new ways to control visitor numbers.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2023
Yamanashi governor proposes light rail system for Mount Fuji
The rail system, intended to address over-tourism, would replace the Fuji Subaru highway, which leads to one of the Mount Fuji’s fifth stations.
A women-only passenger train in Tokyo
JAPAN / Explainer
Aug 18, 2023
DJ Soda incident spotlights prevalence of groping in Japan
The groping of the South Korean DJ at a festival spurred online conversations about the issue, with a term translating as "groping country" trending on X.
Shin-Osaka Station is crowded with travelers as services resume on Thursday morning.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 17, 2023
Shinkansen lines resume, but travelers may still face long delays
Central Japan Railway is urging people to refrain from using the train service until stations become less crowded.
Officials of the Meteorological Agency ask people to be vigilant about Typhoon Lan, during a news conference at the agency in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN
Aug 14, 2023
Japan braces for another typhoon as trains and flights canceled
Typhoon Lan is poised to make landfall in central Japan on Tuesday, with the storm set to bring a month’s worth of rain in just a few days.
The city of Kagoshima is hit by wind and torrential rain on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2023
Tropical Storm Khanun lashes southern Japan as second storm nears
As Khanun pounds the south, Tropical Storm Lan may threaten Tokyo just as thousands prepare to travel during a peak holiday season.
Onboard snack carts on shinkansen services between Tokyo and Osaka will end on Oct. 31, Central Japan Railway has said.
BUSINESS
Aug 8, 2023
End of the line for snack carts on Tokyo-Osaka shinkansen
End of popular service comes amid a looming labor shortage and the trend of more people buying food before boarding.
A court illustration shows Kyota Hattori at the Tokyo District Court's Tachikawa branch on Monday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 31, 2023
Tokyo ‘Joker’ train attacker sentenced to 23-year prison term
The Tokyo District Court ruled that Kyota Hattori stabbed a 72-year-old man and intended to murder 12 passengers by lighting a fire.
Passengers escape through the windows of a Keio Line train at Kokuryo Station in Tokyo on Oct. 31, 2021, following a stabbing and arson attack onboard.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 26, 2023
Can Japan prevent crimes from happening on trains?
Trains are often targeted for attacks because they offer the most familiar, everyday setting. Railway companies are now exploring ways to bolster security.
A commuter walks in front of a monitor displaying information on the halted JR Yamanote Line at Tokyo's Yurakucho Station on Monday morning.
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2023
Tokyo's Yamanote Line restarts after services halted due to signal failure
JR East said the hourslong suspension had been due to the failure of a signal system at Osaki Station.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 23, 2023
Stabbing at Osaka train station leaves three injured
A train conductor in his 20s and two other men, one in his 20s and another in his 70s, had been taken to a hospital. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 14, 2023
Man sentenced to 19-year prison term for stabbings and arson on Tokyo train
In delivering the ruling, the presiding judge said that the defendant had made extensive preparations in order to “kill as many people as possible.”
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 11, 2023
New York’s subways have less crime but more violence
New York City subway pickpocketing is down. Senseless assaults are up. That’s not a great trade.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 8, 2023
Drinking off the rails on Niigata’s sake train
The Koshino Shukura is one of Japan’s 44 “Joyful Trains” — on-rail experiences themed around a regional specialty. This particular one is about sake.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2023
Just how green are Japan’s trains?
The nation is famed for its rail network, but despite significant steps to reduce emissions, the sector is still responsible for a substantial amount of carbon dioxide.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?