Japan Railways

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.

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).

Content of this article provided by Japan Guide.