Sushi, anime, cat-related paraphernalia: there are some things Japan does better than anywhere else in the world. However, many would argue that what they do best of all is trains, boasting the most well-connected, efficient, and futuristic system in the world. Here are a handful of almost unbelievable \u2013 but completely true \u2013 facts about Japan\u2019s rail system.<\/p>\n
Shinjuku Station is the world\u2019s busiest train station<\/strong> 45 of the 51 busiest train stations in the world are located in Japan<\/strong> There\u2019s a train station that opens just twice a year<\/strong> Japan has the longest running upside down train<\/strong> Many cities offer female only carriages on the metro<\/strong> Train fandom is a very, very, very big deal here<\/strong> Every shinkansen (bullet train) is fitted with an automatic brake for earthquakes<\/strong> The country is home to the longest train bridge in the world<\/strong> Japan has a Hello Kitty train station<\/strong> A train went viral for being a few seconds early<\/strong>
\nA never-ending labyrinth of underground tunnels, shopping strips and seas of moving bodies, Shinjuku Station is a place where seasoned locals get lost on the regular. Once you\u2019ve visited, and gotten lost a handful of times, it probably won\u2019t surprise you to learn that this is the busiest train station in the world. Servicing around 3.6 million passengers daily, the station is so hectic that in 2016 the East Japan Railway company unveiled a new app specifically designed to get around this single station.<\/p>\n
\nOnce you\u2019ve seen the madness of Shinjuku, you\u2019ve seen the train network at its most hectic. However, there are plenty of other super busy stations located across the country. Out of the 51 most trafficked stations in the world, Japan is home to 45 of them, proving once again that this is a nation that runs on trains. The top five stations in descending order are Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro, Umeda (in Osaka), and Yokohama.<\/p>\n
\nFrom the busiest stations to the least, Tsushimanomiya Station, on the island of Shikoku, is a small station that opens for business just two days a year. In celebration of the local summer festival at the Tsushima Shrine, it opens on the 4 and 5 of August.<\/p>\n
\nAbout an hour outside of Tokyo, you\u2019ll find Chiba, a beachy prefecture that\u2019s often overlooked by visitors, but is filled with fascinating attractions. It\u2019s also home to the Chiba Urban Monorail System that\u2019s both weirdly retro and futuristic at the same time. The train here hangs from the rails and runs along a 15.2 kilometer (9.4 mile) track, making it the longest suspended rail system in the world. It\u2019s almost impossible to walk under this train without feeling like it\u2019s going to drop on top of you.<\/p>\n
\nWhen you have trains and stations as packed as Japan\u2019s, there\u2019s always going to be an opportunistic few who take advantage of the close quarters to fulfill their undesirable goals. We\u2019re talking about \u201cchikan\u201d or, in English, perverts. As a way to prevent gropers on the packed trains, the metro system implemented women\u2019s only carriages during peak hours (mornings and evenings during workdays).<\/p>\n
\nOtaku is the Japanese word for geeky nerd fandom, and although you might think otaku refers only to anime, Akihabara, and electronics, in reality you can be pretty much an otaku about anything. Enter \u201cdensha otaku\u201d or \u201ctrain nerd.\u201d What\u2019s unique about train nerds is their specialization. According to Sora News, there are currently 36 different types of densha otaku, from \u201cori-tetsu,\u201d someone who likes to walk around the station, to \u201cekiben-tetsu,\u201d someone who really loves the lunchboxes sold on the train.<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s no secret that Japan is one of the most earthquake prone nations in the world. But did you know that, thanks to ingenious design and Japan\u2019s meticulous eye for detail, it\u2019s also one of the most earthquake safe places? Houses are built on special movable bases, while the rail network has been fitted with a special safety mechanism. As shinkansens shoot across the country at eye watering speeds, the main system that connects them all can freeze every single one of them in their tracks at the first sign of an earthquake.<\/p>\n
\nKnown as the Seto Ohashi Bridge, this structure is a string of connected bridges that connect Okayama Prefecture on Honshu to Kagawa Prefecture on Shikoku Island. Stretching 9,368 meters (5.8 miles) long, the bridge is mainly used for cars, but also has space for a shinkansen track.<\/p>\n
\nThe recent news of a new Hello Kitty shinkansen made waves across Japan, but let\u2019s not forget that Tokyo has been home to a Hello Kitty train station for a while now. Located in Tama-Center Station, toward the southeast section of Tokyo, you\u2019ll find a fully decked out Hello Kitty train wonderland, complete with Hello Kitty warning decals on the platforms and a very impressive stained-glass ceiling display right in the heart of the station.<\/p>\n
\nJapan has a reputation for being an efficient nation, and the train system is one of the ways in which this reputation was made. Late last year, one particular train story went viral because one specific train departed 20 seconds early. The guilty party was the Tsukuba Express, which travels between Tokyo and the city of Tsukuba. It left the platform at 9:44:20 instead of 9:44:40 as scheduled. To remedy this blasphemous situation, the company released a statement apologizing for the issue, citing that the driver failed to read the schedule properly and promised it wouldn\u2019t happen again. As expected, social media users had a field day.<\/p>\n