I was in Japan and I had to transfer from an express train to a local train. My app said I had 1 minute to make the transfer. The app also said I arrived at track 2, but the new train leaves from track 4. I was like, how can I make the transfer in one minute? Normally I have to get off the train, leave track level, go to the new track and go back up to track level. To my surprise, when I arrived, they parked a waiting train on track 3 with all the doors open, creating a "train bridge" between tracks 2 and 4. Suffice it to say, I made my transfer.

よくここまで調べあげたな… 日本人でもここまで分かりやすくまとめてくれる人はいないし、本当にこの投稿者さん凄いわ

Man I can't express how helpful the Yamanote Line has been for me to get around the city and meet friends and relatives, truly one of the most useful lines in the world.

The largest and the greatest Rail system in the world. No other country moves as many people as efficiently while maintaining spotlessly clean stations and trains and a near perfect on time performance. Last week at the Japan Fest in Canada, my friends at the JR Central booth were impressed by how many Canadians reacted in amazement to the speed and on time performance of the Shinkansen alone - in Japan, such things are considered normal. Thanks for posting this Reece.

I live in NYC, and I’ve visited Tokyo a few times. Anytime NYC [MTA] says they can’t do something I always say, they do it in Tokyo… no excuse. Tokyo, rail is one of the most efficient transportation systems I've ever experienced, and for the most part very punctual.

私は日本人ですが、この動画は非常に良く作られています。これだけの情報を22分間でまとめるのは、日本人が日本語で説明するよりも難しいでしょう。それを英語で…まず、この量の情報を英語のサイトから見つけられるかどうかが疑わしいです。そして、仮にこの動画に出てくる全ての情報を見つけられたとしても、その過程にはかなりの無駄な情報が含まれることでしょう。日本人から見ても、各会社、各路線の最も必要な知識に絞って説明されています。一体どのようにして調べ上げたのか。素晴らしいの一言です。

7:39 "less frequent headways of 5-or-so minutes" bloody hell, that's so impressive.

Japan has THE BEST railway system in the world. Always on time, super clean, high tech, stations with a lot of amenities and more!

This is honestly the video summarising all rail transit in Tokyo I've been waiting for. People so often overlook the private operators or smaller people movers/monorails that are essential in really understanding how the network operates. Great video!

As a Tokyo resident, I don’t look at the Yamanote line as a subway, but if you think about it, it’s completely a subway/rapid transit in North American standards.

A major reason why we got the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line was to essentially solve the issue of woefully overcrowded trains going from Saitama Prefecture to central Tokyo (by connecting to Tobu and Seibu lines) and between Tokyo and Yokohama. The south end of the Fukutoshin Line become the Tokyu Toyoko Line in Shibuya, creating a very convenient way to connect to central Yokohama itself. By the way, you forgot to mention another regional rail company in your video: the Sagami Railway, better known at Sotetsu. Originally designed to serve communities west of Yokohama, in the last few years Sotetsu now runs a through train service on JR East Lines so Sotetsu trains can run to Shinjuku; they also plan to open in 2023 a link to the Tokyu rail network so Sotetsu trains can access other parts of central Tokyo.

Japan is literally the ultimate railfan and transit lover’s destination. Japan is literally in the top 3 places I wanna visit, along with Germany and the Netherlands, not just because I’m a railfan and transit lover, but I also think Japanese culture is one of the most fascinating cultures in the world with an unbelievable amount of history. I mean Tokyo’s rail system literally looks so confusing but it’s actually one of the most straightforward rail systems in the world. I mean the Japanese rail system literally gives all of the rail systems in the world a run for their money. It’s a system so complex yet so simple that I just have to experience

Contrast Japan's love of trains to USA. The American government allowed the car lobby to intervene in preventing the expansion of rail networks and dismiss HSR as an expensive solution. "Drive everywhere!" Americans say. What ended up happening? Japan still overtook America in car exports, Toyota is the no. 1 auto company in the world, displacing GM and Ford -- AND Japan enjoys a far more advanced and effective public train and HSR system than the US!

The Yamanote line is served by a fleet of 50 sets of 11-car trains and by using a very new ATC dynamic signaling and speed control system, the interval between trains during peak hours may be reduced to a whopping 45s per train for some stations. Not all the trains go in loops and some trains terminate at Osaki Station as the "origin point" of the line.

This video was truly brilliant. The fact that you successfully managed to explain the entire massive railway network for the Tokyo Metropolitan Area (and with notable connections to connected metro areas that form the giant megalopolis around Tokyo) is a masterful example of deciding what inf ormation is most important and which is not necessary to explain. The Tokyo railway through-running system is an idea that needs to be implemented where possible in cities throughout the world. In a climate-friendly future where rail construction becomes massively accelerated around the world, I truly hope that metropolitan areas outside of Japan consider creating a similar system, albeit at smaller scale. It is videos like this that are the reason I watch nearly every video you release. Keep up the fantastic work of showing the world what make certain rail systems unique and what we should emulate elsewhere.

Absolutely love the Tokyo metro system. Moving to LA has shown me how spoilt I was in London, but there are so many things that Tokyo does better. My fav thing is that lines arnt usually defined as “westbound” or “northbound” services. They are usually defined by the points of interest they pass through. Makes it so much easier as a tourist

The fact that LA could have gone done a similar route to Tokyo transit wise just breaks my heart

Thank you for mentioning that every Tokyo Metro station has its own jingle. Despite not being from Tokyo or even Japan, I fell in love with those jingles, as they represent the identity of a station or even an entire line. Ginza Line uses more calming jingles, Marunouchi and Fukutoshin lines habe more agitating jingles, Hanzomon and Namboku lines are extremely calming, Chiyoda and Hibiya lines provide a decent mix of everything. Heck, the Tozai line jingles actually form a continuos song for each direction!

Riding in the front of the train car across the rainbow bridge to odaiba was one of the highlights of my trip to Japan.

Finally! Toyoko Keio and Odakyu rider here

As a Japanese, I feel so patriotic when people talk about Tokyo's rail network lol. Hope Japanese government allows foreign tourists soon... Also hit me up if you need some Japanese translation or guide I'd be happy to help you.

Just simply jawdropping, there really isn't any other transit network that's equal to Tokyo's. There are countless networks which are great in their own right, but Tokyo is clearly the best.

Tokyo's railway system is just insane!! It's like a giant maze on its own! I like how their monorail trains are large and able to carry so many people, compared to the small claustrophobic Sentosa "Express" monorail line we have here in Singapore. There's definitely a lot of things Tokyo's rail network can teach others about rail transport. Thank you for the great work putting this video together!

Great to see a remastered Tokyo video! The original was one of my favourites on the channel already, so this is a real treat. I really appreciate these videos as massive systems like Tokyo's are extremely intimidating to try to comprehend. You're by far the best channel on youtube for breaking down systems that are interesting but very hard to understand what exactly is going, especially for those who've never been there. Keep up the fantastic work. I'd be super interested to see more videos on urban heavy rail networks, rather than just metros, like an explained video on Paris' RER and Transilien networks, a video showing how NYC's various commuter rail networks operate, or a video on the private suburban railways of London that compliment the TfL services that you've covered in great detail on this channel.

I am amazed with your work gathering all these information and putting them into 20 mins of presentation which is very easy to understand. I would just share your video if there will be a chance to talk about tokyo's railway network to someone

Absolutely loved traveling Tokyo, Hiroshima, Osaka and Kyoto by train. Everything was so efficient and google maps would even tell you which stairwell exit to take to get to your above ground destination as many underground stations would have many many underground networks of exits and entrances to my many station platforms

東京は山手線の内側に首都機能が存在し、山手線の中の大きな駅らから放射状に伸びる電車で住宅街と通じています。そのため朝は住宅街から都心へと向かう電車が、夕方は都心から住宅街へと帰る電車が、非常に混雑し不便さを我々日本人は感じています。しかしこの動画のおかげで都内に張り巡らされた鉄道ネットワークのありがたさを再認識することができました。東京に住む私が見ても非常に良くできた動画だと思います。

The tokyo rail system is so good I wish they could export it, maybe in the form of design/planning consultancies or something. I usually take a long layover in Tokyo when I fly home to my motherland, and the transport experience from HND/NRT to the city or tourist attractions, to lodging, and back to the airport is so seamless. And it works so well for the local population and intranational travelers too. I show a video of my narita express train passing up the cars on the parallel expressway and my fellow americans are amazed by this.

You said the Joban line was crowded. One Sunday morning I boarded a Joban Line train that was crowded. At subsequent stops it became even more crowded, to the point where I'd never experienced that degree of crowding. I alighted earlier than planned to change to another line. My favourite line was the parallel Tsukuba Express. It has accelleration you can feel and a cruising speed of 130 km/hr, which is unusually fast within an urban area.

I remember panicking, then being super amazed and relieved when I found out that I didn't have to leave my train at all when it ran all the way from Kamakura in the lower Yokohama area to Shibuya, all on the JR Shonan Shinjuku line. Now that is what a truly efficient and convenient rail service looks alike.

My heart is completely broken!! How couldn't you mention the greatest monorail line in the whole world, the Shonan Monorail?!! On a more serious note, great video! It wasn't an easy task to summarize Tokyo's public transport system in one, short-ish video, but you managed to do just that, nice one! (I mean, besides one big mistake mentioned above. I knoooow it's not Tokyo, but neither is Chiba Monorail, so I'm still right!)

I'm new to this channel but wow, I don't know if you've been to Japan before but you speak as if you've been living in this city for decades. I've lived in Tokyo for majority of my life but I still don't know where most of the lines go. Props to your research and dedication

I have spent a little bit of time exploring the long-gone era of Interurbans, particularly in North America. Here in my home city of Chicago, there were a few interurban railways that ran onto the 'L' tracks and used the Loop to turn around before heading out into the far-flung suburbs. A couple of famous examples were the North Shore Line and the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin (CA&E) Railroad. In fact, one of the most iconic interurban trains, the Electroliner, actually inspired some of the designs for various limited express trains in Japan like the Romancecar! I would imagine that some of Tokyo's network was inspired by the golden age of railway travel here in the United States and Canada. Though some of the concepts appear to be brought over from that era, the way that Tokyo (and a few other major Japanese cities) capitalised and innovated on them not only sets a leading example for passenger rail transport around the globe, but it also shines a light on what those long-forgotten yet well-connected rail networks across North America could have been. Of course, we eventually decided to completely throw all of that progress in the trash for the modern Interstate network along with more car-centric communities. Said communities have gradually become less effective in today's society. On the other hand, cities like Tokyo have time and time again proven the sheer amount of possibilities that any city (even North American ones) can run with when they have the money and political power to invest heavily in public transit.

How I miss living in Japan... I never even thought about trains before I moved there!

Idk which effort I appreciate more. Japan's awesome rapid infrastracture? Your great work that explains it all in just over 20mins? Both are incredible efforts.

I live in Yokohama, lived in Tokyo, Kawasaki, Saitama, Chiba, and worked in Tokyo, which means I use most of the railways in this video in my ordinary life for years. BUT this video blew my mind to realize how complicated the railway network was in Tokyo. I havent thought about that this far until now. Thank you for your great work!

Back when I lived in Toda, Saitama, I came to realize the awesomeness of the Saikyo line since it has through service in the north to the Kawagoe line, and to both the Rinkai Line and Sotetsu Line in the south. The Sotetsu line through service to Ebina is especially cool, since for a part the Saikyo Line uses the Yamanote freight line :D

super detailed video, thanks for making this!

When I visited Japan in early 2020 the train network was one of the biggest things I wish I could have brought home with me, though the different lines and operators threw me off pretty good - I was lucky to have someone who knew what they were doing along. This video really does a great job of breaking down the way it all comes together. Excellent work. (The other thing I wanted to bring home was the variety of cool stuff in vending machines - getting a hot coffee at the side of the street was so handy for my jetlagged butt, for example...)

Thank you for your detailed description, but I'm kind of surprised that you didn't mention any of Joetsu, Nagano, and Hokuriku Shinkansen.

Excellent work, sir.

Your video intrigued me a lot. And many JR lines. Thank you.

Its an excellent system, its clean, its safe, and its CHEAP! We all should learn. I had fun riding the Tokyo Metro and other rail lines during my stay in Shinjuku.

Great work on this one!

i love these videos and how elegantly you summarise the transport system of a whole city! it would be really cool if you would try to do a video about oslo, considering how it's relatively overcapable for the size of the city, and how i can't seem to find a video covering it

This was very thorough!!

yes! This is what I have been waiting for

Japanese engineering is just at another level

This video was the best explanation about Tokyo Railway system in English that I've ever seen. That reminds me when I lived in Tokyo(immigrated to Canada as a University student)JR has not only urban network but countryside network. Some railway lines are separated among JR companies(ex. Tokaido Line is separated into JR East, JR Central, and JR West). And bullet train system might be interesting as well. I want you to make a video about it if possible since the video quality was excellent.

Amazing video! This is probably the most comprehensive video of the Tokyo rail network

I understand you weren't going to talk but Yokohama but one more thing. You forgot to mention the JR Yokohama line which runs south of and shares characteristics with the Nanbu line in that they connects the suburbs together to then transfer on trains heading towards city centre. In fact Yokohama line is one of the most profitable lines on JR East. Great informative video as always, impressed with the knowledge coming from a Tokyo person.

Most helpful in planning a forthcoming visit from Australia! Very well done, as usual!!!!!

Great video, covered all the main lines and interconnections in just 22 minutes. Brilliant work!!

You are fully entitled to be truly proud of this, because it's brilliant!

Brilliant summary of all of the train lines! got into quite a lot of trouble after a night of drinks when riding shared lines that run through multiple operators. I would ride one in the city center, pass out and wake up in the countryside, often not tokyo anymore since the distance they cover is massive haha! fun fact, a single yamanote loop is roughly one hour (59-61 minutes). if you have time to burn you can just ride one, sit down and chill for hours going round and round.

Tokyo's railways and services are amazing.

Oh my god This video is so information dense. My brain is still not able to process everything it just saw and heard. I think I will have to watch it atleast 3 more times to try and scratch the surface of this mammoth system.

Appreciate all the hard work you putting into these videos, scrolling through Wikipedia is one thing but watching these gives you a different level of understanding!

Wow, now that was an impressive video! Going into it, I thought there was no way to sum up Tokyo's rail transit in an easy-to-understand manner, and yet you've done it! Many thanks for the informative tour. P.S.: That Keisei Skyliner is one gorgeous-looking train!

This is the one I've been waiting for 👌🏼

It is an insane transit network. And I just love how easy it is to use for the public. You IC cards just work, even on the crazy interlining that is possible like on the Fukutoshin line. Just tap and go.

Incredible overview to make this superbly complicated network of rail in Tokyo into a very easy to understand tutorial! I love how the lines were all highlighted with different coloring, making them easy to differentiate. And thanks for the bonus inclusion of the Chiba monorail :)

You're right, that's magnificent. With a lot of information well presented. Question: What program(s) did you use to create the animated maps?

Truly amazing

Great Video by the way. The amount of lines you talked about and the overall analysis was just exceptional for a twenty minute video. So many interesting lines in Tokyo. Will you be tackling other cities in Japan? Osaka (Greater Kansai) and Nagoya are also just as impressive.

Ｖery impressive how you have captured every train systems in the greater Tokyo area - well done!

東京の鉄道網を説明したビデオの中で、今まで見た中でいちばん詳細でわかりやすかったです。

I don't doubt this took a lot of research! The Tokyo area has such a massively complex system of railways. It's always overwhelmed me trying to make heads or tails of it. I'm impressed! I wonder what kind of expansion projects are in the works. I"ll bet that'd be a big video, too. Thanks for doing this!

東京に遊びに来てくれて、複雑な鉄道網について丁寧な紹介までありがとう！日本へ来る皆様。良い旅を😊👍

great explanation about tokyo rail system

By far my fav city and one of my favorite transit systems in the world

This is very much helpful to comprehensively understand the rail network in Japan! Very amazing work. You should also research about the extension and new lines planned or under construction in Tokyo, such as subway from Shinagawa station.

Tsukuba Express deserves its own video not because of its speed but because of the planned developments it spurred.

I can't believe you didn't mention the Sotetsu line and the JR Yokohama line. These lines carry more passengers than the Nambu line

This is a great video that summarizes the essentials of trains around Tokyo. Next, I would like you to make a video of a local railway that is the opposite of such a railway.

16:50 Also at this station, there used to be a very large grade crossing that got removed in 2011 when the majority of the airport line was grade-separated.

Thank you for covering my city TOKYO! I'm proud of this city's railway systems

Thank you for sharing this video. When I lived in Tokyo, I used to ride the Keikyu line from the Shinagawa station to the Shioiri Station in Yokosuka, or I'll ride the JR line from Shinjuku station to Yokosuka-chuo station just to get to my job at the Fleet Activity in Yokosuka, Japan. And there trains are always on time and dependable. And I miss living in Japan..

When I attended Nippon2007 - the Japan Worldcon - in 2007, in my bookbag I had a folder with a printout of the entire Tokyo Metro/Toei Subway map, along with a pamphlet for the local JR East rail lines. That was enough for me to get around anywhere in Tokyo, which I commuted to and from Yokohama Station - after getting there on the Miramoto Line - every day the week before the convention. And yes, when I came back to Toronto, I wept at the thought of having to return to what we call a rapid transit system.

Superb effort.

I have lived in Tokyo now for 12 years and know these routes well, but the amount of technical detail in this video is much appreciated . The amount of organization and transiting options in Tokyo is really as amazing. I would very much miss it if I ever moved away.

Another amazing explanation of greatest urban network, hope you'll create more content about Tokyo railway system, especially some future project. In the 2023 for example the Sotetsu line will be incorporated to integrated system with Tokyu, Tokyo Metro, Toei Subway and Tobu, connecting Shibuya/Shinjuku to Shin-Yokohama station, probably is one of the most important railway project in Kanto.

Beautiful city, wonderful transit system hopefully one day I can visit.

I live 5 minutes walk away from a station on the Yamanote line and it's amazing. Thanks for the video.

Great video. I've been living around Tokyo for more than two decades. The train system here is a amazing. Just for completeness sake, shout out to the Saitama New Urban Transit New Shuttle Ina Line. It is a people mover that goes from Omiya to Uchiyuku and stops at Tetsudō-Hakubutsukan Station, home of the "The Railway Museum."

Stanley is an awesome HK vlogger! Great video.

Oh my god, this video is thorough. You did great job. I understand this because I was born and grew up in metropolitan Tokyo but I'm sure that foreigner can't understand this. The greatest thing is that if you get a Suica or Pasmo card, you can go through all station's ticket gates without interrupted.

In fact, there is no Japanese who perfectly knows the huge train networks….

You pronounce the Japanese names so well!! I loved the JR East trains when I visited. The Subway was amazing as was the Shinkansen. Never rode so many different trains in as many weeks, quite an incredible network!

This video is an excellent, easy-to-understand and fairly accurate description of Tokyo's rail network. All of you who are interested should visit Tokyo and experience it for yourself. Let's fly! from Chiba/Suburbs of Tokyo mentioned in the video

東京の鉄道を紹介してくださりありがとうございます！６ドアは懐かしい

Very nice comprehensive video. I lived and worked in Tokyo for almost 20 years. I get frustrated using the rail networks of other cities, with possible exception of Hong Kong MTR. Recently I went from a northwest Tokyo suburb all the way to a Yokohama subway station without changing trains at all. Awesome!

Wow, that’s some great train footage! 😉

May I give some interesting tips about railroads in Tokyo as Japanese. 1.X-crossing in Kotake-mukaihara(小竹向原)Sta. 11:23 At this station, three lines make a great junction that looks character-X. Wakoshi---(F,Y)- ------------------------(Y)------Ikebukuro------Shimkiba X Kokate-Mukaihara Nerima-----(SI)- ----------------------(F)-------Ikebukuro-------Shibuya----- The situation is complicated. At first, Yurakucho(Y) line and Fukutoshin line(F) share same pair of ways between Wakoshi and Kotake-Mukaihara but they start run in separate ways from Kotake-Mukaihara. BUT they are on the same route because the way of Yurakutyo line is under the Fukutoshin line. -------surface------ ______ |F F | ----------- |Y Y | ------------ And then, Seibu Ikebukuro line(SI) begins at the station. Thanks for through service, a train come from both F,Y and SI line can go to both F and Y line. Opposide is in the same situation. This means there are 8 types of ways in which trains run. 2.Joban local line 5:24 goes to Chiyoda line 11:20 Joban line(local service) doesn't parallel Yamanote line. It says good-bye to Joban line (rapid service) in Kita-Senju and it is connected to Chiyoda line heading to Hara-juku and Yoyogi. This through service has a sorry story. Some decades ago, to cope with the ultmate traffic of Joban line, JR built Local-service-Joban-line(常磐緩行線) and this through service. JR thought that some passengers would start using Local-service because they can reach metropolitan areas without changing trains. Since Local-service costs much more time to reach urban stations, it wasn't used as well as JR thought. Furthermore JR relied so badly on Local-service that JR reduced the trains of Rapid-service. This caused much more heavy traffic. 3. Changing Namboku line 10:38 and Mita line 12:33 They share a pair of ways between Shirokane-Takanawa and Meguro(白金高輪〜目黒). Then they are connected to Tokyu-Meguro line. This set of three lines are making a huge change. First, all trains used to be 6-cars but each company inserted 2 cars to be 8-cars. Second, Tokyu is building new railway to Shin-yokohama Sta and Sotetsu line. This new line is to make a long-run service which connects Saitama pref. and Knagawa pref. Thank you for the amazing video. Thank you for reading a lot. As a Japanese commuter, I am not sure about lines that i often don't use. And ...I haven't classified JR lines into some groups. I think this is a great way to grasp the super complicated system of railroads in Tokyo.

Finally Tokyo! Thank you😊

Masterpiece 🇨🇦

A neat trick I learned about the Yamanote Line, is because the way the fares work with it costing more the further you go, you can buy a ticket for the next station up the line (which is maybe 100 yen, or about $1), then get on a train going the other direction and you can do the entire loop for $1. Just be sure to not get off at the station you got on at.

My favorite thing to do after a night out is to pass out and sleep while riding on the Yamanote line, circling Tokyo over and over for hours.

Reese, I really like the graphics you did for this video!

I completely agree! Even there are so many lines to choose from, the Yamanote Line is by far the best line in all of Tokyo.