Japan has an extensive rail network, which covers almost every major city. Japanese trains are comfortable, clean, safe and punctual, which is a good way to travel around this country. Most Japanese trains are operated by the Japan Railways Group (JR Group). Foreign travelers can use JR Pass to take most trains of JR Group.
The most popular rail route in Japan is shinkansen, which refers to high-speed railways. There are nine shinkansen routes, which are operated by different reginal companies of JR Group. In addition to shinkansen, there are regular rail routes on the classic network. Train types including local, rapid, express and limited express run on the classic rail network.
In Japan, each major city has several railway stations owned by different companies which serve different rail routes. All the train stations are modern, well-equipped and have signs and departure boards in English as well as Japanese.
