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We have had this come up a few threads over the years on this that have gotten buried so this will be a pinned topic that I’ll keep a list i this post as folks add new posts with additional material so we can keep it in one place.

 

please suggest more!

 

cheers

 

jeff

 

General & Technical Information Websites

 

All About Japanese Trains — http://www.allaboutjapantrains.com/

Good overall of Japanese rail systems.

 

Wikipedia: Rail Transport in Japan — https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Japan

Good general starting point for wiki research

 

Japanese Rail and Transport Review — http://www.ejrcf.or.jp/jrtr/start.html

great set of pdf publications on the history of Japanese rail and many specific rail technologies 

 

Japanese Railway Society —  http://www.japaneserailwaysociety.com/

Large english-language site with all things related to Japanese railways and quarterly published English magazine, "The Bullet-In".

 

JORSA Japanese Overseas Railway System Association — http://jorsa.or.jp/en/

Some introductory material about Japanese rail and export of Japanese equipment overseas. New bulletins have to be requested to get access to them

 

Technical Regulatory Standards on Japanese Railways — http://www.mlit.go.jp/english/2006/h_railway_bureau/Laws_concerning/14.pdf

Railway Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism

 

Tokyo Rail — http://tekkenweb.sakura.ne.jp/tokyorail/index.html

 

Tokyo Railway Labyrinthhttps://tokyorailwaylabyrinth.blogspot.com/

 

A Profile of Japanese Steam Locomotives — http://steam.fan.coocan.jp/index.html

A good English website all about Steam in Japan - all modern classes and preserved operating steam.

 


 

Railway Books

 

Old Man Thunder: Father of the Bullet Train by Bill Hosokawa

History of the creation of the shinkansen about Sogo the JNS president that was the main force in the shinkansen development. (ISBN-13: 978-0965958004)

 

Early Japanese Railways 1853-1914: Engineering Triumphs That Transformed Meiji-era Japan by Dan Free

Excellent book with lots of the politics and economics of early rail development in japan and nice early photos, very dense book! (ISBN-13: 978-4805312902)

 

Shinkansen: From Bullet Train to Symbol of Modern Japan by Christopher Hood

Christopher Hood’s in-depth look at shinkansen system and Japan from his doctoral dissertation. Hard to find and expensive even as a kindle. (ISBN-13: 978-0415320528)

 

Railway Operators in Japan by Makoto Aoki, Yuichiro Kishi, Masafumi Miki, Shuichi Takashima and Kazushige Terada

(ISBN-13: 978-4330089096)

 

Japan’s Colorful Tramways by Colin Brown

Light Rail Transit Association (ISBN-13: 978-0948106477)

 

Japan by Rail: Includes Rail Route Guide and 30 City Guides by Ramsey Zarifeh & Anna Udagawa

Guide to traveling japan by rails with many maps (ISBN-13: 978-1905864751)

 

Electric Railways of Japan (3 volumes + supplement) by L.W. Demery; Forty; De Groote; Higgins

Volume 1; Tokyo & North Japan (ISBN 13: 9780900433955)

Volume 2: Central Japan (ISBN 13: 9780948106026)

Volume 3: Western Japan (ISBN 13: 9780948106200)

Japan by Rail Supplement (ISBN 13: 9780961153809)

 

Metros & Trams in Japan (3 volumes) by Andrew Phipps & Robert Schwandl

Volume 1 — Tokyo Region (ISBN 13: 9783936573473)

Volume 2 — North & Central Japan (ISBN 13: 9783936573527)

Volume 3 — West &South Japan (ISBN 13: 9783936573541)

 

Sayonara Streetcar by Ralph Forty.

Interurbans Special 70, Interurbans, Glendale California 1978. ISBN 0-916374-33-5 (Out of print)

A review of 26 Japanese tramways, all closed by the time the book was published. Plus a list of the then extant city and rural lines. Good text, maps and photos.

 

Far Wheels - A Railroad Safari by Charles S. Small

Simmons Boardman Publishing, New York 1959. No ISBN

Far Wheels II by Charles S. Small

Railhead Publications, Canton Ohio 1986. ISBN 0-912113-31-6

Both books have chapters on Japanese railways. Mentioned are the JNR, various private lines in Hokkaido and Honshu, Kosaka Copper’s 2’6” gauge line, Kinki Nippon Railway, Toby Railway and the Kiso Forest Railway. Other chapters feature narrow and standard gauge railways from around the more obscure parts of world. Mr Small was not only well-travelled, he was an excellent writer with a dry wit and a turn of phrase to match. Both are out of print, but well worth searching for.

 

Rails To The Rising Sun by Charles S. Small

Golden West Books, San Marino California 1965. No IBSN

This book expands on the topics featured in the previous books, being exclusively about railways in Japan. Like his other books, it’s very well written, informative as well as genuinely funny, and well illlustrated with some excellent photos of the less well-known parts of the Japanese railway scene. Again, it’s out of print but it’s a must read for anyone interested in the late Showa era railways.

 

The Privatisation Of Japanese National Railways by Tatsujiro Ishikawa and Mitsuhide Imashiro

The Athlone Press London 1998. ISBN 0-485-11452-6-hb 

A very comprehensive and interesting study of the issues that lead to the breakup and privatisation of JNR in 1987. By no means a dry economic text, it’s worth reading for its insights and analysis. Also a good chronology and maps.

 

Tramways in Japan by Ernst Lassbacher

Verlag Popischil Wien 1987

English text with English and German captions. Features 27 tramway operators, some of which still run today. Good maps, photos and fleet lists.

 

Steam Locomotives Of Japan by Naotaka Hirota

Kodansha International Tokyo 1972. ISBN 0-87011-185-x

An overview of Japanese steam locos from 1872 onwards. It features Mr Hirota’s excellent photos, folio diagrams, D51 general arrangement drawings, and a complete list of all government railway loco types with wheel arrangements and builders. If you’re interested in Japanese steam this is the book to get.

 

The Lure Of Japanese Railways by Naotaka Hirota

The Japan Times Ltd Tokyo 1969.

Another of Mr Hirota’s books which is mainly pictorial. It features everything from Shinkansen to development lines in Hokkaido. The mostly black & white photos are very atmospheric, many focus on people rather than just the trains. Some of them look like still pictures from a Japanese film noir. This is one of my favourites.

 

Japanese National Railways: Its Break-up and Privatization by Yoshiyuki Kasai

Global Oriental 2003. 

ISBN 1-901903-45-1

Language: English. Brand new Book. This is a rare look into the politics and economics of the largest and arguably most dramatic privatization undertaken in Japan. Yoshiuki Kasai, President of JR Central, guides readers through first-hand accounts of the history of JNR's break-up, the political and internal obstacles faced in the reform process, and the major lessons drawn through his experiences.

 

Delayed Departures, Overdue Arrivals: Industrial Familiarism and the Japanese National Railways by Paul Noguchi

University of Hawaii Press 1990

ISBN 0824812883


High Speed in Japan: Shinkansen - The World's Busiest High-Speed Railway by Peter Semmens
Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing, 2000

ISBN 10: 1902336143 / ISBN 13: 9781902336145

Fascinating and detailed history of the development, engineering and operation of the Shinkansen, the high-speed "bullet trains" that are the pride of the Japanese railroad industry. Discusses the history and structure of Japan's railways, the first high-speed projects, the birth of the Tokaido Shinkansen, the Sanyo Extension, the growth of the network, privatization, the Seikan Tunnel and Seto-Ohashi bridge, on-board services, experiments with Maglev, and a consideration of the Shinkansen's significance. Illustrated throughout with photos (black/white and color) as well as numerous charts and diagrams. With chronology. 108 pages with index.


Tokyo in Transit: Japanese Culture on the Rails and Roads by Alisa Freedman
Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2011

ISBN 10: 0804771456  ISBN 13: 9780804771450

Increased use of mass transportation in the early twentieth century enabled men and women of different social classes to interact in ways they had not before. Using a cultural studies approach that combines historical research and literary analysis, author Alisa Freedman investigates fictional, journalistic, and popular culture depictions of how mass transportation changed prewar Tokyo's social fabric and artistic movements, giving rise to gender roles that have come to characterize modern Japan. 


Railways in Greater Tokyo = Les Chemins de fer du "Grand Tokyo"; titre de dos: Chemins de fer Tokyo = Bahnen im by Frank Stenvall, ed.

Published by Frank Stenvalls Forlag (1982)

ISBN 10: 9172660562 ISBN 13: 9789172660564

Beautiful crisp color photos of all the subway lines in and around Tokyo. Taken by famed Japanese railroad photographer Naotaka Hirota, the photos bring the subways to life. Captions are in French, English, and German. With maps. 96 pages.

 

Japan - electrics and diesels : Japan - El- und Diesellok = Japan - locomotives electriques et diesel by Frank Stenvall, Jose Banaudo, Dierk Lawrenz

ISBN 10: 9172660554 / ISBN 13: 9789172660557

Published by Frank Stenvalls Forlag, 1982

Crisp full color photos of Japanese electric and diesel locomotives taken by famed railroad photographer Naotake Hirota. Includes list of JNR locomotive allocations as of August, 1979. Captions in English, French and German. 96 pages.


Japan - steam in colour : Vapeur au Japon = Japan - Dampflok in Farbe by Frank Stenvall, ed.

Published by Franks Stenvalls Forlag (1980), Malmo, 1980

ISBN 10: 9172660503 / ISBN 13: 9789172660502

Full color crisp photos of steam railroads in Japan. With maps and list of preserved steam locomotives by prefecture. Captions are in English, French, and German. 112 pages.


Japanese Steam in the 1970s by  Yoshi Hashida

Published by Amberley Publishing, United Kingdom, 2022

ISBN 10: 1398103705 / ISBN 13: 9781398103702

Though the famous bullet train launched in 1964, many steam engines were still operational in Japan before withdrawal in 1975. These wonders of narrow gauge railway engineering have often gone unappreciated in Western countries - until now.Japan's distinctive four seasons offer the perfect backdrop for the rail photographer, and allowed Yoshi Hashida to capture steam engines working against a variety of gorgeous backdrops and stunning settings, including mountain scenes and coastal views. This book showcases some of his best shots of steam engines hard at work from 1971 to 1975, focused mainly on Western Japan
 

Japan's Railways: Hokkaido to Chubu by Dave Spoonley

Publisher: Key Publishing, 2022

ISBN-13: 9781802824612

At the start of the Menji Era Japan emerged from its hundreds of years of self-imposed isolation and modernized rapidly. Part of this modernization was the construction of railways, the first railway opened between Tokyo and Yokohama in 1872. This was followed by a rapid expansion of the network, both government and privately constructed, so by the early 20th century the bones of a national system were in place. However, by far the largest development of railways in Japan in the second half of the 20th Century has been the development of the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) network.

 

Japan’s Railways: Kinki to Kyushu ; World Railways Series, Vol. 2 by Dave Spoonley

Publisher: Key Publishing, 2023

ISBN-13: 9781802824629

Pages: 96pp

At the start of the Menji Era, Japan emerged from its years of self-imposed isolation and quickly modernised. Part of this modernisation was the construction of the railways – the first of which opened between Tokyo and Yokohama in 1872. The railways were nationalised in the early 1900s and continued to expand, with new line construction continuing through the 1980s. However, the 1980s also brought rising costs and falling revenues, so the state-owned network was split into seven different companies. Each company owns and maintains its section of tracks and operates the trains.

 

A History of Japanese Railways: 1872-1999 by AOKI, Eiichi, Mitsuhide Imashiro, Shinichi Kato, Yasuo Wakuda

Publisher: East Japan Railway Culture Foundation

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-4875130895

Pages: 256
This is an exceedingly well produced account of the chequered but impressive growth of Japanese railways. All four authors are key members of the Railway History Society of Japan. One of their number, Mitsuhido Imashiro, was joint author of The Privatisation of Japanese National Railways, reviewed in March 2000. The book is lavishly illustrated, with ten pages in colour. Included in the main text are thirty-eight 'thumbnail' sketches of the leading personalities (all men) who played a part in the progress of the system. Many maps help the reader to see where the network was densest and to follow the growth of the Shinkansen (high-speed) lines; forty-two appendices include statistical tables and diagrams showing the evolution of technical features of locomotives, wagons and carriages. It is the first complete history of Japanese railways written in English.

Many sections of the book were published as PDFs on the JRTR website https://www.ejrcf.or.jp/jrtr/history/index_history.html

 


 

Other Publications

 

Electric Railroaders Association, January-December 2015 ERA Headlights issue, ERA Tour of Traction In Japan

92 page magazine style book published as 2015 ERA members magazine entitlement.  No maps, list of tram lines on the inside back cover and numerous color photos.

 


 

Japan Railway Websites

 

JR Companies

JR Hokkaido — http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/index.html

JR Tokai — http://english.jr-central.co.jp/index.html

JR Shikoku — http://www.jr-shikoku.co.jp/global/en/

JR East — http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/index.html

JR West — http://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/

JR Kyushu — http://www.jrkyushu.co.jp/english/index.html

 

Private Railway Companies (East Japan) Websites

Tokyu Corporation — http://www.tokyu.co.jp/global/index.html

Tobu Railway Corporation — http://www.tobu.co.jp/foreign/

Keikyu Corporation — http://www.keikyu.co.jp/index.html

Odakyu Electric Railway — http://www.odakyu.jp/english/index.html

Keisei Electric Railway — https://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/index.php

Keio Company —https://www.keio.co.jp/english/

Seibu Railway — https://www.seiburailway.jp/railways/tourist/english/

Tokyo Metro — https://www.tokyometro.jp/en/

Keisei Electric Railway -- http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/index.php

 

Kansai Private Railways

Kintetsu Railway Co. — https://www.kintetsu.co.jp/foreign/english/

Hankyu Railway — http://www.hankyu.co.jp/global/en/

Keihan Electric Railway — https://www.keihan.co.jp/travel/en/

Nankai Electric Railway — https://www.howto-osaka.com/en/top.html

Hanshin Electric Railway — https://www.hanshin.co.jp/global/en/

Meitetsu (Nagoya Railway) — https://www.meitetsu.co.jp/eng/

Enoshima Electric Railway — https://www.enoden.co.jp/en/

Hakone-Tozan Co. —https://www.hakone-tozan.co.jp/en/

Izukyu Railway — http://www.izukyu.jp/foreign_language/en/

Toei Subway (& Toden Arakawa tram) — https://www.kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp/eng/

 

Misc Web Sites

 

Aizu and Tohoku subjects, Showa-era freight cars, and other random things like JGR/JNR administrative structure — https://1960sjnr.neocities.org/index.html

Tokyo Train Photos —  http://funini.com/train/tokyo/index.html.en

Osaka Train Photos —  http://funini.com/train/kansai/index.html.en

Kyushu Train Photos —  http://funini.com/train/kyushu/index.html.en

Shinkansen Train Photos —  http://funini.com/train/shinkansen/index.html.en

Tokyo Railway Labyrinth blog - Introduction to railways in the Tokyo metropolitan area — https://tokyorailwaylabyrinth.blogspot.com

JAPAN | Urban Transport Compilation on Skyscraper City. Much new rolling stock and above grounding projects covered here — https://www.skyscrapercity.com/threads/japan-urban-transport-compilation.828904/page-392

Japan Railways thread on Skyscraper City — https://www.skyscrapercity.com/threads/japan-railways.484031/page-131

 


 

Japanese Buildings and Scenery Books

 

Pet Architecture Guide Book Vol 2 by Atelier Bow-Wow

World Photo Press,Japan (August 31, 2002) IBSN-13: 978-4846523275

“Pet Architecture” features small buildings in Tokyo, many of which adjoin the railway or are nearby. The book has photos as well as dimensioned drawings, so it’s a very useful resource for modelling.

 

Tokyo Houses by Jeremie Souteyrat

Seigensha (January 5, 2017) ISBN-13: 978-4861526060

“Tokyo Houses” is purely pictorial, but has some lovely photos of typical street scenes, full of details and inspiration.

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East Japan Major Private Railways

 

Keisei Electric Railway  https://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/index.php

Keio Company   https://www.keio.co.jp/english/

Seibu Railway https://www.seiburailway.jp/railways/tourist/english/

Tokyo Metro https://www.tokyometro.jp/en/

 

Kansai Major Private Railways

 

Kintetsu Railway Co.  https://www.kintetsu.co.jp/foreign/english/

Hankyu Railway  http://www.hankyu.co.jp/global/en/

Keihan Electric Railway  https://www.keihan.co.jp/travel/en/

Nankai Electric Railway  https://www.howto-osaka.com/en/top.html

Hanshin Electric Railway https://www.hanshin.co.jp/global/en/

 

Meitetsu (Nagoya Railway)    https://www.meitetsu.co.jp/eng/

 

Enoshima Electric Railway  https://www.enoden.co.jp/en/

Hakone-Tozan Co.   https://www.hakone-tozan.co.jp/en/

Izukyu Railway http://www.izukyu.jp/foreign_language/en/

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ben_issacs

Folks,

'Electric Railways of Japan'., 3 A5 booklets, published several years ago by the Light Rail Transit Assoc. in Britain, Authors, Demery, Forty, DeGroote and Higgins.

These cover East  Japan, Central Japan and West Japan.

Dated by now, but useful with their diagrammatic maps of the systems.

Also, 'Japan by Rail' a supplement to the above volumes, by the same authors, 1985, ISBN 0-9611538-0-6

A lot of useful info. about the translation of Japanese characters for various types of trains, etc, details of preserved electric rail vehicles and much more.

This volume was published by 'The Map Factory', Box 3484, Los Angeles, CA 90078-3484 .

May no longer exists.

All the above could be hard to get now-a-days.

Regards, 

Bill, 

Melbourne.

 

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Thanks bill, they are oop but still available thru used book sellers although not cheap. Nice books I have v 1

 

jeff

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Electric Railroaders Association, January-December 2015 ERA Headlights issue, ERA Tour of Traction In Japan.

 

92 page magazine style book published as 2015 ERA members magazine entitlement.  No maps, list of tram lines on the inside back cover and numerous color photos.

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marknewton

Far Wheels - A Railroad Safari by Charles S. Small. Simmons Boardman Publishing, New York 1959. No ISBN.

 

large.40192945-D01F-4EBB-BD2C-235302A660

 

Far Wheels II by Charles S. Small. Railhead Publications, Canton Ohio 1986. ISBN 0-912113-31-6

 

large.E7052617-9FAB-4B52-92AB-889E47A9D0

 

Both books have chapters on Japanese railways. Mentioned are the JNR, various private lines in Hokkaido and Honshu, Kosaka Copper’s 2’6” gauge line, Kinki Nippon Railway, Toby Railway and the Kiso Forest Railway. Other chapters feature narrow and standard gauge railways from around the more obscure parts of world. Mr Small was not only well-travelled, he was an excellent writer with a dry wit and a turn of phrase to match. Both are out of print, but well worth searching for.

 

Rails To The Rising Sun by Charles S. Small. Golden West Books, San Marino California 1965. LoC card No. 66-21340

 

large.68A68368-018D-4DDF-AD44-D913B2F5E7 large.32106D8C-4C9D-4078-A93A-16CE1556E8

 

This book expands on the topics featured in the previous books, being exclusively about railways in Japan. Like his other books, it’s very well written, informative as well as genuinely funny, and well illlustrated with some excellent photos of the less well-known parts of the Japanese railway scene. Again, it’s out of print but it’s a must read for anyone interested in the late Showa era railways.

 

Sayonara Streetcar by Ralph Forty. Interurbans Special 70, Interurbans, Glendale California 1978. ISBN 0-916374-33-5 (Out of print)

 

large.D94FF7B2-B4EB-4812-B0F9-6102E1C488 large.67611CE0-6519-4191-9A8B-3FCFE0BCED

 

A review of 26 Japanese tramways, all closed by the time the book was published. Plus a list of the then extant city and rural lines. Good text, maps and photos.

 

More to follow,

 

Mark.

 

 

 

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marknewton

 

The Privatisation Of Japanese National Railways by Tatsujiro Ishikawa and Mitsuhide Imashiro. The Athlone Press London 1998. ISBN 0-485-11452-6-hb 

 

A very comprehensive and interesting study of the issues that lead to the breakup and privatisation of JNR in 1987. By no means a dry economic text, it’s worth reading for its insights and analysis. Also a good chronology and maps.

 

large.8F9927C8-E5E8-4D2F-A0D9-45DADAB895large.474F8E98-6422-4593-AAE1-9802C35FEA

 

Tramways in Japan by Ernst Lassbacher. Verlag Popischil Wien 1987.

 

English text with English and German captions. Features 27 tramway operators, some of which still run today. Good maps, photos and fleet lists.

 

large.029DEC20-0768-48DD-99DE-2C173D3B92  large.3976CAD2-3237-495C-95F7-16529571E0

 

Steam Locomotives Of Japan, by Naotaka Hirota. Kodansha International Tokyo 1972. ISBN 0-87011-185-x

 

An overview of Japanese steam locos from 1872 onwards. It features Mr Hirota’s excellent photos, folio diagrams, D51 general arrangement drawings, and a complete list of all government railway loco types with wheel arrangements and builders. If you’re interested in Japanese steam this is the book to get.

 

large.6E6CA778-BB72-48DC-86FC-C00C4DFAD7

 

The Lure Of Japanese Railways by Naotaka Hirota. The Japan Times Ltd Tokyo 1969.

 

Another of Mr Hirota’s books which is mainly pictorial. It features everything from Shinkansen to development lines in Hokkaido. The mostly black & white photos are very atmospheric, many focus on people rather than just the trains. Some of them look like still pictures from a Japanese film noir. This is one of my favourites.

 

large.053404BB-9FF7-4D2D-B1B6-4AF0E4BA17 large.281F3479-599D-4474-B380-E41AD0251A

 

More to follow,

 

Mark.

 

 

 

 

Edited by marknewton
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Thanks mark, you have some library. I got a copy of the lure of Japanese rr as I liked your film noir description as well as people in the pictures 

 

jeff

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marknewton

I think you’ll enjoy that book Jeff. There’s some stunning photos in it.

 

As for my library, it’s probably time I got some new bookshelves:

 

large.B5C5A260-A58F-4974-BED8-635CB5AECA large.21FC9B28-6F89-45F5-B5DF-644E642E24

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

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This topic really speaks to my heart :).  Great idea to keep this pinned Jeff.  My two additions:

  • Japanese National Railways: Its Break-up and Privatization by Yoshiyuki Kasai.  Global Oriental 2003.  ISBN 1-901903-45-1
  • Delayed Departures, Overdue Arrivals: Industrial Familiarism and the Japanese National Railways by Paul Noguchi.  University of Hawaii Press 1990.  ISBN 0824812883

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Two books I have that are very interesting and informative, although neither of them are rail publications. “Pet Architecture” features small buildings in Tokyo, many of which adjoin the railway or are nearby. The book has photos as well as dimensioned drawings, so it’s a very useful resource for modelling. “Tokyo Houses” is purely pictorial, but has some lovely photos of typical street scenes, full of details and inspiration.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

 

large.3818F32C-13D9-46B2-9F8F-A1F82C176F 

 

large.C5FF2242-2538-48E6-9E6F-37D9039B0C

 

 

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Oooh both of those look nice especially the pet architecture book! Ouch as it’s oop and not cheap but very tempting! Love the interesting buildings in the Tokyo houses, would be nice to model a few wild ones to pop in here and there!

 

jeff

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A great list.

Here are some books that are not included.
 

Semmens, Peter
High Speed in Japan: Shinkansen - The World's Busiest High-Speed Railway
Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing, 2000

 

Freedman, Alisa
Tokyo in Transit: Japanese Culture on the Rails and Roads
Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2011

 

Stenvall, Frank ed.
Railways in Greater Tokyo = Les Chemins de fer du "Grand Tokyo"; titre de dos: Chemins de fer Tokyo = Bahnen im Grossraum Tokyo.
Malmo: Frank Stenvalls Forlag, 1982

 

Stenvall, Frank ed.
Japan - electrics and diesels : Japan - El- und Diesellok = Japan - locomotives electriques et diesel
Malmo: Frank Stenvalls Forlag, 1982

 

Stenvall, Frank ed.
Japan - steam in colour : Vapeur au Japon = Japan - Dampflok in Farbe
Malmo: Frank Stenvalls Forlag, 1980

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Typo corrected
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The list is lovely, a great resource. I hope to be in Tokyo not long after we are able to travel to Japan again. This will be celebration of the publication of my new book (shameless plug) Tokyo Stroll.

I'll check some major bookshops, railroad modeling, and rail fan shops while there. I'll post if I find anything else.

Here is one title I missed, it is bilingual and includes a region 2 DVD.

新幹線の誕生ー"夢の超特急"0系新幹線
by 鉄道博物館学芸部企画・構成・著作 ; レイル・マガジン編
鉄道博物館, [2010]

Translation:
Birth of the Shinkansen: "Dream Super Express"
by Railway Museum, Faculty of Arts, Planning, Composition, and Writing; Rail Magazine Edition

Railway Museum, [2010]

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I was sitting here reading the new book catalog from MDS Books in the UK and I spied a new book on the history of Japanese Railways.   Unfortunately MDS is no longer shipping outside the UK "due to the massive increase in carriage charges caused by high fuel prices and the additional paperwork and custom charges as a result of Brexit." But it is a small shop.

 

Japan's Railways: Hokkaido to Chubu

 

At the start of the Menji Era Japan emerged from its hundreds of years of self-imposed isolation and modernized rapidly. Part of this modernization was the construction of railways, the first railway opened between Tokyo and Yokohama in 1872. This was followed by a rapid expansion of the network, both government and privately constructed, so by the early 20th century the bones of a national system were in place. However, by far the largest development of railways in Japan in the second half of the 20th Century has been the development of the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) network. Even before the Second World War it was recognized that the Tokaido Line between Tokyo, and the Kansai Region was reaching capacity, and the brave decision was made to construct a brand-new high-speed line on a new alignment. Beautifully illustrated, this book is a product of several visits made by the author to Japan over a 14-year period. During this time, new trains had been introduced, old trains retired; new lines had opened, some lines sadly have closed, and several fine new museums had opened. This book looks at the changing scene of Japan’s railways.

 

 

Key Publishing is the  publisher   https://shop.keypublishing.com/products/japans-railways-volume-1

 

Barnes & Noble is taking pre-orders for December 14, 2022 release.  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/japans-railways-dave-spoonley/1142083540

 

Available in Australia from Booktopia.                    https://www.booktopia.com.au/japan-s-railways-dave-spponley/book/9781802824612.html

 

 

MDS books also lists another Japanese railway book on its website. This book was published 15 July 2022. But again MDS is not shipping outside the UK at this time, so we need alternative sources.

 

But I did find the publishers link for this book.

https://www.amberley-books.com/japanese-steam-in-the-1970s.html

 

And it is on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Steam-1970s-Yoshi-Hashida/dp/1398103705

 

Available from Barnes and Noble too.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/japanese-steam-in-the-1970s-yoshi-hashida/1136739849

 

Japanese Steam in the 1970s

 

Though the famous bullet train launched in 1964, many steam engines were still operational in Japan before withdrawal in 1975. These wonders of narrow gauge railway engineering have often gone unappreciated in Western countries, until now. Japan’s distinctive four seasons offer the perfect backdrop for the rail photographer, and allowed Yoshi Hashida to capture steam engines working against a variety of gorgeous backdrops and stunning settings, including mountain scenes and coastal views. This book showcases some of his best shots of steam engines hard at work from 1971 to 1975, focused mainly on Western Japan.

Edited by bill937ca
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While on Key Publisher's website, I found there is a third book coming.  Japan's Railways volume 2

 

Japan’s Railways: Kinki to Kyushu ; World Railways Series, Vol. 2

£15.99

Author: Dave Spoonley

Pages: 96pp

At the start of the Menji Era, Japan emerged from its years of self-imposed isolation and quickly modernised. Part of this modernisation was the construction of the railways – the first of which opened between Tokyo and Yokohama in 1872. The railways were nationalised in the early 1900s and continued to expand, with new line construction continuing through the 1980s. However, the 1980s also brought rising costs and falling revenues, so the state-owned network was split into seven different companies. Each company owns and maintains its section of tracks and operates the trains.

 

Following on from Japan’s Railways: Hokkaido to Chubu, this book takes the reader on a journey from Kinki to Kyushu, showcasing the lesser-known, and lesser-visited, lines. Spanning the years between 2004 and 2016, this book is fully illustrated with over 170 images, and shows how the lines have changed during this time, along with the various trains and tracks that cover Japan.

 

https://shop.keypublishing.com/products/japans-railways-volume-2?_pos=1&_sid=38b844730&_ss=r

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I'm not sure how this book got overlooked, but better late than never:

 

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Probably the best English language history available.

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

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