Japan's train reservation system

[bikkuri bahn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPtfnONtdrI&feature=player_embedded

 

Found this on a posting in another forum. A bonus is that it has English narration.  An episode of the NHK program "Project X", it details the development of JNR's online reservation system, here called "midorinomadoguchi", but more correctly MARS (Magnetic electric Automatic Reservation System).  Very interesting, especially because it mirrors the development of the railway system in the late sixties/early seventies, specifically the historical timetable revision in October of 1968, known as "yon san tou" (Showa 43.10), which saw a jump in limited express trains, and a corresponding decrease in steam passenger and loco-hauled trains. Check out the Porsche 912 police car at 31:54 (Kanagawa Prefectural Police).  The "page and peg" system of inputting station names was still being used in the early nineties, of course now it's all done by touchscreen or keyboard.

[westfalen]

I remember getting tickets issued on those page and peg machines in 1994. The JR reservations system always amazes me, you can walk into a ticket office in the backwoods of Hokkaido and, in less time than it takes to explain what you want, get tickets on a train in Kyushu.

 

It also means seats on that steam train you want to ride can be sold out 30 seconds after reservations open.

[Kitayama]

Hi !

This clip has been removed from Youtube. I was stupid enough not to download a copy on my PC.

Did anyone download it? I would really appreciate to get this clip !