Cities in Kinki Region Masafumi Miki
Railwa Railway Operators Railway Operators in Japan 10 Cities in Kinki Region Masafumi Miki 589.5 km), and the Tokaido Shinkansen of Private Railways.’ However, during the Overview of Kinki Region (Tokyo–Shin Osaka, 552.6 km) runs last few years, JR West has improved its through the middle of the country to join urban network, and now competes so The Kinki region includes six prefectures: the two largest metropolitan regions of successfully with private operators that Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hyogo, Shiga and Tokyo and Osaka. The Tokaido main some are losing passengers to JR West. Wakayama. On the Pacific Ocean side, line connects to the San’yo main line Most rural lines suffer from low passenger the regional climate is mild and the (Kobe–Shimonoseki, 506.4 km), and levels, posing an economic burden to population density is high. Kinki has the Tokaido Shinkansen connects to the their operators, but various management y many industries and is an important San’yo Shinkansen (Shin Osaka– strategies have been devised to keep the transportation corridor—it was also the Hakata, 622.3 km). Trains on both lines lines in operation so far. first region in Japan to develop culturally continue on to the Chugoku region and This first article on railways in the Kinki and politically. Yamato (present-day Kyushu in western Japan. The region focuses only on urban railways in Operators Nara Prefecture) was the nation’s political shinkansen carry long-distance the three metropolitan centres of Osaka, centre from the 4th to the 8th centuries. passengers while the main lines carry Kyoto and Kobe.
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