7At 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.