Number of passengers carried via domestic transportation in Japan FY 2013-2022

Japan is home to the world’s busiest station, Shinjuku, that handles more than three million passengers per day on average. Shinjuku, which is one of many stations located in or around Tokyo that exceed the one million daily passenger throughput landmark, is only of the many examples of Japan’s incredible infrastructure. Such logistical feats are made possible by a highly developed public transport system that is spread across Japan’s urban areas.

Trains are efficient mass transportation vehicles

Japan’s domestic transportation handles tens of billions of passengers every year. The vast majority of the passenger volume is carried via domestic railway transportation. Tokyo alone has over 50 operating railway lines. Trains, dubbed Shinkansen (or bullet trains) also place first in long-distance domestic travel, transporting hundreds of millions of passengers, mostly between highly urbanized areas such as Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. 

Ships transport goods while airplanes carry people

As an island nation, Japan relies on ships and airplanes to move people and goods inside and outside its borders. While most of the international shipment volume happens via maritime transportation, the vast majority of individuals traveling inbound and outbound to Japan use airplanes. ANA and JAL are the two major players in Japan’s aviation industry. The two companies are very dominant in domestic travel and are also responsible for a large share of inbound traveler transportation, carrying tens of millions of passengers per year.