Transportation in Japan is well developed. As of 2004, there are 1,177,278 km of paved roadways, 173 airports, and 23,577 km of railways. Private toll-collecting companies compete in highway market. Dozens of railway companies are competing in regional and local transport markets; some of the largest include the 7 companies under JR, Kintetsu Corporation, Seibu Railway, and Keio Corporation. The largest aviation companies are All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL). The largest ports include Port of Yokohama and Nagoya Port. Japan has an efficient public transportation network, especially within metropolitan areas and between the large cities. Japanese public transportation is characterized by its punctuality, its superb service, and the large crowds of people using it.
Most Japanese people traveled on foot until the latter part of the 19th century. The first railway was built between Tokyo and Yokohama in 1872 and many more developed. Japan now has one of the worlds most developed transportation networks. Mass transportation is well developed in Japan, but the road system lags behind and is inadequate for the number of cars. Road construction is difficult because of the high areas of population and the limited amount of usable land. Shinkansen are the high speed trains in Japan and they are known as bullet trains. About 250 Shinkansen trains operate daily. The fastest shinkansen trains are the N700 Series and 500 Series "Nozomi" which operate at a maximum speed of 300 km/h. Shinkansen trains are known to be very punctual. A train is recorded as late if it does not arrive at the specified time. In 2007, the average lateness per train on the Tokaido Shinkansen was 6 seconds.
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In Japan, railways are a major means of passenger transportation, especially for mass and high-speed transport between major cities and for commuter transport in metropolitan areas. Seven Japan Railways Group companies, once state-owned until 1987, cover most parts of Japan. There also are railway services operated by private rail companies, regional governments, and companies funded by both regional governments and private companies. The sixteen largest private rail companies are Keihin Electric Express Railway, Keio Corporation, Keisei Electric Railway, Odakyū Electric Railway, Sagami Railway, Seibu Railway, Tōbu Railway, Tokyo Metro, Tōkyū Corporation, Nagoya Railroad, Hankyū Railway, Hanshin Electric Railway, Keihan Electric Railway, Kintetsu Corporation, Nankai Electric Railway, and Nishi-Nippon Railroad. Japanese trains are also famous for always being on time. Five stations (Shinjuku Station, Ikebukuro Station, Shibuya Station, Umeda Station, and Yokohama Station) serve more than 2 million passengers each on an average day, making Japan the most railway using nation per capita.
Total railways of 23,670.7 km include entirely electrified 2,893.1 km of 1,435 mm standard gauge and 89.8 km of 1,372 mm narrow gauge, all of which is electrified. About the half of 20,656.8 km 1,067 mm gauge and 40 km of 762 mm gauge track are electrified.
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