By "rare trains," I mainly mean those which are gratuitous, not necessary--the kind of thing Japan can get away with b/c they're filthy rich
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So with that in mind, let's start with the Enoshima Electric Railway, or Enodenpic.twitter.com/BXkMsxfVBM
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The Enoden is a tiny railway running from Fujisawa to Kamakura in the Shonan region of Japan.pic.twitter.com/SkWYCm7MAc
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Winding between buildings and along the shore, the route is notoriously scenic and a major tourist attraction.pic.twitter.com/p7gc0BdoU0
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No two trains on the route have the same design.pic.twitter.com/ycX0cWZ7Po
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The Enoden is the only rail connection in Japan to the famous Kamakura Daibutsu, and (as the name suggests) serves Enoshima too.pic.twitter.com/pGKRdC5Sw3
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Next up--a neighbor of the Enoden, the Shonan Monorail, running from Enoshima to Ofunapic.twitter.com/xMOBotbZc1
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The Shonan Monorail is a suspended-type, operating 30-ish feet in the air.pic.twitter.com/fi5KwRnOqk
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The route takes it over city centers and suburbs...and through mountains. Riding is a strange, but good, experience.pic.twitter.com/lzJzWWsIt5
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The Hakone-Tozan Railway is a mountain-climbing route in the Hakone region. Lots of switchbacks here to gain ground!pic.twitter.com/egik6PwUOe
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The Hakone-Tozan Railway is very popular for flower-viewing along the route, and is beautiful in all seasonspic.twitter.com/dG0RI8tZeT
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Sadly, I've never managed to actually ride it...pic.twitter.com/drgS8LyDyq
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When you get to the highest station, Gora, you can transfer to a cable car which climbs higher still.pic.twitter.com/9SBWu1Plsq
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The Hakone-Tozan Cable Car runs from Gora up to Sounzan. Guess what you can do at Sounzan?pic.twitter.com/DwJItokBXw
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You can transfer to a gondola! The Hakone Ropeway carries you over the volcano. I've taken it from Togendai to Owakudani.pic.twitter.com/lsVHa4yoA1
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It's not trains at this point, so I'll move on soon--but at Togendai you can transfer one last time to a boat to Hakone town.pic.twitter.com/K6EUkJmjKu
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Meanwhile on the other side of the Kanto plain...the Choshi Electric Railway, famous for its antique equipment.pic.twitter.com/PwIJmSAJxz
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This is a very short line running through the city and farmland of Choshi. Ridership has been steadily declining...pic.twitter.com/ElyrUdzCoo
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...so to stay profitable, the company diversified into producing rice crackers. Profits from its snacks are now double from its passengers.pic.twitter.com/2n58jNANkW
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The Yamaman Yukarigaoka Line is a short loop route serving the Tokyo suburb of Yukarigaokapic.twitter.com/uDcD0F3rTF
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The route runs counter-clockwise on the loop portion, and runs in both directions between Koen [park] and Yukarigaoka stations.pic.twitter.com/CbIj2h1Ov8
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The Yukarigaoka Line runs on rubber tires, instead of on steel wheels.pic.twitter.com/psuHBj1cyO
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In the heart of Tokyo, the Arakawa Line is the only remnant of the once-vast streetcar system.pic.twitter.com/66paTCyVDg
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The Arakawa Line serves several neighborhoods with many elderly residents--very nostalgic!pic.twitter.com/nv16FuujoW
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The interior, the stations...everything evokes memories of old Tokyo.pic.twitter.com/Fpol0BBNRP
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I know I've seen some good paintings of it too, but can't find them today...pic.twitter.com/y9U4BnyCgR
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From old to new, from Tokyo to Chiba, from the Arakawa Line to the Chiba Monorailpic.twitter.com/dKdvgdZ4BL
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The Chiba Monorail is pretty cool and futuristic, but needs bulky, disruptive infrastructure...pic.twitter.com/YffI73kxQW
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...I guess it's not that bad, once you get away from the main station where two branches convergepic.twitter.com/NwTS6Alh1E
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It's kinda hypnotic, to be honest. But there's a reason Japan doesn't do monorails much anymore!pic.twitter.com/7oOFKhACKz
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