153 years of railway in Japan

On this day, October 14th, in 1872 Japan's first railway opened. A ceremony was held at the original Shimbashi station, which was destroyed by fire in the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923. On the inaugural day of Japan's first railway, a train carrying Emperor Meiji and construction officials ran back and forth from the old Shimbashi station to the old Yokohama Station, which is now Sakuragicho station.

In 1922 Japan National Railways established October 14th annually as "Railway Anniversary". In 1994, at the suggestion of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, it was changed to "Railway Day". In 1994, for the first "Railway Day", the long-lived twin sisters Narita Kin and Kanie Gin, known together as Kinsan Ginsan (きんさんぎんさん), who were 102 years old at the time, served as the Tokyo station manager for a day. 

Since 1995 there is a Railway Festival in Hibiya annually around the time of the anniversary. You will also find in the last ten to twenty years there are several other railway festivals around this time of year. In addition, some railway operators have special events, such as running old or famous trains and / or opening depots to the public. You will find many posts on social media with the hashtag #鉄道の日 (tetsudo no hi / railway day). Have you ever attended a railway festival in Japan?