Nippon Railway

Nippon tetsudō (Japanese日本 鉄 道, "Japan Railways ", engl. Nippon Railway) was Japan's first private [ Steam ] railway company. The company, founded in 1881, opened in 1883 its first route between Ueno and Kumagaya, which was at the heart of its route network to Tokyo. Until the nationalization in 1906 there were connections to Maebashi, Nikko, Mito and Aomori; later Yamanote Line and Tōhoku Main Line is available in many parts of the route network of the Nippon tetsudō.

Although the literature often referred to as the Nippon tetsudō oldest private railway company in Japan. But also private Tōkyō Basha tetsudō (东京 马车 鉄 道) was founded in 1880 and in 1882 to operate a horse-drawn tram in downtown Tokyo on. It was later bought by the city of Tokyo and part of today's Office of the Tokyo Prefecture.