This is a list of town tramway systems in Japan, past and present, by region. Regions and towns are arranged in geographic order, northeast to southwest.
| Name of system | Location | Traction type | Gauge | Date (from) | Date (to) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asahikawa Shigai Kidō (旭川市街軌道) | Asahikawa | Electric (600 V DC) | 3 November 1929 | 8 June 1956 | [1] | |
| Asahikawa Denki Kidō (旭川電気軌道) | Asahikawa - Higashikawa (東川) and Asahiyama (旭山) | Electric (600 V DC) | 8 January 1927 | 31 December 1972 | ||
| Hakodate City Transportation Bureau | Hakodate | Horse | 12 December 1897 | 1913 | ||
| Electric (600 V DC) | 31 October 1913 | [2] | ||||
| Sapporo Street Car | Sapporo | Horse | 1 May 1910 | 1918 | ||
| Electric (600 V DC) | 4 August 1918 | [3] | ||||
| Name of system | Location | Traction type | Gauge | Date (from) | Date (to) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akayu | Human | 3 May 1919 | 30 June 1924 | Connected hot-spring resorts in Akayu village with Akayu railway station. Operation suspended because of depot (carbarn) fire. Restoration of service planned, not carried out. Electrification planned ca. 1926, not carried out . | ||
| Akita Basha Tetsudō (秋田馬車鉄道) | Akita to Tsuchizaki (土崎) | Horse | 1391mm | 14 July 1899 | 1922 | |
| Akita City Transportation Bureau (秋田市電) | Electric (600 V DC) | 21 January 1922 | 30 March 1966 | |||
| Hanamaki Dentetsu (花巻電鉄) | Hanamaki - Nishi-Namari-onsen (西鉛温泉) | Electric (600 V DC) | 16 September 1915 | 31 August 1969 | Horse traction used on some segments on temporary basis, 1920 - 1926. Connected Hanamaki town with Shidohira (志戸平), Ōzawa (大沢), and Namari (鉛) hot-spring resorts. | |
| Matsuyama Jinsha Kidō (松山人車軌道) | Matsuyama | Human | 22 November 1922 | 1 January 1930 | Connected Matsuyama railway station with Chiishi (千石). Last jinsha (human-powered tramway) in Japan to carry passengers. Heritage jinsha tramway operates at Cosmos Garden, within Gohommaru Park, Matsuyama, with replica vehicle (built 1992) . | |
| Sendai City Transportation Bureau (仙台市電) | Sendai | Electric (600 V DC) | 25 November 1926 | 31 March 1976 | [4] | |
| Akiu Denki Tetsudō (秋保電気鉄道) | Nagamachi (長町), Sendai - Akiu-onsen (秋保温泉) | Horse | 23 December 1914 | 1925 | ||
| Electric (600 V DC) | 14 June 1925 | 8 May 1961 | ||||
| Matsushima Densya (松島電車) | Matsushima | Electric (600 V DC) | 4 February 1922 | by 1938 (or 22 January 1938) | Closed because construction of Sendai - Matsushima - Ishinomaki electric railway (opened in stages 1925 - 1928) ended the need for the tramway. | |
| Name of system | Location | Traction type | Gauge | Date (from) | Date (to) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Musashi Chūō Denki Tetsudō (武蔵中央電気鉄道) | Hachiōji | Electric (600 V DC) | 23 November 1929 | 30 June 1939 | ||
| Kawasaki City Transportation Bureau (川崎市電) | Kawasaki Station - Shiohama (塩浜) | Electric (600 V DC) | 13 October 1944 | 1969 | Municipal town tramway. | |
| Suihin Densha (水浜電車), later Ibaraki Kōtsū | Mito | Electric (600 V DC) | 28 December 1922 | 1 June 1966 | Connected Mito, Ōarai and Minato. | |
| Seisō Denki Kidō (成宗電気軌道) | Narita | Electric (600 V DC) | 11 December 1910 | 10 December 1944 | ||
| Tōbu Nikkō Tramway (日光電気軌道) | Nikkō | Electric (600 V DC) | 10 August 1910 | 24 February 1968 | Connected Nikkō Station and Umagaeshi (馬返). | |
| Noda | Human | 18 December 1900 | 13 October 1926 | |||
| Odawara Denki Tetsudō (小田原電気鉄道),later Hakone Tozan Railway | Odawara | 1 October 1888 | 1900 | Operation suspended 21 December 1944 – 12 September 1946. Tramway extended between Kōzu Station, Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto as built. Odawara - Kōzu segment closed 6 December 1920. Replaced by railway line. Odawara - Hakone-Yumoto segment closed 31 May 1935. Replaced by railway line. | ||
| Electric (600 V DC) | 21 March 1900 | 31 May 1956 | ||||
| Kawagoe Denki Tetsudō (川越電気鉄道) | Ōmiya - Kawagoe | Electric (600 V DC) | 16 April 1906 | ? | Formally closed from 25 February 1941. | |
| Utsunomiya Light Rail (宇都宮ライトレール） | Utsunomiya - Haga | Electric (750 V DC) | 26 August 2023 | |||
| Location | Name of system | Traction type | Gauge | Date (from) | Date (to) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | Tokyo Toden (東京都電) | Horse | 25 June 1882 | 1903[5] | Electric traction demonstrated at exhibition in Ueno Park, 3 May - 1 July 1890; introduction of electric traction to Japan. First electric tramway within Tokyo opened 22 August 1903. Last lines of historic “municipal” system closed 11 November 1972. Current line is one of the company systems taken into municipal ownership from 1 February 1942. These served areas that were outside of the Tokyo municipal boundary until annexations in 1932. | |
| Electric | 22 August 1903[6] | 11 November 1972 | ||||
| Arakawa lines (part of lines 27 and 32) 荒川ライン（ライン27および32の一部） | Electric | 1 April 1913[7] | The surviving portion of this system is today's Toden Arakawa Line. | |||
| Jōtō Denki Kidō (城東電気軌道) | Electric (600 V DC) | 30 December 1917 | ? | Connected with municipal network from 7 May 1929. | ||
| Higashi - Arakawa (東荒川) - Imaibashi (今井橋) | Electric (600 V DC) | 31 December 1925 | 19 May 1952 | Unconnected line of the Jōtō system, located east of the Arakawa drainage canal. Replaced by trolleybus. | ||
| Suginami Line (杉並線) | Electric | 26 August 1921 | 10 December 1963 | |||
| Tamagawa Denki Tetsudō (玉川電気鉄道) | Tamagawa Line (玉川線) | Electric (600 V DC) | 6 March 1907 | 11 May 1969 | Built by predecessor of today's Tokyu Corporation. Not taken into municipal ownership (excepting short segments lying northeast of Shibuya. | |
| Setagaya | Tōkyū Setagaya Line | Electric | 18 January 1925 | Surviving portion of Tōkyū Tamagawa Line. | ||
| Kanamachi (金町) | Human | 7 December 1899 | 1912 | Replaced by electric railway line. | ||
| Name of system | Location | Traction type | Gauge | Date (from) | Date (to) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meitetsu Gifu Lines (名鉄岐阜市内線) | Gifu | Electric | [8] | 11 February 1911 | 31 March 2005 | |
| Meitetsu Okoshi-sen (名鉄起線) | Ichinomiya | Electric (600 V DC) | 1 February 1924 | 31 May 1954 | Service suspended from 1 June 1953, and formally closed from 1 June 1954. | |
| Kanazawa Denki Kidō (金沢電気軌道), later Hokuriku Tetsudō | Kanazawa | Electric (600 V DC) | 2 February 1919 | 10 February 1967 | [9] | |
| Matsumoto Electric Railway | Matsumoto | Electric | 19 April 1924 | 31 March 1964 | ||
| Nagoya City Tram (名古屋市電) | Nagoya | Electric | 6 May 1898[10] | 31 March 1972 | ||
| Meitetsu Okazaki Shinai-sen (名鉄岡崎市内線) | Okazaki | Horse | 1 January 1899 | 1912 | Service suspended 19 June 1945 because of firebomb attack, restored 1946 . | |
| Electric (600 V DC) | 1 September 1912 | 17 June 1962 | ||||
| Shizuoka Tetsudō Shimizu Shinai-sen (静岡鉄道清水市内線) | Shimizu | Steam | 6 December 1913 | 17 July 1917 | Services suspended from 7 July 1974. | |
| Electric | 24 December 1928 | 20 March 1975 | ||||
| Shizuoka Tetsudō Shizuoka Shinai-sen (静岡鉄道静岡市内線) | Shizuoka | Electric (600 V DC) | 2 August 1920 | 14 September 1962 | ||
| Manyō Line | Takaoka http://www1.coralnet.or.jp/manyosen/ | Electric (600 V DC) | 10 April 1948 | The current line incorporates segments opened from 12 October 1930 as part of Toyama - Shimminato railway. | ||
| Toyama Chiho Railway | Toyama | Electric | 1 September 1913 | Operation suspended 1 August 1945 because of firebomb attack. Service restored in stages from 14 January 1946 . | ||
| Toyohashi Railroad City Line | Toyohashi | Electric | 14 July 1925 | |||
| Name of system | Location | Traction type | Gauge | Date (from) | Date (to) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mie Kōtsu Shinto-Sen (三重交通神都線) | Ise | Electric | 5 August 1903 | 19 January 1961 | |||
| Kobe Municipal Transportation Bureau (神戸市電) | Kobe | Electric (600 V DC) | 5 April 1910 | 13 March 1971 | |||
| Kuwana Denki (桑名電軌) | Kuwana | Electric (600 V DC) | 17 September 1927 | 9 January 1944 | |||
| Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau (京都市電) | Kyoto | Electric (600 V DC) | (line 10 Kitano tramway until 31 July 1961: .) | 1 February 1895 | 30 September 1978 | ||
| Keifuku Electric Railroad | Kyoto - Arashiyama | Electric | 25 March 1910 | ||||
| Keihan Keishin Line | Misasagi Station (Kyoto) - Hamaōtsu Station http://www.keihan-o2.com/index.html | Electric 1,500 V DC (600 V DC until 1996) | 15 August 1912 | Street track segment in Kyoto replaced by new underground alignment built as part of a metro project and opened 12 October 1997. Four-car metro trains operate on a short segment of street track in Ōtsu. | |||
| Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau (大阪市電) | Osaka | Electric | 12 September 1903 | 31 March 1969 | |||
| Hankai Tramway | Osaka - Sakai | Horse | 20 September 1900 | 31 January 1908 | |||
| Electric (600 V DC) | 1 October 1910 | ||||||
| Nankai Railway (南海和歌山軌道線) | Wakayama | Electric (600 V DC) | 23 January 1909 | 31 March 1971 | |||
| Name of system | Location | Traction type | Gauge | Date (from) | Date (to) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hiroshima Electric Railway | Hiroshima | Electric | 23 November 1912 | |||
| Hiroshima Electric Railway Miyajima Line | Hiroshima - Miyajima | Electric | 22 August 1922 | Opened in stages, completed 1 February 1931. Built as a railway, through workings over town tramway system started 1 April 1958. Railway stock gradually replaced by tramway stock; last railway stock withdrawn 20 August 1994 . | ||
| Iwakuni Denki Kidō (岩国電気軌道) | Iwakuni | Electric (600 V DC) | 2 February 1909 | 5 April 1929 | [11] | |
| Kure City Transportation Bureau (呉市電) | Kure | Electric (600 V DC) | 31 October 1909 | 17 December 1967 | [12] | |
| Okayama Electric Tramway | Okayama | Electric (600 V DC) | 5 May 1912 | |||
| Sanyō Denki Kidō (山陽電気軌道) | Shimonoseki | Electric (600 V DC) | 25 December 1926 | 6 February 1971 | Town tramway system incorporated a short length of railway line opened 22 April 1914, electrified 9 April 1926. | |
| Yonago Densha Kidō (米子電車軌道) | Yonago | Electric (600 V DC) | 1 April 1925 | 27 November 1938 | ||
| Name of system | Location | Traction type | Gauge | Date (from) | Date (to) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tosaden | Kōchi | Electric | 2 May 1904 | East-west tramway line extends between Ino, Kōchi and Gomen. | ||
| Matsuyama City Line | Matsuyama | Steam | 22 August 1895 | 15 April 1927 | ||
| Electric | 8 August 1911 | |||||
| Shikoku Suiryoku Denki (四国水力電気市内線), later Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad | Takamatsu | Electric (600 V DC) | 20 May 1917 | 3 July 1945 | Closed because of firebomb attack which destroyed most of the town. Town tramway not rebuilt because extension of local electric railway lines to town center and railway station eliminated the need for the tramway. Officially closed from 8 January 1957. | |
| Name of system | Location | Traction type | Gauge | Date (from) | Date (to) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nishi-Nippon Railroad Fukuoka Shinai-sen (西鉄福岡市内線) | Fukuoka | Electric (600 V DC) | & | 9 March 1910 | 10 February 1979 | and gauge lines (included dual-gauge sections). |
| Kagoshima City Transportation Bureau | Kagoshima | 1 December 1912 | ||||
| Horse | 11 June 1900 | 1930 | ||||
| Petrol (gasoline) | 1913 | 28 November 1930 | ||||
| Nishi-Nippon Railroad Kitakyūshū-sen (西鉄北九州線) | Kitakyūshū | Horse | 11 June 1906 | 1920 | ||
| Electric | 5 June 1911 | 25 November 2000 | ||||
| Chikuho Electric Railroad Line | Kitakyūshū - Nōgata | Electric (600 V DC) | 21 March 1956 | Express tramway line. | ||
| Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau | Kumamoto | Steam | 24 July 1908 | July 1920 | ||
| Electric | 1 August 1924 | |||||
| Kurume - Hita | Horse | 25 October 1903 | 1905 | |||
| Petrol (gasoline) | 1905 | 1929 | ||||
| Steam | 1918 | 1929 | ||||
| Electric | 1918 | 1929 | On segments of line within Kurume. Final operating segments closed 25 March 1929 . | |||
| Nagasaki Electric Tramway | Nagasaki | Electric | 16 November 1915 | Operation suspended from 9 August 1945 because of damage caused by atomic bomb attack. Service restored in stages from 25 November 1945 . | ||
| Ōita Kōtsu Betsudai Line (大分交通別大線) | Ōita - Beppu | Electric (600 V DC) | 10 May 1900 | 4 April 1972 | ||
| Nishi-Nippon Railroad Ōmuta Shinai-sen (西鉄大牟田市内線) | Ōmuta | Electric (600 V DC) | 1 December 1927 | 5 January 1952 | Service suspended from 6 January 1952, and formally closed from 15 March 1954. | |
| Saga Denki Kidō (佐賀電気軌道) | Electric (600 V DC) | 10 April 1930 | 20 August 1937 | |||
| Tsuyazaki | Horse | 28 April 1908 | 13 April 1939 | |||