Returning to the northeast corner of the city, the train passes through Uguisudani before winding back up to Nippori.

BBC: Seeing Tokyo along the Yamanote Line

He had noticed that, when a heavy train passes over, a well-greased switch rail has some play, as if swimming in the grease.

NEWYORKER: Among Animals and Plants

Settling into a seat as day turns to night and twilight adds a mischievous element to the ride, with a burst of hooting and hollering breaking out each time the train passes through a darkened tunnel.

BBC: Getting to the heart and soul of hilly Sri Lanka

As the train rounds the northwest corner, it passes the large transit hub of Ikebukuro, comparatively quiet Meijiro and the student haunt of Takadanobaba.

BBC: Seeing Tokyo along the Yamanote Line

It's true that affordable rail passes and second-class coaches make train travel accessible to more people.

CNN: 8 reasons to trade up on trains

This system, Positive Train Control (PTC), is intended to stop or slow a train automatically if a driver goes too fast or passes a red signal.

ECONOMIST: American railways

"But the most urgent task for us is to train home helpers, " says Nishiguchi Sachiko, a 63-year-old former nurse who now passes her experience on to would-be care-givers.

CNN: Alone in the Big City

In the richest country in the world, the only line that passes for "high-speed rail" is Amtrak's built-too-wide Acela train, which runs between Boston, New York, and Washington at an average speed of about 80mph.

ECONOMIST: Business travel