7 Best Anime About Trains That You Should Watching Update 04/2024

Anime About Trains

Anyone who has traveled to Japan knows that the country’s train system extends to nearly every corner of the country. Trains in Japan are known for their speed, frequency, efficiency, and crowdedness.

Trains and train stations are a common sight in anime depicting contemporary Japanese life.

It would take a long time to detail every instance of a train travel in anime. Look at these samples, and you’ll see what I mean:

1. Nichijou

Nichijou

The zany, out-of-the-ordinary comedy Many of the jokes in Nichijou revolve around railways. As an illustration, consider the following:

Three of the key characters are shown rushing to catch a train in one scene.

(This is something that you should never do, according to conventional wisdom.)

It’s just in time for Yuuko to get on the train before the doors close. None of the others make it. Mai and Mio watch as the train departs the station. Seeing Yuuko’s face as she realizes what a mistake she’s done is just hilarious.

In a different scene, Yuuko, Mai, and Mio are the only people on a train for whatever reason. Mai comes up with a better plan after they play around for a bit.

She takes a snooze in the overhead luggage rack. It’s not uncommon for Japanese commuters to doze off on the way to work, but this is a new low.

The rest of the crew follows suit, with Mio dozing out on the bench seat and Yuuko dozing off on the floor.

In order to be sanitary, you should avoid doing this.

Yuuko ends up racing after Mio on train tracks in a frantic pursuit scene. The two young ladies narrowly avoid being crushed by two oncoming trains.

) (It’s impossible to sprint like these animated figures.) This should never be done.)

2. Haruhi Suzumiya

Haruhi Suzumiya

Members of the SOS Brigade always met at the railway station whenever Haruhi led the group on a “search for aliens, ESPers, or time travelers” mission outside of school time. A rational and cultural explanation exists for this.

People tend to congregate in Japanese train stations. Most towns have at least one, and they’re usually placed in the middle of town. Most train stations have a designated area outside the fee gates where passengers can congregate.

Shibuya’s Hachiko statue is the most well-known. Local stations, on the other hand, almost always have something to offer.

The clock at Hyogo Prefecture’s Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi Station is clearly visible in the series.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Part 5 features a scene with a railroad crossing that heightens the tension of the action. Bells chime and caution lights begin to flash as Haruhi crosses the tracks to exit the station. The story she tells herself is that she doesn’t want Kyon to follow her around.

3. Crossing Time

Crossing Time

While we’re on the subject of train crossings…

In April of last year, Crunchyroll added the anime series Crossing Time (Fumikiri Jikan), which I had never heard of before. Try it out if you haven’t already if you haven’t seen it.

There is a standard suburban train crossing or platform in each episode. The events are brief, lasting little more than the time it takes for a couple of local trains to pass. Twelve episodes are all there is.

There is no plot progression. Although there are some two-parters, each episode is a stand-alone slice-of-life comedic narrative. High school romance confessions, humiliating events and just life in general are all featured in these stories.

This train series depicts trains as boring and unremarkable. Even if they didn’t have to wait at the crossing, many of these common stories wouldn’t occur.

4. Midori Days

Midori Days (Midori no Hibi)

The Shonan Monorail in Kanagawa Prefecture is featured in Midori Days, an odd, eccentric, and unusual love comedy.

We see Midori and Seiji for the first time at Hoshikawa Monorail Station in Yokohama in the first episode. Seiji is a great crush of Midori’s. As he works on the other platform, Seiji completely misses her.

The real Hoshikawa Stop, on the other hand, is not a monorail station. The Shonan Monorail, on the other hand, does not pass by there. The animators may have taken some liberties with the story in this case. Alternatively, Midori’s memory may be defective.

There’s no denying that the monorail is a constant presence throughout the series.

As a visual reminder of where the action takes place, the monorail provides a fascinating and distinctive image. It’s as unique as the anime’s plot, which has a fierce guy with a pretty lady for a right hand, hanging surreally in the air.

5. Ika Musume

Shinryaku! Ika Musume (Squid Girl)

Visit Ika Musume in Yuigahama Beach, south of Yokohama, while we’re in Kanagawa Prefecture.

In Yuigahama, there is a train station. However, this station isn’t like any other. One of the few remaining vintage streetcar lines in the greater Tokyo area, it is for the Enoshima Electric Railway. It has more single-track stretches than many trains in Japan and is much dinkier.

An episode in which Ika Musume visits the area around Kamakura features a brief appearance for the “Enoden.”

Enoden is the antithesis of Shonan Monorail in terms of appearance; one is traditional and historic, while the other is futuristic. Enoshima’s two train stations are located just a few blocks apart.

6. Anime Train Art

Anime Train Art

Some anime figures painted on trains might also be a fun addition to this collection of anime characters.

Ads for businesses can be found on trains because anime is a business. No huge deal there. Some trains, however, have been given the complete Itasha experience over the years:

Okayama’s Tsuyama Line once carried a Naruto train. It wasn’t the Naruto Line in Shikoku that was the culprit.

There is a Naruto/Boruto train on the Fujikyu Line since it serves the entertainment park Fuji-Q Highland. The Hidden Leaf Village in the park is styled around Naruto.

The Keihan Electric Railway in Kansai was home to a special K-On! train.

There have been a few different Pokémon trains, including this one with a Pikachu-themed interior.

Anpanman trains have also appeared on numerous occasions.

When the Eva Shinkansen made its farewell voyage, a group of Evangelion cosplayers showed up.

However, the Hello Kitty Shinkansen made headlines around the world when it launched. Indeed, CNN hopped on board.

The Skechers Sailor Moon train was in Bangkok, Thailand, not quite in Japan.

My Chiba Urban Monorail Is Not This Adorable. Even the monorail announcements for Oreimo were included.

7. Galaxy Express 999 and Hayao Miyazaki

Galaxy Express 999 and Hayao Miyazaki

There are, of course, a few anime trains that should be addressed when discussing trains.

If you’re looking for a complete list of “anime trains,” you can’t leave out these fictional trains.

Galaxy Express 999 is a futuristic train that travels through space, rather than on a train track. However, it is still a train.

Finally, the locomotive of the Galaxy Super Express is a JNR Class C62 steam locomotive, which makes it all the more intriguing.

The movie Spirited Away is filled with breathtaking images that will leave you speechless. This is, of course, a Miyazaki film.

However, being a rail enthusiast, the scene in which Chihiro and No Face board a vintage train has long captivated me. Which has to wade through a lot of water to get to the other side. Also, it’s crawling with specters. Scenes like this one appear to have been staged in a dream. It’s a stunning piece of work.