Japan has a modern and extensive network of
public transportation systems. Japan Railway referred to as JR (ジェーアール) used
to be the single largest public corporation in Japan, but
now it is broken up into regional private corporations. (Each
regional corporation still retains the "JR" nickname.) Trains run on a tight schedule and they are
extremely punctual. In big cities, during the morning and evening rush hours, commuter trains
are packed with people. For novice passengers, this
is a fact of life to get used to.