Shifting Lenses

Traveling via rail in foreign countries often makes me wish we had better public transportation options in the USA.  Japan’s rail system, in particular, is just phenomenal. It’s quiet, clean, incredibly fast, and everything an American traveler can only dream of when it comes to public transport.

It makes me wonder, what would it truly take to bring something like this to the United States? The answers are complex, with many different components at play. Government funding and decisive action are, of course, needed. But one of the biggest hurdles, I think, would be a massive cultural shift. Trying to convince Americans to genuinely embrace and desire train travel would definitely be a struggle.

And then there’s a factor I believe is often overlooked, but so crucial: making train stations places people actually want to be. Tokyo Station has countless incredible restaurants, including Ramen Street. It’s busy, even a bit overwhelming, but always safe and immaculately clean. Kyoto Station, despite being much smaller, was equally spotless and packed with tempting, delicious food options. Compare that to many stations in the US, which often feel dirty, uninviting, and frankly, a bit sketchy.

In Japan, stations aren’t places you dread. They’re vibrant places where you don’t mind spending time before or after your journey. They actively contribute to making the journey less of a chore and more of an experience. If the US ever hopes to truly become a commuter train culture close to the level of Japan´s, we would absolutely need to transform our train stations into destinations in themselves, making them places we’d willingly visit even if we weren’t catching a train.