Tokyo Streetcar Network Expands

On June 29, 1900, Tokyo's electric tramway company launched expanded lines serving growing districts like Asakusa and Shinbashi. Using double-decker cars imported from the US, the system alleviated horse-drawn congestion in the rapidly modernizing capital. Engineer Shibusawa Eiichi played a key role in financing. This innovation reflected Japan's Meiji-era embrace of Western technology, fostering urban mobility and commerce. The streetcars' overhead wiring and reliable service influenced subway planning decades later, leaving a legacy in Tokyo's dense transit network still evident today.