First Japanese Government Railway Line

July 24, 1880 saw the opening of the extended Tōkaidō line segment between Shinbashi and Yokohama under the Japanese Government Railways. Built with 3 ft 6 in gauge track and British-imported locomotives like the 0-6-0 tank engines, the line navigated coastal hills using early cut-and-fill techniques. Key figure Inoue Masaru oversaw construction amid the Meiji Restoration's modernization drive. The railway accelerated industrialization, enabled rapid troop movements, and symbolized Japan's shift from feudal isolation to a connected empire, laying groundwork for the dense Shinkansen network of today.