JR Bus collectively refers to the bus operations of Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies in Japan. JR Bus is operated by eight regional companies, each owned by a JR railway company. JR Bus companies provide regional, long distance, and chartered bus services.
The Ministry of Railways of Japan started its first bus operation in Aichi Prefecture in 1930 and gradually expanded bus routes. The Japanese National Railways (JNR), public corporation established in 1949, succeeded the bus operations, then called Kokutetsu Bus or JNR Bus. In 1987, JNR was divided into regional railway companies together with its bus operations. JR companies later separated their bus operations to subsidiaries in 1988 (JR East, JR Central, JR West), 2000 (JR Hokkaido), 2001 (JR Kyushu) and 2004 (JR Shikoku).
JR Bus Tohoku, JR Bus Kanto, JR Tokai Bus and Chugoku JR Bus share a common livery based on the JNR Bus livery.
The Shinkansen, colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond long-distance travel, some sections around the largest metropolitan areas are used as a commuter rail network. It is owned by the Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency and operated by five Japan Railways Group companies.
The Japan Railways Group, more commonly known as the JR Group or simply JR, is a group of railway companies in Japan that underwent division and privatization of the government-owned Japanese National Railways (JNR) on April 1, 1987. It consists of six passenger railway companies, one freight railway company, and two non-service companies. Most of the liability of the JNR was assumed by the JNR Settlement Corporation.
Rail transport in Japan is a major means of passenger transport, especially for mass and high-speed travel between major cities and for commuter transport in urban areas. It is used relatively little for freight transport, accounting for just 0.84% of goods movement. The privatised network is highly efficient, requiring few subsidies and running with extreme punctuality, though since privatisation several unprofitable but socially valuable lines have been closed by private operators.
The National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament of Japan, commonly known as "Spring Kōshien" or "Senbatsu" (センバツ), is an annual high school baseball tournament.
MARS, short for Magnetic-electronic AutomaticReservation System, is a train ticket reservation system used by the Japan Railways Group companies and travel agencies in Japan. It was developed jointly by Hitachi and the former Japanese National Railways (JNR), and inherited by the Railway Information Systems Company, which is jointly owned by the seven railway companies of the JR Group: the East Japan Railway Company, Central Japan Railway Company, West Japan Railway Company, Hokkaido Railway Company, Shikoku Railway Company, Kyushu Railway Company, and Japan Freight Railway Company.
The Japanese association football league system is organized in a pyramidal shape similar to football league systems in many other countries around the world. The leagues are bound by the principle of promotion and relegation; however, there are stringent criteria for promotion from the JFL to J3, which demands a club being backed by the town itself including the local government, a community of fans and corporate sponsors rather than a parent company or a corporation.
The Japan Rail Pass, also called the JR Pass, is a rail pass sold by the Japan Railways Group exclusively for overseas visitors. It is valid for travel on all major forms of transportation provided by the JR Group in Japan, with a few exceptions. The pass is designed to stimulate travel and tourism throughout the country. It is cost effective only for long-distance travel, particularly by bullet train. It is of limited use within larger cities, as private operators generally do not accept it.
The Architectural Institute of Japan, or AIJ, is a Japanese professional body for architects, building engineers, and researchers in architecture.
Japanese Regional Leagues are a group of parallel association football leagues in Japan that are organized on the regional basis. They form the fifth and sixth tier of the Japanese association football league system below the nationwide Japan Football League.
Statistics of Japanese Regional Leagues for the 2009 season.
The Japan Institute of Architects is a voluntary organization for architects in Japan, and an affiliated organization of the Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA). The institution was founded in May 1987 and includes round about 4,100 members today.
The Japanese National Railway Settlement Corporation, or JNRSC, was a temporary holding company created to distribute the assets of the former Japanese National Railways (JNR) after its privatization in the mid-1980s. On October 22, 1998, the JNRSC was disbanded and placed under the Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation, JRCC, and its assets were transferred. Currently, the Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency holds the liabilities and assets of the JNRSC.
The KiHa 40 series is a diesel multiple unit (DMU) train type introduced by Japanese National Railways (JNR) in 1977 and operated by all Japan Railways Group companies on suburban and rural services in Japan. Since 2017, the train type has seen use by other private railway companies in Japan, following the removal of services by Japan Railways groups. Additionally, it has also seen use in overseas operations in Myanmar since 2011 and is also scheduled to be used in Thailand.
The 32nd annual Japanese Regional Football League Competition took place from 22 November 2008 to 30 November 2008. It took place across the prefectures of Fukuoka, Kōchi, Tottori and Okinawa. It is the tournament which decided promotion to the Japan Football League for the 2009 season. As three teams were promoted from the Japan Football League to J. League Division 2, the top three teams in this competition were promoted: Machida Zelvia, V-Varen Nagasaki and Honda Lock.
The 33rd annual Japanese Regional Football League Competition took place from 21 November 2009 to 6 December 2009. It took place across the prefectures of Fukushima, Toyama, Tottori, Kōchi and Nagano. It is the tournament which decided promotion to the Japan Football League for the 2010 season. The top two teams in this competition were given promotion to the Japan Football League. Third place Zweigen Kanazawa achieved promotion via a two-leg play off with F.C. Kariya.
The 2015 Japanese Regional Leagues were a competition between parallel association football leagues ranking at the bottom of the Japan Football League.
The General Federation of Private Railway and Bus Workers' Unions of Japan is a trade union representing transport workers in Japan. Japan's railway companies, including major private railways excluding the JR Group, Taxis, Hire Companies, and Bus companies, are members, and follow the trend of the old general review system. Japan is a member of the Confederation of Trade Unions (Confederation), the Japan Transport Industry Trade Union Council, and the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF).
