Each year for nearly a decade, a dedicated group of railway enthusiasts has been making its way to Japan to explore the small local railways, which branch out like so many veins and arteries around the country.The fascination is not only with the railway companies and the trains themselves -- many of striking varieties -- but with why some of these local networks were constructed in the first place, in backwaters that open to the countryside.The minor lines, which seem to continuously spring up, offer those who come on the trips -- usually held once a year -- a challenge and an opportunity …READ FULL ARTICLE
