Manyosen Light Rail

Company History: Manyosen (万葉線株式会社, Man'yōsen Kabushiki-gaisha) is an electric railway company based in Takaoka, Toyama, Japan. It operates two city tram lines: the Shinminatokō Line and the Takaoka Kidō Line. The tram lines originally operated by Kaetsunō Railway were transferred to the newly established Manyosen in 2002.

Brief History: Japan is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean with dense cities, imperial palaces, mountainous national parks and thousands of shrines and temples. Shinkansen bullet trains connect the main islands of Kyushu (with Okinawa's subtropical beaches), Honshu (home to Tokyo and Hiroshima’s atomic-bomb memorial) and Hokkaido (famous for skiing). Tokyo, the capital, is known for skyscrapers, shopping and pop culture.

Although legend has it that Japan was founded in 660BC, archaeologists agree that settlement in the Japanese archpelago dates back as far as 100,000 years. The Jomon Period (8000-c.300BC) is the earliest that has been studied. It is named after the 'jomon' or cord-marked pattern style of pottery of the period.