I rode the train from New York to D.C. last month, and I have thoughts. I took the Acela, the flagship offering from Amtrak, America’s semi-nationalized, permanently beleaguered rail operator. The service spans the 225 miles that separate the sole superpower’s biggest city from its capital in a stately, none-too-rushed three hours. Plenty of time to mull the gap between this service and the trains in Japan.

Okay, yes, I’ve lived in Tokyo for only one year, but that’s more than enough for Japanese rail to etch itself into my soul. As an urbanist, there’s a special joy in living in a place built for and around trains.

The Tokyo metro area has more than 280 subway stations and more than 600 train stations. In the vast span of Central Tokyo, you are nearly always a short walk from several different metro and train lines. At peak times, trains show up about every 150 seconds.