Synopsis

While many railway companies weathered financial hardship during the pandemic, the Choshi Electric Railway in Chiba Prefecture achieved a profit in 2021—a first in six years. This turnaround is largely due to the fact that eighty percent of their revenue now stems from ventures beyond traditional train operations. These include the sale of rice crackers, track ballasts, train sound effects, auctions of station names, and even the production of a film. The company’s president implemented these di