Okay, so not only are there enough train lovers in Japan to warrant locations for them to get together and discuss all things trains, but there are enough of them to sustain numerous bars around Tokyo, which isn't a city that's known for cheap real estate. Trains in Japan sure must be intriguing.

You thought your grandfather was a train buff?

Sorry to break the news to you, but ol' gramps would have been a mere caboose in the train of railway geeks in Japan, where hard-core train aficionados are referred to by the somewhat affectionate term “densha otaku,” or train nerds.

They're famous for feats like memorizing phonebook-size timetables and visiting every single one of the country's almost 10,000 stations.

When they aren't trying to increase their encyclopedic knowledge of all things rail, they're out looking for like-minded people to impress with it.

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