Top 50 Railway & Trains Influencers in Japan to Know in 2026

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: within the past week (YouTube).

Naoya posts ride videos (nori-tetsu) that range from Tokyo-area commuter trains to local lines and unusual services. The channel has 299K YouTube subscribers and is run by an individual creator.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: within the past month (YouTube).

Travel Cat presents variety-style rail journeys through a cat character, and describes the channel as a railway YouTube channel. It has 268K YouTube subscribers, and the X, Instagram and TikTok accounts are linked from the channel description.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: within the past month (YouTube).

TK.Railway is run by an individual who says in the channel description that they live in Osaka Prefecture. The channel posts ride (nori-tetsu) and railway photography (tori-tetsu) videos centred on Kansai lines and has 63.1K YouTube subscribers.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 8 October 2026 (X).

That’s travel is a travel and transport channel with 52.3K YouTube subscribers. The creator travels by train and other transport, and the X account name refers to two ferry trips around Japan.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 9 October 2026 (X).

Based in Nagoya, the creator travels in a white coat and posts rail and travel videos from Japan and overseas, with the goal of riding every line in Japan. The channel has 44.6K YouTube subscribers.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 18 September 2026 (X).

Harimaya Kimama ni Tabi posts unhurried ride reports, mainly on railways, along with some general travel videos. The channel has 31.7K YouTube subscribers and is run by an individual creator.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 9 October 2026 (X).

Erena is a woman traveller who introduces Japanese train journeys, rail travel and model railways in English, with an English channel description. The channel has 11.9K YouTube subscribers.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 8 October 2026 (Instagram).

Shioneru travels Japan by train, ferry and plane and has 196K YouTube subscribers, with an English channel description. The Tetsudo Channel website profiles the creator as a popular rail YouTuber, TV personality and author, and the first book was published by Ikaros Publications.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 8 October 2026 (Instagram).

Momo Ito describes the work as that of a rail-travel talent in the channel description, covering local lines, old trains and stations, and drinking trips by rail (nomi-tetsu). The channel has 63.6K YouTube subscribers. According to the description, Ito rode every JR line by 2016 and is now aiming to ride every private railway line.

Affiliation: BLUE LABEL · Last post: 7 October 2026 (Instagram).

Saya Ichikawa is a model and TV personality with 222K Instagram followers. Railways are one part of the work: Ichikawa wrote the 2020 book 鉄道について話した。 (Tetsudo ni tsuite hanashita) and has contributed the Tabi to Tetsudo column since July 2014.

Affiliation: Horipro · Last post: 9 October 2026 (X).

Tomomi Kuno is billed as a joshi-tetsu (female rail fan) announcer and has 83K Instagram followers. Press coverage lists the Horipro affiliation. Kuno talks about railways on TV and radio programmes and in the book かわいい鉄道 (Kawaii Tetsudo).

Affiliation: Comedy duo Darling Honey · Last post: 7 October 2026 (Instagram).

Masahiro Yoshikawa is one half of the comedy duo Darling Honey and has 64K Instagram followers. Yoshikawa is listed as member No. 009 of the Tamori Densha Club, appears in the rail programme 新鉄道ひとり旅, and wrote a 2009 book on railway museums across Japan.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 9 October 2026 (Instagram).

Masumi Toyooka describes the channel as a journey from original rail idol to mama-tetsu, and shares train rides and vehicle introductions as a parent. Toyooka has 32K Instagram followers and 13.2K YouTube subscribers.

Affiliation: Talent management office (unnamed) · Last post: 8 October 2026 (X).

Yukino Saito introduces the channel as that of a rail-loving talent. Based mainly in Kansai, Saito appears in media and events and posts train videos, with 79.1K followers on X and 31.4K YouTube subscribers.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 1 May 2026 (X).

An individual creator who explains rail and travel from a personal viewpoint, with topics ranging from the Seishun 18 Kippu to Gran Class seating, to an audience of 265K YouTube subscribers. A sister channel, 謎のちゃんねるDX, runs alongside it. The channel is also listed in Favikon’s railway influencer roundup.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 8 October 2026 (YouTube).

A self-described multi-interest creator, whose channel introduces unusual railway spots, station announcements, signals and road signs to 127K YouTube subscribers.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: within the past week (YouTube).

A channel-led project publishing transport explainer videos centred on urban railways, with English included in the channel description. It reaches 107K YouTube subscribers and is run under the channel name rather than a personal one.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: within the past week (YouTube).

A creator who rides railways in Japan and overseas and explains how each line came about and where it stands today, based on on-site reporting. The channel has 99.2K YouTube subscribers and posts a long video every few days alongside Shorts. Coverage extends beyond Japan to transport worldwide.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 8 October 2026 (YouTube).

A railway and urban-policy commentator who covers rail news, parallel conventional lines and JR management through data, with 48.2K YouTube subscribers. The channel description mentions talks, discussions with local governments and a published book.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 7 October 2026 (YouTube).

Koppepan introduces unusual trains and railway lines, mainly through the long-running series Meiressha de Ikou (“Let’s Go by Odd Train”), which has passed 350 episodes. Recent episodes cover discontinued express services, short-lived limited expresses and closed or unbuilt local lines. The channel has 28.1K YouTube subscribers, and the channel description notes that it carries affiliate links.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 2 October 2026 (YouTube).

The creator behind “Tetsudo Seminar”, a channel opened in June 2020 with the theme of enjoying rail topics and explaining railway knowledge, reaching 42.7K YouTube subscribers. Original merchandise is sold through an online goods store on designstore.jp.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 4 October 2026 (YouTube).

An anonymously run channel built mainly around front-window (cab-view) railway footage, with 150K YouTube subscribers. The channel description marks the 100,000-subscriber milestone reached in 2021.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: within the past week (YouTube).

A railway-photography (tori-tetsu) channel presenting the appeal of Tohoku railways, rail technology and the future of railways, with 110K YouTube subscribers. Footage centres on trains in the Tohoku region.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: within the past week (YouTube).

A creator who films and posts front-view railway footage with subtitles, reaching 55.7K YouTube subscribers. The channel description includes a notice against unauthorised reposting of the footage.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 8 October 2026 (YouTube).

A channel whose creator describes 25 years in the railway industry and over 40 years as a rail fan, posting powerful footage of passing trains as well as aircraft, with 22.2K YouTube subscribers. Original goods are sold through suzuri.jp.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: within the past week (YouTube).

A channel centred on Kansai front-view railway videos, uploaded every Saturday and every other Sunday, with 21.3K YouTube subscribers. A separate channel carries the same kind of views at double speed.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: within the past month (YouTube).

A railway-photography creator whose videos show steam locomotives and other trains running through Japan’s four seasons, alongside rescued cats, to 11.9K YouTube subscribers. The channel description says its cat and steam-locomotive footage has featured on TV Tokyo and TV Asahi programmes. A companion blog is linked.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 8 October 2026 (Instagram).

7djet posts photography of trains, landscapes, fireworks and portraits, built around Instagram, where the account has 33K followers.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 8 October 2026 (Instagram).

Sei Momoyo introduces the account on X as photographer Momoyo Sei and sends followers to Instagram for the photos, where there are 19K followers. The X display name carries the tori-tetsu (railway photography) label.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 29 September 2026 (Instagram).

Hirokazu Fukushima shares railway photography on Instagram, where the account has 2,621 followers.

Affiliation: Freelance · Last post: 4 October 2026 (X).

Kenta Mukawa describes the YouTube channel as the official channel of railway photographer Kenta Mukawa, showing shooting locations and equipment. The audience is small, with 2,125 Instagram followers and 2,039 on X.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 6 October 2026 (Instagram).

Yuta Murakami posts railway photography on Instagram, where the account has 1,959 followers, and has held photo exhibitions.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 4 October 2026 (X).

Kokedama Photo Studio (こけだま写真館) posts railway photography under that name, with its main audience on X, where the account has 63.6K followers. The Instagram account is a minor channel with 2,762 followers.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 6 October 2026 (Instagram).

SHIGEMON runs a YouTube channel with 117K subscribers, which describes its focus as model railway reviews and diorama building. Topics cover N-gauge, HO and Z-gauge models, 3D-printer use and scratch-built modelling, and the audience is made up of model railway hobbyists.

Affiliation: Independent (former railway company employee) · Last post: 4 October 2026 (YouTube).

Susukuma has 68K YouTube subscribers and builds N-gauge and HO layouts under the theme of living with a railway diorama. The channel description says the creator worked as station staff and a conductor at a railway company from 2011 to 2019, and published the book “会社を辞めても大丈夫” in 2023.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: within the past two months (YouTube).

Takanaka Railway has 33.4K YouTube subscribers and covers train trips with station walks and shrine visits, alongside building model railway dioramas. The channel description is written in English and says a visit to Train Gallery Nagano was the starting point.

Affiliation: Independent (scenery-modelling circle member) · Last post: 2 October 2026 (X).

mihune studio has 21.8K YouTube subscribers and builds 1/150 scale (N-gauge) railway dioramas. The channel description says the creator belongs to the scenery-modelling circle 激団サンポール and refers to JAM, the International Model Railway Convention.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 12 September 2026 (X).

hito-hira has 17.5K YouTube subscribers and focuses on the process of building model railway layouts. The channel description is bilingual in Japanese and English and links to the creator’s own website, 1space-scenery.net.

Affiliation: Yomiuri Television (announcer) · Last post: within the past month (YouTube).

The channel description names Takaya Yamamoto as a Yomiuri Television announcer. The YouTube channel has 13.3K subscribers and presents the appeal of railways through a collection of more than 100 vehicles and self-built dioramas.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: within the past month (YouTube).

かみてつ has 12.2K YouTube subscribers and makes 16-gauge (HO) models of older Kansai private railway cars from card stock and wood. The channel name includes “紙鉄模型協同組合”.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 8 October 2026 (X).

のりものちゃん has 11.1K YouTube subscribers and explains railway toys such as Plarail and Super Rail, including discontinued and Showa-retro items. The channel description states that it uses YouTube advertising and affiliate links, and the audience is largely family viewers.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 6 October 2026 (Instagram).

Mih has 55.1K YouTube subscribers and describes the channel as run by a former Shinkansen driver. The videos cover train simulator challenges, front-view footage and window views, reaching viewers who like to see how a driver’s seat works. The channel description credits Mih with technical cooperation on the film Shinkansen Daibakuha and notes paid corporate and technical-cooperation work.

Affiliation: Independent (character-run channel) · Last post: 7 October 2026 (X).

Yu has 38K YouTube subscribers. The channel is presented through a “director” character named Yu, who explains how railways work and shares episodes from the working lives of railway staff. Its audience is enthusiasts who enjoy learning the reasons behind how a service is run.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 8 October 2026 (YouTube).

a0 and nonkyuru run this channel as a pair, with 20.3K YouTube subscribers. a0 describes themselves as a former station employee, and nonkyuru narrates. The videos walk through station transfers and station trivia, aimed at viewers who want to move through busy stations with confidence.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 7 October 2026 (YouTube).

Rail Log Channel has 15.5K YouTube subscribers. Log-san, the presenter, describes being a former station employee and appears with an editor known as Mode-san. The channel combines train simulator streams with a weekly series on the Seibu Line, for viewers who follow railways closely. It has an official site at raillogchannel.com.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 4 October 2026 (X).

Joe Hibiki has 14.6K YouTube subscribers. The channel description introduces a former driver who worked for a private railway in the Kanto region and now works as a railway TV personality. Content includes driving simulator play, railway sound recording (oto-tetsu) and vehicle game streams, for an enthusiast audience.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 2 October 2026 (YouTube).

Choo-Choo Travel has 60.9K YouTube subscribers. The channel is written in English and presents Japanese N gauge and HO gauge model railways in 4K, for international viewers interested in Japan’s trains and layouts.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: 3 October 2026 (Instagram).

Ken has 10.2K YouTube subscribers. The channel description introduces a Hong Kong person living in Japan, and the videos are railway travel vlogs from trips through 42 prefectures. They suit viewers planning rail trips around Japan.

Affiliation: Independent (family-run) · Last post: within the past month (YouTube).

Gattan Go Travel has 5,320 YouTube subscribers. Based in Aichi and Nagoya, the family shares rail trips, rental model railway layouts and aircraft outings in Japanese and English. The audience is families who enjoy trains together.

Affiliation: Independent · Last post: within the past month (YouTube).

Makushin has 4,420 YouTube subscribers. The channel description introduces a Japanese train YouTuber from Tokyo, who posts railway videos at 9am Japan time each day with English alongside the Japanese. It is a smaller channel with a steady schedule.