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Illustration by Maggie Cowles for Bloomberg
It’s 7 p.m. on a Thursday in Tokyo and the city’s railway enthusiasts are gathered at their favorite drinking spot.
Kiha Bar, tucked down an unassuming backstreet near Ningyocho station, is decked out to replicate a Tokyo subway car. Above the red-and-white door hangs an authentic plastic sign directing revelers to the “tracks.” Customers are greeted with a cheery “Welcome aboard!” from owner Noboru Futakami, who serves beer, highballs and sake in his conductor’s hat. Handles hang from the ceiling, just within reach of unsteady drinkers, and like all subway carriages at rush hour in the Japanese capital, it’s standing room only.