2026-09-02 –, Ran1
An interactive web application that visualizes Tokyo's last train network fading away over time in a firework-like radial display. It combines public transit open data (ODPT) from 17 rail operators to show when and where you can no longer catch the last train home.
Tokyo's rail network is among the most dense and complex in the world, yet it shuts down every night. The "last train" is a daily constraint for anyone living in Tokyo, but figuring out the exact moment you can no longer get home — considering transfers across multiple operators and lines — is far from straightforward.
The Tokyo Last Train Map visualizes this phenomenon through an interactive web application where the last train network gradually disappears over time, rendered in a firework-like radial display. The project originated in 2018 as a static infographic that went viral on social media, and was rebuilt in 2025 as a fully interactive version.
The data source is GTFS-format open data provided by the Public Transportation Open Data Center (ODPT). It integrates timetable data from 17 rail operators in the Tokyo metropolitan area, including cross-operator transfer routing. The frontend is built entirely with SVG and JavaScript — no external mapping libraries — as a custom interactive visualization.
The project received a Judges' Special Award at the Public Transportation Open Data Challenge organized by ODPT.
This lightning talk will introduce the uniquely Japanese urban transit culture of the "last train" while demonstrating how combining open data from multiple sources can produce both practical and visually compelling results.
GTFS
I make my conference contribution available under the CC BY 4.0 license. The conference contribution comprises the abstract, the text contribution for the conference proceedings, the presentation materials as well as the video recording and live transmission of the presentation:
Hajime Kato is a designer at MIERUNE Inc., a geospatial technology company based in Japan. He is the creator of Rekichizu (rekichizu.jp), a modern-styled historical map of Japan, and operates the @chizutodesign brand, sharing map design and data visualization content. His work focuses on making geospatial data accessible through cartographic design, with interests spanning historical geography and transit visualization (chizutodesign.com).