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The line is named after the black-headed seagull (yurikamome in Japanese), a common denizen of Tokyo Bay and the official prefectural bird.
Yurikamome is often incorrectly called a monorail, and the elevated concrete track does resemble a monorail at first glance, but the track is actually just a funnel and the trains are supported by two rows of rubber wheels. The rail in the center of the track serves only to guide the train, not support it, so it doesn't qualify as a monorail.
Yurikamome is Tokyo's first fully automated transit system, controlled entirely by computers with no drivers on board. This is actually not even particularly new technology -- Japan's first AGT, Kobe's Port Liner , opened in 1981, 14 years before the Yurikamome -- but it still surprises many a tourist.
Before its 1995 opening, it was widely feared that the Yurikamome would end up as a multibillion-yen boondoggle. The artificial island of Odaiba, which it serves, had been designed and constructed at prodigeous expense before Japan's economic crash and, much like London's equally beleaguered
Canary Wharf, there simply didn't seem to be enough demand tosupport it.
The first few months of operation provided a slight sigh of relief, as ridership hovered around 27000 passengers per day, only a little less than the predicted 29000... but still far, far less than the 80000 pax needed to be profitable. However, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government was for once on the ball, and in 1996 Odaiba was rezoned from pure business and residential to also permit entertainment zones.
Tokyo may be next to the sea on the map, but before Odaiba, effectively the entire coastline had been taken over by an endless concrete strip of ports and warehouses. Promoted as the "Rainbow Town", the island provided Tokyo with a strip of liveable seaside, and it became an instant hit. Within one year, ridership doubled to 60000, and as more and more of the restaurants, shopping malls, exhibition centers and museums opened, the traffic kept growing and growing. On May 4, 19971997 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of the Reef''. Events January January 3 NBC's Today Show Bryant Gumbel signs off for the last time January 8 Mister Rogers receives a star on t, during Golden WeekGolden Week (GW) is a Japanese term applied to the period containing the following public holidays: April 29, Greenery Day May 3, Constitution Memorial Day , May 4, Bank Holiday (since 1985) May 5, Children's Day ( Kodomo no hi), also known as Boys' Day (, the system was completely maxed out when 130,000 people tried to board in a single day.
And it wasn't just the island that they were going to, the Yurikamome had become an attraction in itself. To hoist itself from sea level to the Rainbow BridgeThe Rainbow Bridge is a suspension bridge over the Tokyo Port, located on the northernmost part of Tokyo Bay, connecting the Shibaura Wharf and the new waterfront development area, known as Odaiba in Minato-ku ward, Tokyo. This new symbol of the bayside T, the Yurikamome does a rather spectacular 270-degree loop, providing panoramic views of both mainland Tokyo and Odaiba. Easily accessible and comfortable despite its technological prowess, most islandgoers continue to opt for the Yurikamome despite its high price, with the fares of 180 to 370 yen of being nearly twice that of a normal subway.