The 100th anniversary edition of a guidebook of railway timetables throughout Japan has gone on sale at bookstores.



The latest edition of "JTB Timetables" was published on Wednesday.



Railway enthusiasts visited a bookstore in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward right after it opened on Wednesday. They picked up the guidebook displayed at a section dedicated to the publication, which has the longest history of its kind in the country.



The publication started under another name in 1925. JTB Timetables showed train schedules in the then-new format of Arabic numerals arranged horizontally, which quickly gained popularity across the country. Before that, timetables were written with Chinese numerals arranged vertically.



Many railway stations and businesses used the guidebook after World War Two. Sales peaked in 1986 at about 2 million copies per month.



In recent years, the number of copies printed has declined as websites and apps for checking train schedules gain popularity.



But there is still strong support for the paper timetable. About 60,000 copies are still printed monthly in spring, when train schedules are updated.



Kajiwara Mirei, the chief editor, said it is great to see the 100th anniversary edition at bookstores. She expressed hope to continue publishing, including a digital version, as long as they are in demand.