Photos: CC BY-SA 4.0 · DVMG · CC BY 3.0 · そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0 (3, 4, 5)
Hankai Tramway's Mo161 class, built in 1928, is the oldest tram type in regular passenger service in Japan. Four survive; they now run mainly as charter cars and on announced days, the latest being part of a centenary countdown that began on 27 March 2026.
Why it's unique
It is the operator's own claim, repeated by trade press: no older tram type carries passengers in Japan.
You are not looking at a museum piece. On scheduled days you board a 1928 car on normal fare, on Osaka's last streetcar line, through ordinary neighbourhoods and past Sumiyoshi Taisha.
Before you go
The catch is the schedule: you only get a 161 on published days (for example 29 March 2026 on normal timings) or by chartering one.
Otherwise ride the ordinary Hankai line anyway: it is Osaka's last streetcar, runs past Sumiyoshi Taisha, and costs one flat fare. A crowdfunding drive in 2021 raised almost double its target to rebuild car 161.
