Something unexpected happened on my travels in Japan last week, the train service from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka ran three minutes late and you should have seen the look of consternation on passengers’ faces and my Japanese friend said to me, 'So sorry, this is very unusual.'

Where I come from, three minutes’ delay is early.

In Japan, it is a matter of pride and professionalism that trains run on time. Cleaning staff wait in line for the arrival of each train, they swoop in and remove any rubbish and they turn seats around to face the opposite direction â€" all done in seven minutes.

Cleaning staff all ready to do their work with a seven-minute turnaround time

Slowly but surely too, trains in Japan are getting more user-friendly for foreigners. Tickets are now in English, and you can pretty much figure out your way around. Watch what the locals do â€" most buy packed lunches, some of these Bento boxes are too pretty to eat. There’s even a bento box that heats up the food when you pull a string â€" you literally see the box sizzle and steam before your eyes.

Indeed, there’s much to learn from Japan and on the six-hour journey I had to take from Karuizawa to Kansai â€" three train rides in all â€" I had plenty of time to reflect on this second instalment of learnings from WIT Japan & North Asia 2017.

Choo-choo train coming down the tracks

Cameron Jones: Japan’s rail market at $8b is equal in size to the whole of Western Europe, which is why SilverRail has set its sights on Asia.

Since we are on the subject of rail, I will stay on the same track. Japan’s rail market at $80b is equal in size to all of Western Europe, that we learnt from Cameron Jones, chief commercial officer, SilverRail Technologies. Rail is a $300b global market, so Japan and Western Europe make up the bulk of that.

Read the full article here.