Most travellers hear "maglev" and picture the experimental super-fast Chuo Shinkansen still under construction. But Aichi Prefecture has quietly operated a magnetic-levitation line for everyday commuters since 2005 — the Linimo — and anyone can ride it for the price of a normal ticket.
What makes it different
The Linimo floats. There are no wheels touching rails; electromagnets lift the train a few millimetres and glide it forward. The result is an unusually smooth, quiet ride with no clatter at the joints. It is not fast by bullet-train standards — top speed is around 100 km/h — but the sensation of gliding is distinctly different from any conventional train.
The route
The line runs about nine kilometres between Fujigaoka, at the end of Nagoya's Higashiyama subway line, and Yakusa. It climbs and curves through the eastern hills of Nagakute, and because the front car is driverless, the seats at the very front give an unobstructed forward view — the best free seat on the line.
Why visitors ride it
The Linimo is the main access route to the Aichi Expo Memorial Park — also the site of Ghibli Park, the animation-themed park that opened there in 2022. That makes the Linimo a means to an end for many, but the ride itself is worth treating as a small attraction in its own right, especially for anyone curious about levitation technology.
Practical details
The Linimo accepts standard IC cards, so no special ticket is needed — just tap in as you would on any Japanese train. Trains run frequently throughout the day, and the full end-to-end trip takes about 17 minutes. It can get crowded on weekends when park visitors cluster around opening and closing times, so travelling mid-morning or mid-afternoon is more comfortable.
Planning the wider area? See our guide to Nagakute beyond the park and our overview of the Expo park's history.