Kaoru Ihara (born 1977) is a Japanese railway writer and photographer from Osaka Prefecture. He obtained certification as an urban transport policy professional from Kyoto University’s graduate school in 2012 and began working extensively as a railway writer in 2013. His activities include writing for railway and travel magazines and online news outlets, appearing on television and advising television productions, and providing guidance on community bus planning and operations. He also contributes proposals concerning regional railways and urban revitalization. His writing connects the details of trains and railway networks with business management, passenger services, and the development of cities. His study of railway branding, “Kansaijin wa naze Hankyu o bekkaku da to omou no ka” (an examination of why people in Kansai regard Hankyu as exceptional), explores how the company has built trust and maintained its distinctive identity through its trains, stations, services, and corporate history. His account of Osaka’s public transport, “So datta no ka! Osaka Metro,” traces the development from municipal trams to the subway network and examines what changed and what continued after privatization in 2018, including improvements to station facilities and passenger services. In his book on design as a means of solving practical problems, “Machi made kaeru tetsudo no dezain” (railway design that transforms cities), he explains the reasoning behind features such as Shinkansen nose shapes, train colors, and station layouts. Through these examples, he examines how design addresses safety and usability while influencing the ways people travel and live.
