Tokyo Rail Typing turns solo station-name practice into a real-time 1v1 typing race. Choose a railway line and input mode, create a private battle room, then send its link to a friend. Both players run the same route under the same rules, so the winner is decided by typing—not by a shorter course.
How to create a typing battle
Open any line setup page, choose the start station, direction and input mode, then select Create battle room. The room keeps that configuration for both players.
The host receives a short share link. Your friend only needs to open it in a browser; no account is required. Each player can choose a display name, and the race begins automatically after both press Ready.
What happens during the race?
The normal typing rules still apply: enter each station name correctly to move the train. What changes is the live opponent layer:
- Both players see progress across the same station sequence.
- The HUD shows whether you are ahead, behind or neck and neck.
- Your opponent appears as a ghost train on the route.
- Finishing first does not hide the result—you can see the opponent complete the remaining stations.
The shared countdown gives both sides the same departure time. If a player leaves early, the match records a forfeit instead of leaving the room unresolved.
Romaji, Kana and Kanji battles
Battle rooms support the same Romaji, Kana and Kanji modes as solo runs. The host chooses the mode before creating the room, so both racers face the same input challenge.
Romaji is the easiest choice for a mixed-skill group. Kana rewards Japanese sound recognition, while Kanji adds real IME conversion to the contest. Read our three Japanese typing modes guide before deciding.
Rematches, spectators and battle history
After the result, both players can choose a rematch without creating another link. A third visitor can open a full room as a spectator and watch both racers' progress rather than taking a lane.
Signed-in players also get battle history on their profile, including the opponent and win, loss, draw or void result. Guest play remains available when you only want a quick challenge.
For a fair first race, pick a route both players know—Yamanote is the classic choice—or browse all 52 playable railway lines. Create a room, share the link and find out whose train reaches the final station first.