I would like to see cities through above ground transport. Preferably open air trams, trolleys, etc. I understand not every city has this. I am deciding between the cities to the north of Tokyo, and the cities south of Hiroshima. Is one region better than another for above ground open air transport ?
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Comprehensive list of towns with trams/light-rail in Japan:
* Sapporo
* Hakodate
* Toyama
* Takaoka
* Tokyo (Toden Arakawa Line)
* Setagaya (light rail – Tokyu Setagaya Line)
* Toyohashi
* Kyoto (light rail – Randen)
* Osaka-Sakai (Hankai Tramway)
* Okayama
* Hiroshima
* Kochi
* Matsuyama
* Kitakyushu-Nogata (Chikuho Electric Railroad)
* Kagoshima
* Kumamoto
* Nagasaki
Comprehensive list of trolley bus lines in Japan:
* Tateyama Tunnel (between Murodo and Daikanbo)
None of them are open air.
There are some open air city tour buses in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Fukuoka and Hiroshima, but this is the extent of open air transport in Japan.
Above ground transportation is much more common than subway, there is less than a dozen of city with a subway in Japan ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Underground_rapid_transit_in_Japan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Underground_rapid_transit_in_Japan)) . Other form of transportation above ground include train, monorail and tram, or just going by bus.
Not sure what you mean by “open air”.
There is actually many cities with tram, all across Japan. There is even tram in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, but you may visit these cities without even using the tram as there is many other transport option like train, bus and subway. Tram will be more used in smaller city with limited train, for example Hiroshima you will most likely use the tram in the city. Here is a full list of tram [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_town_tramway_systems_in_Japan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_town_tramway_systems_in_Japan)
If a city does not have a subway, tram or other rail transportation, it’s most likely a smaller city and bus should still be an option.
On-road trams are relatively rare these days (though they still exist–see /u/mithdraug’s list), and open-air trams are even rarer (unless you count the ability to open the window in the summer), but the vast majority of train lines are above ground. Even in major urban areas with developed subway systems, you’ll have no trouble finding above-ground transit.
If you want more concrete advice, you should narrow down what area of the country you’re interested in more.
You could try to do some distinctively open air things, most of which are nature-based, not city-based, like the [Kurobe Gorge Railway](https://www.kurotetu.co.jp/en/). Or if you just want a variety of transit, the more intense [Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route](https://www.alpen-route.com/en/transport_new/fares.html), which is a tag team of transit (including ropeway!) and will bring you waaaay up into the mountains. You’ll want to have very sturdy boots for the Alpine Route, tbh, and lots of layers – it’s cold and usually snowy, unless you’re coming out in August. But if you plan a few days to do it, and stay at the nice places on the route, it could be really special!
And with COVID, I can attest that the tram in Toyama *feels* like an open air one… they’ve got all the windows open unless it is pissing down rain. Not sure how long that will last.
Kamakura/Enoshima – Look up the EnoDen (Enoshima Dentetsu). It’s a cute ocean-side rail that works it’s way through town.
Kamakura is a fab day trip from Tokyo. If you time it right, taking the EnoDen from Kamakura to Enoshima at golden hour is stunning, and you could even catch a glimpse of Fuji at sunset from Enoshima if you’re lucky with the weather!
Most of the existent trams suck for touristing. The Tokyo Sakura Tram is a bit interesting since it goes through a bunch of old neighborhoods you won’t see otherwise but it’s also super crowded and doesn’t go anywhere really worth touristing.
The closest thing to a nice tram experience is probably the Enoshima Dentetsu. But it’s not really a tram in the classic sense.
If you want to see cities above ground instead of under, just take the bus instead of the subway.
While I didn’t find riding the Nagasaki trams very pleasant per se, I can recommend them for someone who’s very into trams. They are a convenient way to get around a very interesting city. And they feel a bit more old school than those in Hiroshima.
Jumping in to agree with the Nagasaki comments- very old school trolley feel and lots of interesting stops along the way!