Ongakukan
Japanese music-production, railway-simulation, and commercial-simulator company.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Ongakukan Co., Ltd. is a Japanese company whose activities combine music production, railway-related software, consumer train-simulation games, and the planning and development of commercial simulators. It is particularly associated with the Train Simulator software series and with specialized railway simulators supplied to museums, railway operators, educational facilities, and entertainment venues. The company is headquartered in Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. Minoru Mukaiya, a keyboardist associated with the Japanese fusion band Casiopea, founded Ongakukan in 1985. Its original business involved renting recording equipment to professional recording studios. The company expanded into computer software in 1993 with Touch the Music by Casiopea, a CD-ROM product combining video and music. In August 1995 it released Train Simulator for personal computers. The software reflected Mukaiya’s long-standing interest in railway operation and became the central platform around which Ongakukan developed its later business. Train Simulator grew into a substantial series spanning personal computers and home consoles, with 31 titles identified in the company’s historical catalogue. The products emphasized recorded railway routes, operational controls, signaling, speed management, and the experience of driving specific train types. Ongakukan also developed related hardware, including a USB serial-conversion cable for connecting its Master Controller II peripheral to the PlayStation 2. The company operated the Railfan railway-fan website from 2005 until services ended in August 2019. In 2006, it broadened its work from consumer software into commercial and professional simulation. An order from Tokyu Corporation and Tokyu Technosystem led to a simulator intended for actual crew training, including the ability to reproduce abnormal and emergency conditions. Ongakukan subsequently supplied simulators for railway museums, transport companies, museums, family attractions, and training programs. Its commercial work includes large-scale and specialized installations such as the full-scale Japanese National Railways D51 steam-locomotive simulator for the Railway Museum in Saitama. Developed over approximately three years, the installation used motion effects and recreated operational tasks associated with both the driver and fireman or assistant engineer. Other projects have represented railway fleets operated by Tokyu, JR East, JR Kyushu, Tobu, Keihan, Nankai, Hanshin, and other transport organizations. Some installations are designed for public education and entertainment, while others reproduce signaling, automatic train-stop systems, emergency calls, earthquakes, and other operating conditions for professional training. Ongakukan also produced the PlayStation 3 title Railfan in 2006 and Railfan Taiwan High Speed Rail in 2007. After the Railfan line ended, the company placed greater emphasis on commercial simulators and museum exhibits. Its work has included digital dynamic preservation, in which video, sound, and controls create the impression of a moving preserved train without physically moving the original vehicle. It has also participated in railway-infrastructure development, including a lightweight platform-door concept jointly developed with Nippon Signal and trial-installed at Kyushu Railway Company’s Kyudai-Gakkentoshi Station in 2017. Following Mukaiya’s departure from Casiopea in 2012, he became head of Ongakukan. The company moved its offices several times, relocating from Setagaya to Shinagawa in 2013, within Shinagawa in 2017, and to Kawasaki in March 2023. In 2022 it announced JR East Train Simulator, a consumer adaptation of its commercial simulator work, initially planned for PC distribution through Steam. The early-access version included routes on the Keihin-Tohoku and Hachiko lines. Ongakukan’s present identity is therefore best understood not as a robotics company, but as a specialist developer of railway media, simulation systems, transport-oriented interactive exhibits, and associated music content.
History
Ongakukan was established in 1985 by Minoru Mukaiya, then known for his work as a keyboardist with Casiopea. The company initially rented recording equipment to professional recording studios, placing it within Japan’s music-production and recording-technology sector. Its first major move toward software came in 1993, when it produced Touch the Music by Casiopea, a CD-ROM work combining video and music. In August 1995 Ongakukan released Train Simulator for personal computers. The product was rooted in Mukaiya’s childhood ambition to operate a train and used audiovisual material and interactive controls to reproduce railway driving. It became the company’s principal software line and eventually developed into a catalogue of 31 titles across PC and home-console platforms. Ongakukan’s railway expertise also appeared in contracted projects, including Railway Seminar titles produced for Taito and a special Yamanote Line edition of Densha de Go! produced for Square Enix. From October 2005, Ongakukan operated the Railfan railway-fan website after taking over its operation from Tokyu Corporation. The service continued until the end of August 2019. In 2006 the company entered the commercial-simulation field, developing a system for Tokyu Corporation and Tokyu Technosystem that could be used for actual crew training. Unlike a purely entertainment-oriented game, the system could reproduce abnormal conditions, including emergency scenarios related to people entering the track area. Ongakukan also moved its consumer railway software to PlayStation 3. Railfan was released in 2006, followed by Railfan Taiwan High Speed Rail in 2007. The name Railfan was linked to the company’s railway website, but the console series ended after those two titles. The company then increasingly concentrated on professional simulators, museum installations, and public-facing transport exhibits. One of its most ambitious projects was the D51 steam-locomotive simulator for the Railway Museum in Saitama. Development took approximately three years. The full-scale experience included a motion system that reproduced locomotive movement and represented not only driving but also tasks associated with firing and water replenishment. Ongakukan later supplied systems for the Train and Bus Museum, the Railway Museum, KidZania Koshien, the Tobu Museum, the Kyushu Railway Memorial Museum, Kuzuha Mall’s SANZEN-HIROBA, Misaki Park, and other venues. Its installations covered both public entertainment and structured learning, with some systems offering beginner, intermediate, and professional modes. The company’s professional work has included crew-training systems for Kyushu Railway Company, including an ATS-DK simulator, and systems for railway operators in Japan and Malaysia. Its E5 Series Shinkansen simulator for East Japan Railway Company incorporated actual equipment, reproduced the DS-ATC safety system, supported abnormal conditions, and could operate in Japanese and English. Ongakukan also created digital dynamic-preservation exhibits that use synchronized imagery, sound, and controls to give visitors the sensation of operating a preserved train. Beyond software and exhibits, Ongakukan explored railway-station equipment. In 2016 it proposed a lightweight platform door using tubular movable components and a staggered arrangement intended to reduce the space required when the doors were stored. The concept was developed jointly with Nippon Signal and trial-installed at Kyudai-Gakkentoshi Station in November 2017. Mukaiya became head of Ongakukan after leaving Casiopea in 2012. The company relocated from Kamiuma in Setagaya, Tokyo, to Higashi-Gotanda in Shinagawa in January 2013, then to the TOC Building in Nishi-Gotanda in 2017, and finally to Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki, on March 20, 2023. In September 2022 Ongakukan announced JR East Train Simulator, a PC consumer product derived from its commercial simulator work. The early-access content included the Keihin-Tohoku and Hachiko lines. Across its history, Ongakukan has retained a connection to music while building a distinctive specialization in realistic railway simulation, transport training, and interactive public exhibits.
- 2023
Headquarters moved to Kawasaki
[1]The company moved its headquarters to Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki, on March 20.
- 2022
JR East Train Simulator announced
[1]Ongakukan announced a PC consumer version of its JR East commercial simulator for Steam distribution.
- 2017
Platform-door trial installation
[1]The lightweight platform door was trial-installed at Kyudai-Gakkentoshi Station in November.
- 2016
Lightweight platform-door concept developed
[1]The company devised a compact, lightweight platform-door concept later developed jointly with Nippon Signal.
- 2013
Headquarters moved to Shinagawa
[1]Ongakukan moved its headquarters from Setagaya to Higashi-Gotanda, Shinagawa, on January 21.
- 2012
Mukaiya becomes head of Ongakukan
[1]After leaving Casiopea, Mukaiya became the head of the company.
- 2007
Railfan Taiwan High Speed Rail released
[1]The second identified Railfan console title focused on Taiwan High Speed Rail.
- 2006
Commercial simulator business begins
[1]The company began producing professional railway simulators and released Railfan for PlayStation 3.
- 2005
Railfan website operation taken over
[1]Ongakukan assumed operation of the railway-fan site Railfan on October 1.
- 1995
Train Simulator released
[1]Ongakukan released the first Train Simulator software for personal computers in August.
Products and positioning
A specialist Japanese developer that combines authentic railway data, operational controls, audiovisual production, and interactive hardware for consumer software, professional training, and public exhibition.
Consumer railway simulation software · 1995
Train Simulator series
Ongakukan’s core railway-simulation franchise, first released for personal computers in 1995 and later expanded across PC and home-console platforms. The series uses route imagery, railway sounds, train controls, signaling, speed restrictions, and timing requirements to model the experience of operating particular services and rolling stock. The historical catalogue contains 31 titles. Its success provided the technical and content foundation for the company’s later commercial training and museum systems.
Consumer railway simulation game · 2006
Railfan series
A PlayStation 3-oriented successor or rebranding of Ongakukan’s earlier railway-simulation work. Railfan was released in 2006 and was followed by Railfan Taiwan High Speed Rail in 2007. The series used the Railfan name associated with Ongakukan’s railway-fan website and extended the company’s route-based simulation approach to high-definition console hardware and a Taiwanese high-speed railway subject.
PC railway simulation software · 2022
JR East Train Simulator
A consumer adaptation of Ongakukan’s commercial simulator work for East Japan Railway Company. Announced in 2022 for PC distribution through Steam, the early-access version offered routes including the Keihin-Tohoku Line and Hachiko Line. The product translates professional-style railway operation, route footage, controls, signaling, and driving procedures into a consumer software format.
Professional training and exhibition systems · 2006
Commercial railway simulators
Custom-built systems for railway companies, museums, training programs, and public attractions. Projects have represented specific trains and routes operated by Tokyu, JR East, JR Kyushu, Tobu, Keihan, Nankai, Hanshin, and other organizations. Depending on the client, systems can reproduce driving controls, signaling, automatic train-stop equipment, emergency calls, earthquakes, abnormal events, and graded training modes. Other installations use motion platforms, replica cabs, or digital dynamic preservation to create an immersive public experience.
Music production
Music and railway audio production
Ongakukan continues the company’s original connection to music through production and distribution of railway departure melodies, onboard chimes, train music, and related recordings. Identified works include collections associated with Keihan Railway, the Kyushu Shinkansen, JR Kyushu tourist trains, and Tokyo Metro’s Tozai Line. These activities reflect both Mukaiya’s musical background and the company’s role in creating branded audio environments for railway operators.
Brand decisions
2022
Consumer release of JR East Train SimulatorProduct launchBackground
Ongakukan had developed railway simulators for professional and institutional clients and sought to make that style of experience available to individual users.
Action taken
The company announced a PC-only consumer version for distribution through Steam, initially using early-access content from the Keihin-Tohoku and Hachiko lines.
Aftermath
The announcement extended Ongakukan’s commercial-simulation expertise into a contemporary digital distribution model.
2006
Entry into commercial railway simulationStrategyBackground
Ongakukan’s Train Simulator technology had primarily been associated with consumer software, but railway operators also required systems for realistic operational and emergency training.
Action taken
The company accepted work connected with Tokyu Corporation and Tokyu Technosystem to develop a simulator for actual crew-training use.
Aftermath
This project helped shift Ongakukan toward commercial simulators for railway operators, museums, and educational or entertainment facilities.
Recent events
- 2022
JR East Train Simulator announced for PC[1]
Product launch · Product generation
Ongakukan announced a consumer version of its JR East commercial simulator for PC distribution through Steam, with early access covering the Keihin-Tohoku and Hachiko lines.
- 2017
Lightweight platform-door concept trial-installed in Kyushu[1]
Product launch · Other
A lightweight platform-door concept jointly developed with Nippon Signal was trial-installed at Kyudai-Gakkentoshi Station on the Chikuhi Line.
- 2007
Railfan PlayStation 3 series expands to Taiwan high-speed rail[1]
Product launch · Product generation
Ongakukan released Railfan and subsequently Railfan Taiwan High Speed Rail, extending its railway-simulation work to a major Taiwanese high-speed route.
- 2006
Ongakukan moves into commercial railway simulators[1]
Product launch
The company began producing commercial simulators after receiving an order connected with Tokyu Corporation and Tokyu Technosystem for railway crew training.
Sources1 sources
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