The railway line between Shinbashi and Yokohama, which began operation in September 1872, is also depicted in many Ukiyoe of the Meiji era as a symbol of modernization and westernization. A closer look at the Takanawa Coast which forms the background to the steam locomotive’s arrival at Shimbashi Station reveals a sailing ship and a western-style steamship floating in Tokyo (then Edo) Bay. Added to the presence of the steam locomotive, these give the viewer a sense of the crossover of the era from Edo to Meiji. Looking back at an Ukiyoe of Takanawa completed in 1862, a mere 10 years previous, brings home the vibrancy, significance, and pace of the changes taking place in this new era known as Meiji.