It was in 1872 when the railroad service between Tokyo and Yokohama was started. Eighteen years later, the telephone service between Tokyo and Yokohama was started. The rate of a five-minute call was 15 sen. The one-way fare of a 53-minute ride by 'Land steamer' between Tokyo and Yokohama was 75 sen in a first -class car, 45 sen in second-class, and 25 sen in the third-class. The advent of the telephone dramatically shortened the distance between Tokyo and Yokohama, already considerably shortened by the 'Land steamer'.

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