About 1,000 railway fans took part in Tetsukon, a matchmaking event especially for them, on Saturday near Tokyo, with about 100 men and women coupling.

Saitama Railway Corp. and Tokyo Metro Co. jointly hosted the event in the city of Saitama to offer their unmarried customers an opportunity to find a special friend.

Those declared as pairs were allowed to board a special train to Saitama Railway's Urawamisono rail yard in Saitama that is not usually open to the public. From the windows of the train, they were able to view train cars being washed at the yard.

One pair, Yumi Uchida, a 29-year-old office worker from Tokyo, and Tomoyuki Takano, a 21-year-old college student from Chiba Prefecture, said they plan to take train rides together.