Riding the Bullet Train in Japan

Traveling on the bullet train in Japan is an amazing experience. It is a cross between traveling on an airplane and taking a normal train. In Japan, these trains are called the Shinkansen which roughly translates into New Trunk Line.

The Shinkansen is one part of an extensive Japanese travel network that graphs kilometers of highways, runways and rail track onto the society, economy and culture of Japan. It is used by thousands daily to travel the significant distances between larger Japanese centres and is the key transportation backbone for this remarkable Asian country.

The above photo it just one such example of a train arriving at station. Taken in Shin-Yokohama, this stop is situated along the important Tokiado line which connects Osaka to the west and Tokyo to the east. Tokyo and Osaka are not only the two largest and most important cities in Japan, they also anchor the regions of Kanto and Kansai respectively. These regions are the most populated in the country, but also form the historical, cultural, economic and demographic buttresses of the entire country. Between Kanto and Kansai also lie important cities such as Nagoya, a garrison town turned industrial centre, and Toyota the namesake of the automobile manufacturer.

On the Shinkansen you will find mostly businessmen and this is because of the convenience of this train. Unlike aircraft, which have to land in airports usually a distance from urban centres, the Shinkansen arrives downtown at the main train station. Of course, the train is not as fast as an airplane, but there are none of the negatives of air travel such as check-in time, taxi rides, baggage carousels, etc. Moreover, the Shinkansen is almost never late - the ride itself being timed down to the second.

An engineering marvel, the train moves slowly at first but gradually speeds up until the buildings, cars, rivers, and baseball fields of Japan start to move quickly by your window. Once outside the city the train accelerates to its maximum speed. The key to the convenience of the Shinkansen lies with the distance between stops. The less stops, the longer the top speed. The longer the top speed, the quicker the trip. because every metre of acceleration distance counts with this train. Another remarkable engineering feat is that the Shinkansen never crosses a road. There are no ‘ding-ding-ding’ railway crossings for this train, unlike most other trains around the world. If the Shinkansen has to cross a road it does so with a bridge.

So there you have it. A little reminiscing account of the Shinkansen of Japan. It is a remarkable feat of engineering and I encourage anyone visiting Japan to take a trip on it. You’ll be impressed for sure!