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SHINKANSEN

TRANSPORTATION TOURISM PHOTO GALLERY: Transportation Railways Taking trains Rush Hour Transportation in Tokyo

The Shinkansen are the Japanese high speed trains (bullet trains). They are operated by the JR. The city of Tokyo has a very central position in the shinkansen network. From Tokyo all the lines leave to the West and North. WEST BOUND: From Tokyo to Osaka (Tokaido Shinkansen), and farther to Fukuoka on the island of Kyushu (San-yo Shinkansen). Other major stations are Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, Kobe, and Hiroshima. The Tokaido line, inaugurated in the year 1964, was the first shinkansen line. The trains then already run with speeds of about 200 km/h. The extension of the Tokaido line, the San-yo line to Hakata (city area of Fukuoka) was completed by the year 1975. Future plans are extended lines on Kyushu. The trains that operate on the West bound today are of the following categories: Nozomi: the fastest and most modern train that stops only at the most important stations. Hikari: still very fast. Kodama: stops at every station on the way but is still a high speed train. NORTH BOUND: In 1982 the first North bound lines, the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Morioka and the Joetsu Shinkansen to Niigata, were completed. Further lines in the North that have been taken in service since then are the Yamagata Shinkansen from Fukushima to Yamagata, the Akita Shinkansen from Morioka to Akita, and the Hokuriku Shinkansen (from October 1, 1997) from Takasaki to Nagano (for the olympic games). Future plans are the connection to Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido. The board service on all the shinkansen trains is excellent, and the trains are extremely punctual. The frequency of departures, especially on the Tokaido line, is very high. Every train has some wagons with non-reserved seats, most often at the beginning or the end of the train. If you line up early enough or maybe skip one train, you should be able to find a seat there (in Tokyo station). But it is more comfortable to reserve one. Reservations can be made for free when you own the Japan Rail Pass.

SHINKANSEN Byun byun Shinkansen (Dolittle World) On this site one can find just everthing about the Shinkansen. Shinkansen (Rinpapa Home Page) Information about the different Shinkansen lines. To the North! Tohoku and Hokkaido Shinkansen Line (Aomori Prefecture) Information on the planned improvements in the Tohoku and the extension to Hokkaido. Cosmos (JR East Homepage) The new Shinkansen System. Birth of the Shinkansen - A Memoir (East Japan Railway Culture Foundation) The history of the shinkansen. Tokaido-Shinkansen (Tokaido: revisited) Information about the Shinkansen West bound (Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka). Shinkansen Map (RTRI Homepage) A map with all the shinkansen lines. MAGLEV PROJECT: LINEAR CHUO SHINKANSEN Linear Chuo Shinkansen (Aichi Prefecture) About the futuristic Maglev Project. Maglev Guideway on the Yamanashi test line (RTRI Home Page) Information about the Maglev. Shinkansen (Rinpapa Home Page) Information about the different Shinkansen lines. To the North! Tohoku and Hokkaido Shinkansen Line (Aomori Prefecture) Information on the planned improvements in the Tohoku and the extension to Hokkaido. New Concept Train: 500 series About the new 500 series shinkansen. Linear Chuo Shinkansen (Aichi Prefecture) About the futuristic Project.