Shinkansen is the super-express train of JR (Japan Railway Company). It is nicknamed “the bullet train”. It is very enjoyable to sit on a comfortable seat and see various sceneries from the Shinkansen. I would like to introduce travel tips and so on below.
■ Tips to enjoy Shinkansen ride
(1) View of Mt. Fuji
The Tokaido Shinkansen runs in the south side of Mt.Fuji between Tokyo and Osaka. If you want to see Mt. Fuji, the following seats are recommended:
Left-side seats toward Tokyo, or right-side seats towards Osaka.
In case of an ordinary class car, these seats are usually marked as D and E. Other seats marked as A, B, and C are good to see the Pacific Ocean.
(2) Box-lunch (Ekiben)
When Japanese people use Shinkansen, they usually buy a box-lunch called “Ekiben”, which means station box-lunch, and a canned beer, tea or coffee at a shop in the station before getting on the train.
It would be a good experience for travelers to have lunch on the train with seeing Japan’s scenery. A vendor used to come to passenger’s seats to sell beer, coffee, and Ekiben, but this service ended in 2023.
■ History
The Shinkansen started its operation in the year of Tokyo Olympics in 1964. It was the fastest train in the world, so it attracted a lot of attention from the world. Today there are 8 routes connecting major cities in Japan. The Shinkansen is also famous for its safety. There has been no fatal accident for more than 50 years since its inauguration.
■ Tōkaidō Shinkansen
Among the routes, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen is the world’s busiest high-speed rail line. Between Tokyo and Osaka, the two largest metropolises, people travel for less than 3 hours with the maximum speed of 300 km per hour. It carried more than 500,000 passengers a day in 2014 according to the official records by the national government. It has contributed to the growth of the Japanese economy and industries.
