Today I have been thinking about the train system in Japan. During several of my trips to Japan I have taken the high speed rail or Shinkansen.

If people from around the world had been able to go to the Olympics this would have been how many of them would get around the country if they went sightseeing before or after the games. I wish that more Americans would experience the convenience of high speed rail and that it would become more popular here. At least here in California we finally have a system under construction.

Here is what I wrote during my last trip to Japan in 2019.

After a busy day in our Tokyo office on Monday I took the Shinkansen to Osaka.

The Shinkansen is probably better know as the Bullet Train, and is a major mode of transportation in Japan. The system connects most major cities of Japan and is much faster than flying.

Do I have the right train? I am at the right platform, so it should be.

OK, now I feel better, I see my train number and my destination.

There is plenty of legroom for the 2 hour and 23 minute trip to Osaka.

I was on an N700 Series Shinkansen which has a maximum speed of 300 km/h. For Americans, that is 186 mph. The train also tilts so that it can take curves faster.

The route between Tokyo and Osaka is very busy and you often hear a train pass in the opposite direction. Two 16 car trains pass by each other in just seconds.

Unfortunately it gets dark early and soon after departure I could no longer see anything out the windows. But, then I was able to nap a bit 🙂

I did not get a good shot of the nose of the train, but it is definitely designed to cut through the air.

When I arrived in Osaka I then had to figure out how to get to my hotel using the subway. Fortunately, it is easy to navigate the subway system as they have good English signage and instructions for the ticket vending machines.

I will close out this post with a warning sign that I saw. I am a bit curious as to whether this happened and they made the signs, or whether they just knew that it would be a possibility and were proactive.

In any case, I have seen a lot of selfie sticks so far on the trip.

Steven