Shinkansen, the Japanese railway that gets attention from all over the world.

What is fascinating about this railway? Depends on who is looking at it. It is about the punctuality, about the speed, and also about the cool design it has, the scene from the window, and even the Bento (lunch box).

We selected some of the best articles about Shinkansen, and will introduce them in a series. If you have a friend love railway, please share this post with him/her.

What is Shinkansen?

The Shinkansen (translation: new trunk line) is the name of Japan's sophisticated, high-speed, mass-transit series of electric bullet trains. Between its introduction and today, it has carried over 10 billion passengers across the country in comfort, safety and most notably at incredibly high speed. In fact, the current series of Shinkansen achieve up to 320 km/h on their daily routes. The Shinkansen is both an exciting way to explore Japan as well as a great opportunity to experience what is irrefutably mankind's most advanced and efficient form of mass transportation.

Want to know more? Click →https://www.fun-japan.jp/en/articles/1143

1. Hokkaido Shinkansen Line: Shin-Aomori ~ Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto 

Shinkansen bullet train is now connected to Hokkaido. The Hokkaido Shinkansen line opened in March 2016. The line which passes through undersea Seikan Tunnel connects Shin-Aomori Station (Aomori Prefecture) to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station (Hokkaido). Nickname for the types of trains are Hayabusa and Hayate.

Want to know more? Click →https://www.fun-japan.jp/en/articles/1149

2. Tohoku Shinkansen: Tokyo ~ Shin-Aomori

Opened in June 1982, Tohoku Shinkansen Line connects Tokyo to Shin-Aomori. It is the longest Shinkansen line among those under JR East. The 4 types of trains are Hayabusa, Hayate, Yamabiko, and Nasuno.

Want to know more? Click →https://www.fun-japan.jp/en/articles/1940

3. Akita Shinkansen: Morioka ~ Akita

Akita Shinkansen Line began operation at March 1997, connecting Morioka (Iwate Prefecture) to Akita (Akita Prefecture). The nickname of the train is Komachi.

Want to know more? Click →https://www.fun-japan.jp/en/articles/1942

4. Yamagata Shinkansen: Fukushima ~ Shinjo

Yamagata Shinkansen began operating since July 1992. The line connects Fukushima Station (Fukushima Prefecture) to Shinjo Station (Yamagata Prefecture). There is a car with foot bath on the train.

Want to know more? Click →https://www.fun-japan.jp/en/articles/1941

5. Hokuriku Shinkansen: Takasaki ~ Kanazawa

With the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen opened in March 2015 which connects Takasaki (Gunma Prefecture) ~ Kanazawa (Ishikawa Prefecture), you can now get there from Tokyo Station in around just two hours! The 4 types of trains are Kagayaki, Hakutaka, Asama, and Tsurugi.

Want to know more? Click →https://www.fun-japan.jp/en/articles/928

6. Joetsu Shinkansen: Omiya ~ Niigata

Opened in November 1982, Joetsu Shinkansen Line operates from Omiya (Saitama Prefecture) to Niigata (Niigata Prefecture). The 5 types of train running are Toki, Tanigawa, Max Toki, Max Tanigawa, and Genbishinkansen.

7. Tokaido Shinkansen: Tokyo ~ Shin-Osaka

Tokaido Shinkansen Line opened in October 1964, connecting Tokyo to Shin-Osaka (Osaka prefecture). It is the first Shinkansen line in Japan. The 3 types of trains are Nozomi, Hikari, and Kodama.

Want to know more? Click →https://www.fun-japan.jp/en/articles/1943

8. Sanyo Shinkansen Line: Shin-Osaka to Hakata

Sanyo Shinkansen Line is the second Shinkansen line built and began operating from October 1975. It connects Shin-Osaka Station (Osaka Prefecture) to Hakata Station (Fukuoka Prefecture). The 6 types of Shinkansen trains which run on this line are Nozomi, Hikari, Hikari Rail Star, Kodama, Mizuho, and Sakura.

Want to know more? Click →https://www.fun-japan.jp/en/articles/1947

9. Kyushu Shinkansen: Hakata ~ Kagoshima-Chuo

Kyushu Shinkansen Line was opened in March 2004, connecting Hakata Station (Fukuoka Prefecture) to Kagoshima-Chuo Station (Kagoshima Prefecture). The 3 types of trains are nicknamed Mizuho, Sakura, and Tsubame.

10. Doctor Yellow and East i: The Shinkansen Test Train

"Doctor Yellow" and "East i" are nickname of test cars of Shinkansen. It seems like there aren’t any passengers boarding it, so what could this Shinkansen be…??

Want to know more? Click →https://www.fun-japan.jp/en/articles/1852

Shinkansen Base: 10 Places in the Nation where Shinkansen Trains Standby

You can see many Shinkansen trains at once at the Shinkansen base. At the base, they conduct regular maintenance, including cleaning of the trains.

The Shinkansen span over 100 meters across several train cars, so the property is immense!

Want to know more? Click →https://www.fun-japan.jp/en/articles/1829

Shinkalion: Anime based on Shinkansen

Takara TOMY, under their Plarail brand, released a series of toys from the animated series Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion. These toys realistically reproduce the robots appearing in the popular anime series. 

Want to know more? Click →https://www.fun-japan.jp/en/articles/10298