The History of the Shinkansen

Above, inside a Shinkansen car. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The first time I took a ride on Japan's Shinkansen, the bullet train, was during my first trip to Japan in November 2001.

Since that time, I have taken Shinkansen trips to different places in Japan, from Sendai on down to Fukuoka and points in-between.

Jobs In Japan has an article on the Shinkansen, "The History of the Shinkansen, Japan's Fantastic Bullet Train".

They begin with:

Japan is a country famous for a myriad of reasons. Stunning rural landscapes link the incredible feats found in the architecture of the cites, each with a variety of traditional foods based on the tastes of the different regions that invented them. Natural wonders like Mount Fuji, sites of historic importance like Hiroshima and Kyoto are also spread across the country. Just about anywhere you want to go has something worth seeing. With the Shinkansen, or as its come to be known in English, the “bullet train”, it’s possible for visitors and locals in Japan to see and experience all the country has to offer in style and comfort.

In fact the Shinkansen has itself become a reason for many to visit Japan. Admiration of trains is by no means a modern culture, and the Shinkansen is the modern holy grail of locomotion. Coupled with the highly attractive “Japan Rail pass”, allowing foreign visitors to take unlimited rides, the Shinkansen’s popularity only continues to grow.

Above, a Shinkansen train at Tokyo Station in 2001. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read about the history of the Shinkansen, go here.