One of the best things about visiting Japan is travelling on the Shinkansen (often known as the bullet train) around the country. It’s not particularly cheap but worth it as the train itself is just so cool. I got a bit carried away with pictures I took of the train – please excuse this geek from rattling on about it.
Spot the gaijin! Some bemused looking American tourists give us the infamous ‘gaijin eyeball’ treatment on the platform at Kyoto Station.
The sign and arrow at the top give us a clue that platform 11 might be the one to try for Tokyo.
Here it comes!
The Shinkansen (bullet train) really is as cool as you might think. They make the Intercity look like a Toblerone box on a roller skate.
This is the second fastest Shinkansen known as the Hikari. Our pass didn’t qualify us for the fastest one but the Hikari can manage 230mph which is not too sloppy I think you’ll agree.
All the Hikari trains have this symbol on the side. I’m not really sure why.
The Japanese like to book their seats before getting on the train. This means finding the correct carriage, row and seat. These trains are very long though, so it pays to be standing in the correct place on the platform before it pulls into the station.
Hikari is the name of the train and Shin Osaka station is the destination. All very simple really.
You can meet some interesting people on the Shinkansen. Most people like to sleep though and I wouldn’t advise waking people to introduce yourself.
This sure beats economy class! You get plenty of leg room and comfy seats on the Shinkansen. This picture also shows that they are just as clean on the inside as they are on the outside.