Japan may be the easiest country in the world to travel around. The country has an impressive rail transportation network allowing both commuters and travelers to move between every major city, and most small cities, by train.
A subset of the overall rail system is the large and rapidly expanding high-speed rail network, called shinkansen or “bullet trains”. On these lines, these long-nosed trains travel up to 200 miles per hour. Because I’m an urban planner and transportation nerd, I envy this public infrastructure so riding these trains was a highlight of our recent trip to Japan.
Check out this time-lapse video (in 1080p HD) I made that shows part of the ride from Shizuoka, near Mount Fuji, into the Kyoto region. My favorite part begins at 7 seconds, when the train makes a quick stop at the Nagoya station [map].
Unfortunately, some shinkansen trains are not covered by the Japan Rail pass that most foreign visitors buy to travel around Japan (e.g. Nozomi, the fastest train running between Tokyo and Kyoto), so these trips must be booked separately. It’s worth budgeting in some extra money for transportation on select routes if you are 1) on a short trip to Japan, or 2) you’re a transportation or tech geek like me. Even if you don’t ride on the shinkensen, visit one of the high-speed rail platforms in any of the major Japanese train stations to watch them glide into the station. It’s a beautiful thing.
I’ve been experimenting with capturing video and time-lapse photography using our new GoPro camera, but I don’t have any idea how to edit video files… the shots in the video above were actually taken in reverse order (Kyoto –> Shizuoka), but I can’t figure out how to flip them! If anyone knows any good video editing tutorials or classes, please let me know!
Our trip to Tokyo was supported by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. All opinions and photos are my own.
That’s a great video – thanks for sharing it!
Just a note though: the JR pass IS definitely valid on shinkansen. There are a couple of isolated lines where you can’t use it without an upgrade because the rail company in question isn’t included on the pass, and two of those are shinkansen lines (the others aren’t). However, these are pretty rare exceptions. More about the terms and conditions:
http://www.japan-rail-pass.com/jr-pass
The same goes for regional passes, which are mostly valid on all types of trains in a region. You can always check your route at the station office, if unsure.
It’s a good idea to reserve a seat on the shinkansen, though, so you’re not left standing. Reservations are free with a JR pass and can be made at station ticket offices. We made all ours immediately before our train with no problems, and you can even do it at some ticket machines with the help of a remote operator.
Thanks so much for this, Bronwyn! I didn’t book our tickets but I was told by a few people that you couldn’t use it on the Shinkansen, I must have misunderstood? Or the specific trains/times we were traveling weren’t eligible? I’ll amend my post above to clarify that, thanks for pointing it out!
Very cool. I love train travel, and taking the train in Japan was a nice experience for us because it was so comfortable and easy to use. We didn’t ride the high-speed trains. California really needs to get going on this.
Exactly! I’m so jealous of this infrastructure 🙁
Neat video! It’s been ages since I’ve ridden a high-speed train. Those look amazing and efficient. I wish we had that kind of infrastructure in Ontario.
Here, here! I wish we had it in the US. California is planning a high-speed rail project from LA to SF, but it’s being fought and delayed 🙁
We’re going to Japan in July to Tokyo and then Sendai. Rather than fly between the 2 we’re taking the bullet train. It’s going to be one of the highlights!
Fantastic! I’m so glad you are going to Sendai! We had a great time there, people are so friendly and fun! In case you didn’t see it, we just put this post up about Sendai: http://everintransit.com/sendai-date-busho-tai/
Enjoy it, the mountains you see along that route are so beautiful!