Nagano, Japan—Riding the “shinkansen”—popularly known outside Japan as “bullet train”—is always an awe-inspiring experience, and thanks to various JR rail passes, I have been able to travel across this beautiful country over the years, from Hokkaido and Tokohu to Shikoku and Kyushu. My main goal (or excuse) to do has been climbing all of the “Hyakumeizan” or 100 Famous Mountains of Japan, and in this trip, I’ve reached the milestone of completing half of this veritable list. There are many things to love about the shinkansen, and many of them involve superlative terms.
First, safety: It is one of the safest trains in the world, having had zero fatalities among its over 10 billion passengers since its establishment back in 1964, even amid Japan’s earthquakes and typhoons. Second, its reliability: The trains will leave at exactly their scheduled time—almost to the second—and a few minutes’ delay will merit a profuse apology. Then there’s the comfort and convenience from waiting rooms, free toilets in the stations (unlike in Europe), shops in the shinkansen areas of the train stations, and the seats themselves are quite comfortable.
What’s more, there’s Wi-Fi and power sockets, making it perfect for light writing, and I’ve written quite a number of my columns, at least in part, while aboard, including (as you may have guessed) this one. But perhaps, beyond the convenience, safety, and predictability, it is the sheer speed of the trains that’.