Inside the Bullet Train

Type 700 Bullet Train Prepares to Leave Kyoto

Japan's Bullet Trains – shinkanshen – are justifiably world famous for their speed and amazing punctuality.

View from Car #14, Seat 5A

The model of train shown in these pictures a “Type 700”, which is the most recent model, but old enough that Anthony already has a toy version (the solid yellow one seen in the Playrail Train Set post earlier this month). Even better, Anthony's is a “Dr. Yellow” Type 700; The “Dr Yellow” trains are the passenger-less testing/diagnostic trains that run the tracks a few times each month.

There must be a hundred individual trains, in a dozen or so different models, on the tracks at any one time. Most have 16 very long cars, meaning that the entire train is about a quarter mile long (although it feels much longer when you see one pull out of the station, because it seems to never end).

Legroom is Generous
– perfect for a snooze or some light reading –

The ride is utterly, perfectly, smooth, except for a slight jolt when two trains pass each other. When a train going one direction at 270kph passes another going the same speed, their bow waves hit at about 340 miles an hour, which is bound to give each car a bit of a sideways jolt.

Appointed Rounds

You can walk the entire length of the train if you've got the energy. There are food cars, phones, vending machines, and even little smoking rooms for the poor slob who gets stuck in a non-smoking car and can't survive a whole two hours without his cancer stick.

There are, of course, bathrooms no more than a car or two away.

End-of-Car Bathroom Area
vanities on the left, bathrooms on the right..the Bullet Train are very comfortable to passenger