The Shinkansen Bullet Train Network

Japan's high-speed bullet trains

The first Shinkansen was issued for public use in 1964, right before the Summer Olympics held in Tokyo that same year. At the time, it was a marvel of true innovation in the transportation world and, to many, represented Japan's rapid development after the Second World War.

From North to South

The Shinkansen is Japan's high-speed train network and the most practical way to travel across the country, as its high speeds and ease of use make it great from commuting between prefectures without the need to book tickets well in advance, check in, or go through intense security, as compared to traveling via airplane!

There are eight main Shinkansen lines, each of which has a number of services in operation. These services can be categorized as follows:

  • Express trains (特急) only stop at major stations and are the fastest Shinkansen trains
  • Semi-express trains (急行) stop at more stations; they are slower than Express trains but faster than Local trains
  • Local trains (各駅停車) stop at every station on the route and therefore are the slowest.

 

Map of the JR Regional Passes

Traveling north

The Hokuriku Shinkansen has four different services:

  • Asama Shinkansen - Shorter journey between Tokyo to Nagano
  • Kagayaki Shinkansen - Tokyo to Kanazawa, with only a few stops in between, including Nagano and Toyama.
  • Hakutaka Shinkansen - Goes from Tokyo to Kanazawa with more stops in between.
  • Tsurugi Shinkansen - Goes between Toyama and Kanazawa and is often used by those commuting to work.

The Joetsu Shinkansen has two services in operation:

  • Toki Shinkansen - Fastest between Tokyo and Niigata that makes the journey in around 2 hours. Some Toki trains use 2-story train sets and are known as Max Toki.
  • Tanigawa Shinkansen - Serves all stations between Tokyo Station and Echigo-Yuzawa Station. During the winter, some trains stop at Gala Yukawa Station.
The Shinkansen network
Hokkaido Shinkansen: Sapporo ↔ Aomori via Hakodate
Tohoku Shinkansen: Morioka ↔ Tokyo via Sendai
Akita Shinkansen: Morioka ↔ Akita
Yamagata Shinkansen: Fukushima ↔ Shinjo
Joetsu Shinkansen: Tokyo ↔ Niigata
Hokuriku Shinkansen: Tokyo ↔ Kanazawa via Nagano and Toyama
Tokkaido Shinkansen: Tokyo ↔ Osaka via Nagoya and Kyoto
Sanyo Shinkansen: Osaka ↔ Hakata via Okayama and Hiroshima
Kyushu Shinkansen: Hakata ↔ Kagoshima via Kumamoto

 

The Akita Shinkansen has one service:

  • Komachi Shinkansen - Goes between Tokyo and Akita with stops at Sendai and Morioka. All carriages on these trains require a reservation. 

The Tohoku Shinkansen has two different services:

  • Yamabiko Shinkansen - The fastest running as far north as Morioka, although some terminate at Sendai.
  • Nasuno Shinkansen - The slowest one and serves all the station between Tokyo and Koriyama.

 

Hokkaido shinkansen

Hokkaido shinkansen

©Andy Leung, pixabay

The Tokaido Shinkansen has three types of services:

  • Nozomi Shinkansen - The fastest service, connecting Tokyo to Kyoto in 2 hours and 10 minutes. Requires a supplemental fee if using with the JR Pass. 
  • Hikari Shinkasen - The second-fastest service, taking about three hours from Tokyo to Shin Osaka. 
  • Kodama Shinkansen - is the slowest train, as it stops at every station between Tokyo and Shin Osaka, taking almost 4 hours.
Tokaido Shinkansen

Tokaido Shinkansen

©fikri-rasyid, unsplash

The Kyushu Shinkansen, has three types of Shinkansen:

  • Mizuho Shinkansen- The fastest train service, stopping at Hakata, Kumamoto and Kagoshima-Chuo. Requires a supplementary charge to ride with the JR Pass. 
  • Sakura Shinkansen- Second-fastest train service to Kyushu. 
  • Tsubame Shinkansen- Stops at all stations on the way to Kyushu. 
Kyushu Shinkansen

Kyushu Shinkansen

©aun4496,pixabay

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