Japan's Bullet Train

Japan's Bullet Train

A triumph of high-speed rail and the envy of the world, Japan’s bullet trains connect Tokyo with most of the country’s major cities.

Renowned for their punctuality, with trains departing on time to the second, Japan’s bullet trains, or Shinkansen, are a marvel of precision engineering and have become synonymous with Japan’s passion for design, quality, and technology. Even when a train pulls into the station, every door will align perfectly with the platform markings that indicate the correct carriage numbers.

These super sleek needle-like trains travel at speeds of nearly 200 miles per hour. They have become such an intrinsic part of everyday life in Japan - carrying 420,000 passengers on a typical weekday - that it’s hard to believe that the bullet train network is already 50 years old.

Japans Bullet Train Lifestyle

Train Features

2691 Guests

1,300

Passengers

Entered Service

1964

Entered Service

30 Accessible Cabins

Yes

Accessible Cabins

Life on board Japan's Bullet Train

Running at speeds of up to 320kms an hour, the Shinkansen is known for its exceptional punctuality- departing on time to the second; comfort, carriages are relatively quiet with spacious forward-facing seats; safety, and efficiency.

Carriages

Local and Rapid trains usually boast only one travel class but almost all trains in the Shinkansen category offer two, sometimes three, travel classes to choose from. These include Ordinary Car, Green Car and Gran Class.

Curated by Imagine

At Imagine Holidays, we expertly curate unique and immersive experiences to create once-in-a-lifetime holidays that you’ll remember forever, paired with Japan's bullet train rail journeys.

Japan's Bullet Train Image Gallery

Browse Japan’s bullet train's fabulous image gallery below and discover more about life on board.

Japan's Bullet Train FAQs

Where does the Japan Bullet Train route begin and end?

There are nine Shinkansen lines that take you in different directions around Japan. The Tokaido line takes you from Tokyo, south to Osaka. The Sanyo line connects Osaka with Fukuoka, and fro there, the Kyushu lines runs through Kyushu from north to south. The other six lines either take you north or inland from Tokyo.

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