Japanese trains are said to be the fastest in the whole world. What makes the Shinkansen line so effective and fast though is not the top speed but the average traveling speed of around 200 km/h. The word Shinkansen (新幹線) translates to “new trunk line”, which came into use after World War 2. As the old railway system was not able to support modern high-speed train traffic, Japan had to come up with a new one from scratch.
Currently there are five railway companies in Japan operating Shinkansen trains.
The first line of those “bullet trains” was the Tōkaidō-line, connecting Japan’s two largest cities, Tokyo and Osaka
and has been in service since 1964.
The Japanese Shinkansen is the safest and most punctual train in the world. There has never been a Shinkansen-related death in the entire history of its service. The average delay of a Shinkansen train is about six seconds. All Shinkansen in service added together are delayed only around five minutes in total every day.
Riding the Shinkansen is more expensive than flying, but it surely is an experience you shouldn’t miss out. Try to take the Shinkansen for city-hopping and daytrips !
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