SHINKANSEN

Shinkansen - High Speed inter-city passenger train in Japan. The Shinkansen is known in the West as the "Bullet Train". Details on Shinkansen network, history, models, pictures and video.

 The first line, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, was opened in 1964. The network has since expanded to link most major cities on the islands of Honshu and Kyushu with running speeds of up to 300 km/h (186mph).

700 Series Shinkansen at Osaka Station

Speeds of Bullet Train shinkansen

On the most-travelled Tokaido route between Tokyo and Osaka, there are three types of shinkansen, reflecting the number of stops that the train makes:
Nozomi - the fastest and most expensive type of Shinkansen. Japan Rail Pass holders cannot travel on these. All reserved seating.
Hikari - the next fastest, still pretty fast.
Kodama - makes more stops, and generally only cover small stretches of the Shinkansen lines.

Speeds of other JR trains
Particularly relevant on suburban services.
Regular (普通 futsū or 各駅 kakueki) - local service, stops at every station
Rapid (快速 kaisoku) - skips approx 2 out of 3 stops, no surcharge
Express (急行 kyūkō) - skips approx 2 out of 3 stops, requires a surcharge
Special Express (特急 tokkyū) - skips approx 2 out of 3 kyuko stops, requires a surcharge and usually a reserved seat as well

Making a reservation for Shinkansen

On Tokkyu and Shinkansen, some of the carriages require passengers to have reserved their seats in advance. For example, on a typical 16-carriage Shinkansen, only five of the carriages permit non-reserved seating, and only two of those are non-smoking. On a busy train, making a reservation in advance can ensure a comfortable journey.

Making a reservation is surprisingly easy, and is strongly advised for popular journeys (such as travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto on a Friday evening, or taking a train from Nagoya to Takayama). Look out for the JR Office at the train station, which bears a little green logo of a figure relaxing in a chair - and ask to make a reservation when you buy your ticket. The reservation can be made anywhere from a month in advance to literally minutes before the train leaves.

If you are a Japan Rail Pass holder, simply go to the JR Office, and present your Rail Pass when requesting a reservation for your journey. The ticket that you are given will not allow you to pass through the automated barriers though - you'll still need to present your Japan Rail Pass at the manned barrier to get to the train.

(Article based on Wikipedia article and used under the GNU Free Documentation License)