Fast as a Bullet

It's an icon of the country, a true symbol: the bullet train, or shinkansen...or in common foreign slang, the 'shink'. Simply explained it's like flying on the ground complete with small and mildly comfortable seats, tray tables, and 'attendants'. It goes almost as fast too. Having traveled Japan via plane, train, automobile, boat and bike, I would have to say that it is absolutely the best way to travel the country and that it's more than just a fast train... a ride on this form of transport is an experience in itself.

It can often be necessary to book ahead for a ride on the shinkansen. Particularly at peak travel times of the day and year. Prior to getting tickets, it's important to understand the different types of tickets on the different types of trains: it's all a matter of reserved and non-reserved, smoking and non-smoking carriages, and different degrees of 'express' trains. As one would expect, reserved tickets guarantee seats and non-reserved don't. But if you're getting on the train on the first stop then a reserved ticket may well be redundant, or in other cases, save you from a rough and pushy charge to a seat (people can get seriously determined, so I would advise any non-reserved travelers to be prepared for the challenge).

Most tourists, impressed by the first sight of the shinkansen, take a picture- or at least attempt to as often given the speed of even a slowing down 'bullet' can be difficult to capture. Sure the reputation of the shinkansen precedes itself, but the pictures are also taken because these trains just basically look cool. Despite their age (many have been around for several decades now), they all still look like something from the future and add to the level of impressiveness.

Of course, the fun begins once you're on the thing and heading across the Japanese countryside at 260-odd kilometers per hour and getting one of the best views of Mt Fuji out the window on a clear day. Sometimes, the drunk salary men loudly scoffing back their dinners next to you can interrupt the serenity of traveling by train, and obscure the view of the beautiful rice paddies with their mountainous backdrop, but they do add to the atmosphere I guess. The attendants stroll down the aisle every now and then offering refreshments and snacks (for a fee). Personally I can't help feel a little sorry for the women when I see them - wondering if the job, the 80s style uniforms and perhaps lower sense of responsibility indicate a failed attempt at the 'flight' level... No denying however that it's a great part of the service that I often wish was on every train ride.

All this convenience and impressiveness does however come at a cost. For a return trip from Tokyo to Kyoto, you're looking at roughly the same price as a return flight to Thailand. While I have often cringed at the time of payment - pulling the amount of money required out of my purse to pay for a trip across the country, the convenience and comfort never has me regretting the purchase. Considering the possible disruptions with traffic, let alone costs incurred by the toll booths alone, not to mention petrol, etc, let alone a slow and painful ride on a local train, or a domestic flight that in my opinion doesn't even compete in terms of scenery and convenience, then it's rather an attractive option.

There are many things to take in on a shinkansen train journey, but with the comfort provided, despite the speed, sometimes it can be best to just sleep. Although the main benefit can be getting to that destination just that little bit quicker, a shinkansen ride is almost a tourist attraction in itself, and in my opinion, not a bad way to spend a few hours.