Where is Japan? and What is Japanese Bullet Train, Shinkansen?

Shinkansen
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Hello. This is Tarako.

Today, I would like to describe where Japan is and what Japanese Bullet Train called as Shinkansen is.

If you know Japan a little bit, you may hear about Shinkansen.

Where is Japan?

Japan is an island country in East Asia.

If you are living in Europe, Japan locates on the west side.

If you are living in US, Japan locates on the east side.

Japan is divided into 47 prefectures like below picture. This might be similar to your country.

Prefectures of Japan – Wikipedia

Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is No.13 and it is located in Kanto region (Green area in the above picture).

The prefectures are grouped into eight regions and Kanto is metropolitan area. In the Kanto region, one third of the total Japanese people live! How much people live there!

The best way to travel around Japan is train! because Japan has lots of train routes around all prefectures.

The fastest train in Japan is called “Shinkansen”.

What is Shinkansen?

The Shinkansen (Bullet train in English) is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan.

Shinkansen Route Map | Nippon.com

Look! The Shinkansen network is extended around Japan. That’s why the best way to travel around Japan is train!

There are eight Shinkansen lines as of Dec. 2021.

  • Tokaido Shinkansen (Tokyo-Osaka)
  • Sanyo Shinkansen (Osaka-Kyusyu)
  • Tohoku Shinkansen (Tokyo-Aomori)
  • Akita Shinkansen (Iwate-Akita)
  • Yamagata Shinkansen (Fukushima-Yamagata)
  • Joetsu Shinkansen (Tokyo-Niigata)
  • Hokuriku Shinkansen (Tokyo-Ishikawa)
  • Kyusyu Shinkansen (Fukuoka-Kagoshima)

In each lines, Shinkansen types are different, which might be fun for you.

Let me show you some Shinkansen types.

This Shinkansen is N700S series and this train is operated in Tokaido (Tokyo-Osaka) and Sanyo Shinkansen (Osaka-Kyusyu).

When you travel around Japan, you will see this train a lot since this train runs from Tokyo to Osaka, big two metropolitans.

Series-N700S-J2 – 新幹線N700S系電車 – Wikipedia

This Shinkansen is E5 series Shinkansen and is operated in Tohoku Shinkansen (Tokyo-Aomori).

When you go to Tohoku region, you will ride this train.

This train has “Premium Gran Class” which has power-reclining “shell” seats with leather seat covers arranged in 2+1 abreast configuration. You must be relaxing!

E5 and H5 Series Shinkansen – Wikipedia

Summary

Japan is an island country in East Asia.

When you go to travel around Japan, the best way is train!

This site will describe the Japanese train information! See you soon!

Comment

Copied title and URL