Asia and Europe are complete opposites. It is very difficult for a European to understand how an Asian builds his life, what he thinks about, and what rules he obeys. But all the same, eastern countries attract tourists with their beauty and originality, in addition, many Asian countries can boast a high standard of living and new technologies that have been introduced into the everyday life of ordinary people. Of particular interest in this regard is Japan. Those who had the pleasure of traveling around the Land of the Rising Sun will never be able to forget Japanese trains that cover many kilometers in just a few minutes.
Japan is a country of high technology and patriarchal traditions
Japan is located in East Asia and occupies almost seven thousand islands. This geographical feature affects the whole way of life of local people. The country's population of 127 million lives in large cities. Only less than five percent of all Japanese people can afford to live outside the metropolis, and this division is very arbitrary. Indeed, in Japan it is difficult to find an area that would not be used to the benefit of the state. Every millimeter of land the Japanese are trying to build up with various buildings, as a result, only coastal strips that are subject to periodic flooding remain free.
But the Japanese have learned to deal with this disaster, for many years they have been moving inland into the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, creating artificial islands. A severe lack of free land has forced Japan to develop a high-tech program for the settlement of water areas, which has shown itself very well over the past decades.
Features of Japanese life make the population constantly move around the country. Every day, several thousand people travel from the suburbs to work in their offices located in Tokyo or Osaka. A Japanese high-speed train helps to avoid crush during rush hours and save time.
Shinkansen - High Speed Rail
For Russians, traveling by rail can hardly be called comfortable and fast. The average resident of our country, going on vacation, is trying to choose air transport. But in the Land of the Rising Sun, Japanese trains beat all records in popularity and demand. This is a very special type of transport that can cover a distance of 600 kilometers in just a couple of hours.
High-speed trains and rail in Japan are called "Shinkansen." Literally, this name can be translated as "new trunk line." Indeed, during the construction of this highway, the Japanese used a lot of new technologies and for the first time moved away from the traditional type of railway adopted in those days.
Now Shinkansen connects almost all the cities of Japan, the length of the line is more than 27 thousand kilometers. Moreover, 75 percent of the railroad track belongs to the largest company in Japan - Japan Railwais Group.
Japanese bullet train: first run
The need for new railways appeared in Japan before the eighteenth summer Olympics. The fact is that until this time the railway was a narrow gauge railway. This fact did not meet international standards and significantly slowed down the development of the industry. Therefore, in 1964, the first Shinkansen line was launched, connecting Tokyo and Osaka. The length of the railway was just over 500 kilometers.
At that time, Japanese high-speed trains broke all records, developing a speed of 220 kilometers per hour. Despite the difficulties in the economy, the Japanese government was able to allocate funds for the development of the railway industry in the country. As a result, Shinkansen has become one of the brightest symbols of the Land of the Rising Sun.
Development and features
Initially, Japanese high-speed trains were planned to be used as means for transporting passengers and goods. But this plan was quickly abandoned, and now Shinkansen only carries passengers. At night, the line is completely closed, until six in the morning maintenance of stations and the railway track is carried out.
The new highway began to make profits very quickly, after three years it completely paid off due to the price of the ticket. Even now they are very high. For example, a trip from Tokyo to Osaka will cost an adult $ 130. But for the Japanese, this amount is not too serious; they easily give this money away for quick and comfortable travel around the country.
Now most Japanese trains have a speed of 320 kilometers per hour. To do this, all the old lines have been redone, but the Japanese do not stop there. They are working on the creation of new lines at which the top speed will exceed 590 kilometers per hour.
Every day, high-speed Japanese trains carry up to 400 thousand passengers. The rapid development of the railway industry led to the decline of Japanese civil aviation. Domestic flights are practically not in demand, and air carriers suffer huge losses. Many airlines are trying to attract passengers by reducing flight prices to a minimum limit.
What do Shinkansen trains look like?
Tourists call Japanese trains "bullets" or "platypuses", which is caused by the appearance of the train itself. It consists of 16 cars, the head car has a slightly elongated front part resembling a nose. It is worth noting that the Japanese paid great attention to the appearance of their high-speed trains. Almost all of them are painted silver with the addition of green or turquoise paint. Against the background of city landscapes, it looks very impressive.
Up to ten trains can operate on one line at a time, the interval of movement even during peak hours does not exceed five minutes.
Is it convenient to travel on high-speed trains in Japan? Reviews
It is worth noting that the Japanese approached their trains and the design of the stations thoroughly. As travelers say, everything is strictly decorated, but very comfortable. Each carriage has soft seats; in special machines you can buy coffee and other drinks. During the trip, special people offer to buy lunch. Moreover, judging by the reviews of tourists, the menu is very diverse. You can try traditional Japanese dishes, such as sushi, and ordinary sandwiches, known throughout the world.
The only thing that will not please during the trip is the landscape outside the window. Almost the entire route runs through cities and industrial zones. During the journey, the landscape does not change, and it is difficult to see something beautiful and traditional for Japan. If you come to the Land of the Rising Sun in the winter, then keep in mind that beautiful winters and Japanese trains are absolutely incompatible things. You cannot enjoy the snow-covered gardens, although their replicated views are one of Japan's calling cards. All the beauty of Japanese gardens is concentrated in city parks, outside their borders a gloomy industrial landscape will appear to the eyes of a tourist.
The stations where trains stop are very strict, but navigating inside is not difficult. At each station there are a lot of pointers made in different colors. Even intuitively, a tourist can understand where to move and where to get a ticket for travel.
Japanese high-speed train uncensored
Since almost the entire population of a multimillion-dollar country uses the services of high-speed trains, it is not surprising that the life of every Japanese is connected with them. The stories of Japanese erotomaniacs, who specially travel by transport during rush hours to feel women, received great fame in the media.
The fact is that during rush hours people are literally tamping people into cars. There are even specially trained people at the stations. They work equally successfully in the subway and at railway stations, where at certain hours several thousand people gather at the same time.
Such closeness to each other, not accepted in Japan, became the impetus for the development of a special kind of perversion - feeling. Japanese men are closer to the woman and try to touch her intimate places, and many do it deliberately rude and brazen. This served as the starting point for railway transport being called the "Japanese pleasure train." Such violence lasted several decades and reached its peak by the beginning of the 2000s. The police, to which the detained men were brought, called them "ticks" or "chikans." For a year, the police conduct more than two thousand arrests of ticks, most often women themselves bring them to the station. Japanese women ceased to be shy about such cases and are actively fighting against perverts. Although, according to women, the ticks on the trains did not decrease. Moreover, their number is only increasing every year.
Wagons "Only for women"
In order to deal with perverts, the Japanese government as an experiment introduced special female cars. They start in the morning and evening hours. On holidays, one train includes two cars with the label "Women only".
Similar practice was highly appreciated by the Japanese. They can safely ride high-speed trains without worrying about ticks. In women’s cars, women with children and disabled people of any gender can ride. Initially, such cars were introduced on the most popular routes, but now Women-Only cars can be seen on any railway route in the country.
High-speed trains: routes for several people
In recent years, in Japan, the population has been actively moving to megacities, villages are empty, and some stations are closing down. There are cases when Japanese schoolgirls in a train coming from the suburbs constituted the only category of passengers. Such routes are very disadvantageous for railway companies, but they are still not closed until schoolgirls finish their studies. Such concern for people is very characteristic of Japan and its government.
Types of High Speed Train
High-speed trains in Japan are divided into several types, they differ in the class of wagons, speed and ticket price. The most expensive and comfortable are the "nozomi". These trains are capable of speeds of more than 300 kilometers per hour. The number of stops on their route is limited, many tourists consider them an express train. Wagons in such trains are among the most comfortable in Japan, their design is carried out by advanced companies known for their work on Japanese corporations.
The second category includes hikari. They make a little more stops, tickets for their route will have a lower cost. But the class cars are not too different from the "Nozomi", in addition, the travel time increases by only 30 minutes.
Kodama are the slowest trains, they stop at all major stations, which significantly increases the time spent on the journey. For example, the time difference along the same route between Nozomi and Kodama is an hour and a half.
Maglev - the future of Japan's railways
Japanese experts are constantly working to improve the transport so popular in the country. There are already lines along which magnetic cushion trains are launched. True, while this type of public transport is at the experiment stage. But it is worth noting that the experiment has already proved to be very successful. For example, a new Japanese train, launched in test mode, managed to exceed a speed of 600 kilometers per hour. Several magnetic cushion trains are already running between major cities in Japan on a regular basis, but their speed does not exceed 500 kilometers per hour.
It is likely that in the future all the country's railways will be transferred to a new mode of operation, and Japanese trains will again break all world speed records.
