It begins as a gentle rumble as you see motion out of the window: that slight lurching forward. With a steady gait, the train leaves the station, passing a crisscross melange of different city and regional rail lines also staking out on their journeys. Through the maze of tunnels, trestles, flyovers and what feels like one million buildings, the sleekN700hums evermore to life, as speed limits start to ease and the endlessness of Tokyo … well, ends.

And then, without exactly knowing how it happened or even feeling it, you realize you are traveling at around175 miles per hourand the world is flying by.

TheShinkansen, known in English as the “bullet train,” is the crown jewel of rail transportation in a country crazy about it. Translating literally to the “new main line,” this series of high-speed trains is anything but: TheTokaido Shinkansen,which runs fromTokyo toOsaka, debuted in the mid-1960s, with a huge, interconnected and technologically advanced rail system developing in the years that followed.

The trains are so fast and so reliable that they outperform regional air transportation in the country, which is roughly the size of California, albeit with more island-derived water hazards and a mountainous spine to contend with. To say it’s an engineering marvel almost doesn’t do it justice: from tip-top maintenance to a dedication to timetables to a smooth-as-silk ride, the Shinkansen are simply the best trains in the world.

Tokyo’s Central station, which features historic – and delightfully incongruent with the surroundings – architecture.

All Aboard

Shinkansen trains are mainline, meaning they connect major cities throughout Japan in large stations that usually have other rail connections. Ticketing is oftentimes reserved and can be purchased in advance, so you’re never stuck looking for a seat. Like seemingly every other thing in the country, the trains are spotless, the service is polite and courteous and they are never, ever late. For the Angeleno used to showing up casually tardy, don’t – or you’ll be doing a lot of hanging out on a platform and thinking about what your destination must be like.

That isn’t to say that the platform is a bad place to be. Stocked with the bustle of commuters, air-conditioned relaxation pods, cafes and the ubiquitous Japanese vending machines that seem to be just everywhere (a big bottle of iced coffee? Yes, please), the station experience is chaotically friendly and well-served. Larger stations, like Tokyo or Kyoto also feature shops, dining, convenience stores and even bars – basically, anything you need.

But if you almost missed that train (wetold you!) and didn’t get a chance to snack, in“Green Car”(equivalent to business) class and above, food and drinks can be ordered via QR code and brought right to your seat. In addition to the treats, higher classes on the train have large power reclining seats, ample leg room and comfy bolsters – it’s a worthwhile upgrade if you’re going to be blasting across the countryside for more than a few hours.

An N700 flies by scenic Mt. Fuji.

(blanscape/stock.adobe.com)

Window Seats, Window Sights

It may seem that traveling up to 200 mph on a train wouldn’t allow for good vantage points, but the Shinkansen lines take travelers through some of the most beautiful vistas in the country. On the well-traveled Tokyo-Osaka line (which also passes through tourist-haven Kyoto), Japan’s patron stratovolcano,Mt. Fuji,appears suddenly to the right of the train like a looming beast in the distance, and remains in the view for almost a half hour, commanding the skyline with a massive scale and snow-topped cap.

In spring, fields of wildflowers and cherry blossoms paint the scene in pink, and in fall, the leaves of the Japanese maple and gingko make the surroundings flare up with color. Speeding through the winter snow in the country’s northern reaches is also an experience that is hard to match.

Train snacks? Train snacks.

Of course, the trains themselves are a bit of a spectacle as well, with aerodynamic designs that almost feel superfluous and color schemes to match. While the original Tokaido Line N700 trainset is classically understated in cream with a neat blue stripe, theTōhoku Shinkansenfeatures an out-of-this-world teal and pink scheme and what can only be called a “snoot,” instantly recognizable no matter how quickly it blurs by. Even the work train that performs track testing (at full speed) is a loud goldenrod, and is known affectionately as “Dr. Yellow.”

The trains are so iconic and so popular that they have achieved mascot status – stations feature train-shaped plushes and even snacks like specialty Shinkansen crackers.

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1.A high-speed train cruises past the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest in Kyoto.2.Trackside beauty? Believe it – Japan’s countryside is green and lush – a stark contrast with its megacities.3.Keihan Electric Railway runs trains from Osaka to the tourist mecca of Kyoto.

Train Crazy

Such love for the rails is almost reverent in Japan, where high population density, a dedicated funding model and a populace that finds trains charming elevates the systems, equalling high ridership numbers and an almost folkloric feel to the many different trains and systems, from subways to leisureways.

InKyoto, while tourists stood agog at towering trees in theArashiyama Bamboo Forest,there were a near equal number lined up against regional rail tracks, where warning gates went down often and all manner of train varieties zipped past. So dedicated are railfans in Japan that they have a popularized name: “densha otaku” (literally: train enthusiast). As individuals or organized groups, they ride the rails and watch the trains for the love of it, not just to get to point A or B.

Riding the Shinkansen even once as it smoothly and almost silently rockets you to your next stop might create a densha otaku out of you – it’s worth the trip to find out.

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