
The Shinkansen Story [video] - dsego
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3LLgzO_PrI
======
throwawsay32434
Really cool! I like it that the Japan generally is not given to the BS-till-
you-make-it attitude of SV.

The spiritual successor to the 60s pioneering project, the Chuo Shinkansen,
which is the result of proven technology developed over 30-40y continues to
chugging away slowly and silently, at an estimated cost of $80B to connect
Tokyo with Osaka (in '2037).

Musk's Hyperloop's on the otherhand is what you get from SV. BS vaporware,
which would magically connect LA and SF at a mere $6B, with technology which
hasn't even been invented yet! Even the current Shinkansen costs twice as much
as this valuation (in India!).

~~~
JKCalhoun
Agree that Hyperloop is ... hype. But you otherwise paint SV with too broad a
brush with your "BS-till-you-make-it" comment.

~~~
dear
I would go even further to say it's not even broad enough to reflect the
general culture in the US.

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mrunkel
Just rode the Shinkansen last month from Kyoto to Tokyo. Very enjoyable trip,
except (like everything in Japan) at my height and size (190cm/6'3") it was a
tick too small. Even in the green car.

That, and the annoying foot rest which takes up most of the space in front of
you whether you need it or not were the only negatives. Awesome train
(although the styling of the modern noses doesn't appeal to me at all) ride.
Super smooth.

If you're going to be riding, don't dawdle getting off. You're expected to be
at the door ready to get off when the train stops, if you wait, you'll be
encountering passengers getting on, and the train doesn't stop long at the
station.

p.s. Please don't get offended that I said Japan was a tick too small for me.
It doesn't have to fit me, I don't live there. I was just making an
observation. :)

~~~
kaybe
I really enjoy being in Asia because finally everything is the right size for
me. I'm a bit small, and I didn't notice before how everything in the west is
slightly too big for me. A minor annoyance, sure, but what a relief when
things finally fit!

~~~
h1d
I wonder what you really benefitted in Asia in that regard. Having more roomy
space doesn't sound bad and I'm sure clothing won't have shortage of varying
sizes.

~~~
kaybe
One simple thing: Chairs are usually just a few cm too high. As a result, all
the weight of my lower legs is on the part just above the knee and sitting
normally is quite uncomfortable and I usually just.. don't, and cross my legs
to sit fully on top of the thing. (In formal settings, this is not acceptable
however.) I recently flew with China Airlines (the Taiwanese one) and lo and
behold, I could finally sit in an airplane normally. Not recommended for tall
people, but very much so for shorter ones.

Workspaces in the kitchen or workshop are also just a few cm too high to work
comfortably. In public transport, I often cannot reach the straps to hold on
to from the top without being in very very uncomfortable stretch. Of course,
if they were lower, other people would hit their heads, so it can't be helped.

It's these small things that are hard to set up in any other way (one size
fits all) and someone will be inconvenienced at any setup. I'm not saying we
should change things here to accommodate people my size. It's just really nice
when things simply.. fit.

------
ragebol
The Shinkansen is just so awesome. GF an I toured Japan last October and we
did all inter-city travel by the Shinkansen, using a Japan-Rail pass, so you
can just walk through the entry gates. The punctuality is also unparalleled.
On a different train, we arrived well in time for departure, only to find the
train was delayed! Oh noes! The guy at the counter walked up and off the
walkway to our platform to personally excuse himself for the 15 minute delay.
Of course, the train was exactly 15 minutes late.

I wish Europe would have this level of high-speed rail. I'm starting a remote
job next year, traveling to the office twice month. That trip will cost me ca.
6hrs one-way but with a Shinkansen, maybe 3 hours. The continent would be so
much more close-knit with such train service.

~~~
mav3rick
Can anyone explain unlike other countries how has the Shinkansen not crumbled
like the trains in California or New York. Did they bet on the right
technology early on and/or are they just better at upgrades ?

~~~
masklinn
> Can anyone explain unlike other countries how has the Shinkansen not
> crumbled like the trains in California or New York.

Crumbled in what sense? Ridership?

~~~
mav3rick
BART Muni Caltrain all have a lot of delays and breakdowns. Some of them are
also not safe to travel in (but this is besides the technical points.)

~~~
Tsubasachan
European countries have an interest in cutting down on the number of cars on
the road. The Paris climate accord means that we all have to drastically cut
CO2 emissions. Also European cities are suffering from air pollution.

This means that governments invest very heavily in trains and other mass
transit. Trying desperately to keep cities livable and functional.

------
nlh
Anecdote: I was just in Japan and w/ a train-loving buddy, and he found the
fastest in the country for us to take a ride (The Hayabusa line between Tokyo
<-> Sendai).

Super fun! It tops out just over 200mph for a few stretches (obligatory screen
cap from whatever GPS speedometer app I happened to download at the moment)[1]

We rode coach up to Sendai and First Class on the way back after a long day of
wandering around. 1000% worth the experience if anyone is considering the
adventure as part of a Japan trip.

[1] [https://m.imgur.com/a/WBtSgJ6](https://m.imgur.com/a/WBtSgJ6)

~~~
kurthr
If you know you're traveling to Japan and want to ride the Shinkansen, then
definitely get a JR rail pass. They are good for a week (upto 3) of travel,
but can pay for themselves in 1 or 2 rides. They're even good for travel
within Tokyo on Yamanote and Chuo lines (and if your flight arrives in time
for you to validate for the Narita Express or Haneda Monorail).

There are lots of places on-line to purchase, but the ticket must be
delivered/picked-up outside of Japan and you must have a foreign
passport/residence.

Also, the pass is only valid on the Kodama/Hikari (echo/light) trains, but not
Nozomi (hope) which have fewer stops.

The real advantage of Green/1st class is that you can more easily book last
munite at busy times without fear of the train being full.

~~~
kaybe
Actually, they have a trial right now where you can buy the JR passes inside
Japan. The cost is a little higher compared to buying abroad. The foreign
passport and short-term visa requirements still remain.

------
2bitencryption
small self-deprecating anecdote:

after I landed in Narita for the first time, I rode the Narita Line into
Tokyo.

I, coming from the US, was absolutely amazed at the cleanliness and super-fast
speed of the train, which I assumed must be a bullet train because we were
traveling so much faster than I had ever traveled by train before.

Imagine my surprise when I found out it was just the regular train line, and
the bullet train is a whole different beast...

~~~
Symbiote
"Maximum speed 130 km/h (80 mph)" (Wikipedia)

That's slower than the airport express trains for several European airports
I'm familiar with (London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Stockholm, Oslo), which is
unexpected. However, it's probably a lot cheaper than any of them.

~~~
innocenat
Narita Express is among the expensive train in Japan though. Narita Airport to
Tokyo station cost JPY2820 (~$25).

130km/h is the maximum speed any train can operate on a line with level
crossing designated by Japanese law. But in Japan a lot of train can maintain
near maximum speed throughout its journey, unlike what I have seen in the
Europe.

------
wallace_f
Imagine if the US had leaders obligated to resign when projects ran
overbudget.

~~~
ericdykstra
Politics needs more skin in the game overall.

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tokyodude
What love about the Shinkansen, at least Tokyo <-> Osaka is that it leaves
every 5-10 minutes so I never make reservations. I just casually go when I
feel like it, shop outside for a snack, then go in and get a ticket at a
machine and hop on the next train.

This is something I can't do with planes as well as you have to book in
advance, get there early, check in, get inspected, line up to board. Filling
plane seems to take 15 to 30 minutes. Filling the train takes 2-3 mins. And of
course the train drops me off in the center of town, not 30 to 90 minutes
outside of town like most airports.

There's a couple of seasons where getting a seat or getting 2 seats together
might take more planning but most of the time taking the Shinkansen feels no
different than taking any local train or subway in terms of prep which makes
it super easy to use. It's a little expensive, $240-$350 round trip (free
seating->reserved seating->1st class) but I've still made impulse trips for
various events deciding on the same day that, yea, ok, let's go!

I will say China's bullet trains are amazing as well but booking/tickets are
not nearly as smooth.

------
xixixao
Both Mustard and Brilliant look really cool. In fact in this video I wasn't
sure at times whether the footage was CGI or real, testament to how good
rendering is these days.

~~~
Geee
I think it's rendered in a game engine, possibly Unity. The whole video
appears to be put together in a game engine.

------
TravelAndFood
Here's another nice video about Shinkansen origin story from a video series I
enjoy ("Begin Japanology"):
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHCl8z47bL0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHCl8z47bL0)

------
dredds
The next generation Shinkansen will begin testing around May next year (2019).
The ‘Alfa-X’ is expected to travel faster than 400 km/h (360 km/h with
passengers)

note: The fastest commercial train in the world is Shanghai’s maglev train
(431km/h) which uses magnetic levitation.

\-
[https://plus.google.com/117929795458007747856/posts/iVaesHMc...](https://plus.google.com/117929795458007747856/posts/iVaesHMcLav)
\- [https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/alfa-x-shinkansen-bullet-
trai...](https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/alfa-x-shinkansen-bullet-train)

------
pasbesoin
There are a couple of high def web cams of busy Japanese lines just outside
stations, that stream live on YouTube (with good sound, as well).
(Unfortunately, the recent typhoon took out the one by the Italian Park in
Tokyo.)

I've found I can watch those for hours. I've thought of putting a TV in my
office and just leaving one or the other on as background.

They also remind me a bit of one or two domestic market contemporary Japanese
films that have featured trains prominently.

I guess it's probably mostly just a one-off amalgam of experiences that exists
in my head. But enjoyable.

P.S. You watch one of these, and -- as a foreigner -- you realize just how
many of the high speed trains are running each hour, each day.

~~~
atonse
Can you please link to these? I'd love to say my kid would enjoy these, but
who are we kidding? I'd love them too.

~~~
pasbesoin
Yeah, I didn't, in my first comment. I guess I was a bit afraid if they got
popular they'd "go away" or something -- even though they are "buffered" by
YouTube.

\--

This one is still working:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8LY9oqqzXM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8LY9oqqzXM)

looking SE towards the north end and east side of Shin Osaka station:

[https://goo.gl/maps/LqVgRHNWu7H2](https://goo.gl/maps/LqVgRHNWu7H2)

\--

The following one has been down since the typhoon. I haven't tried reaching
out -- I don't make comments on YouTube -- but if it's a matter of the cost of
replacement, I wonder whether the person it belongs to would be interested in
donations to pay for its replacement. I rather enjoyed it.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F-Aw9t1VC8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F-Aw9t1VC8)

Located across the street and tracks (and the other street) from Italy Park,
looking to the SE:

[https://goo.gl/maps/2154UmjBYu72](https://goo.gl/maps/2154UmjBYu72)

\--

P.S. For the Osaka location, once in a while you'll see a commercial jet's
shadow approach and cross the forefield. 2 pm local time, or sometimes an hour
either way of that, has seemed to be the time for that, this fall.

~~~
atonse
Thanks!

------
jokoon
Crazy to know this train appeared so early.

I'm also quite curious about the recent US regulation that was dropped about
wagon weight. Could not understand how this regulation made sense.

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bostonpartee
It seemed interesting, but narration is very slow. :(

~~~
bitpush
2x speed doesnt help?

------
Animats
Aw.

Some of the Shinkansen technology came from BART, which was being built around
the same time. Active suspension, all wheel electric drive with electronic
controls, and automatic train control all started with BART. Now everybody has
those features.

~~~
innocenat
Can I have source? According to Wikipedia BART began construction in 1964, the
year Shinkansen open. Sanyo Shinkansen, the extension to Hakata, open in 1972,
months before BART open.

