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10 unusual facts about Shinkansen


2004 Chūetsu earthquake

Eight out of ten cars of the Toki 325 service (a 200 Series Shinkansen train) derailed on the Joetsu Shinkansen line between Nagaoka Station in Nagaoka and Urasa Station in Yamato; no injuries were reported among the 155 passengers.

23rd World Scout Jamboree

The site is located 30 minutes from Shin-Yamaguchi Station on the JR Shinkansen line, which is capable of carrying a large number of passengers.

Active suspension

2013 E7 series Shinkansen (Semi-active in cars 1-11, full-active in car 12)

Bullet train

The Shinkansen high speed trains of Japan, so nicknamed for their appearance and speed

Gauge Change Train

Mini-shinkansen, the concept of converting narrow-gauge lines to standard gauge or dual gauge for use by Shinkansen trains

Nagano Prefecture

In addition to its natural scenic beautiy and rich history, dating back to the neolithic, Nagano was host to the 1998 Winter Olympics, which gained the prefecture international recognition as a world-class wintersport destination, and a Shinkansen line to Tokyo.

Nishigō, Fukushima

Nishigo is also one of the smallest towns in Japan to have a Shinkansen (bullet train) station, located at Shin-Shirakawa (new Shirakawa) on the Tōhoku branch.

Osaka Bay

There are good transport links (including the Shinkansen), room for expansion (land reclaimed form the sea), and a large local market (9 million).

Shin-Ōsaka Station

The new station was built in 1964 to avoid the engineering difficulties of running Shinkansen lines into the center of the city.

Taizō Sugimura

He first came to media attention for his excitement at the prospect of the range of perks available for elected politicians, including high class restaurants, first class travel on the Shinkansen and being able to afford a BMW.


300 Series Shinkansen

In the early hours of 1 March 1991, this set recorded a speed of 325.7 km/h on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen between Maibara and Kyoto, a Japanese national speed record at the time.

700 Series Shinkansen

Originally designated as "N300" during the development phase, they formed the next generation of shinkansen vehicles jointly designed by JR Central and JR West for use on both Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines.

Bullet train

The Bullet Train (Shinkansen Daibakuha), a 1975 Japanese movie starring Sonny Chiba

Gauge Change Train

Super Tokkyū, the concept of building narrow-gauge lines to Shinkansen standards

History of Kagoshima Prefecture

In 2004, Kyushu Shinkansen partially opened between Shin-Yatsushiro and Kagoshima Chuo Station which opened fully in 2011.

Jōetsu

Jōetsu Shinkansen, a high-speed shinkansen railway line connecting Tokyo and Niigata

Omuta

Shin-Ōmuta Station, a shinkansen train station located in Ōmuta, Fukuoka, Japan

Shinji Sogō

At the same time, Sogō, who had kept estimated cost figures of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen deliberately low for fear that if they were too high neither the Japanese Government nor the World Bank would have supported the proposal, began to divert money from other JNR projects to the construction of the Shinkansen.

Super Tokkyū

The service is proposed by GCTs using the Hakata to Shin-Tosu section of the Kyushu Shinkansen, then the narrow gauge line to Takeo Onsen, then the new West Kyushu Shinkansen line for the final section of the trip.