I do wonder how much the WWII firebombings cleared land allowing the government to more easily setup the necessary rights-of-way. The 60's was 15 years after t

I do wonder how much the WWII firebombings cleared land allowing the government to more easily setup the necessary rights-of-way. The 60's was 15 years after the war, but still. The Shinkansen route also looks less mountainous than the California HSR routing. They could run the Shinkansen along the coastal plains most of the way.