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Standing in a train station as a Shinkansen roars through without stopping was one of the most exhilarating things I've experienced. Worth the trip to Japan jus

Standing in a train station as a Shinkansen roars through without stopping was one of the most exhilarating things I've experienced. Worth the trip to Japan just for that alone.

benbristow 6y ago
It really is amazing! Like being in a wind tunnel almost. Got to go on the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Tokyo and back. Expensive but wouldn't have been a visit to Japan without it as a train fan.
- nereye 6y ago
  It’s expensive if you reside in Japan. If you’re visiting you can get all-you-can eat rail travel (including Shinkansen, though only a limited choice) for relatively little money, e.g. one week for less than $300 and two weeks for less than $450), see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Rail_Pass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Rail_Pass.
  - benbristow 6y ago
    Unfortunately it wasn’t planned so I bought it on the spot. Cost £200 or around 28k yen.
  - ericd 6y ago
    It’s great, but make sure to order it before you get there.
    - awslattery 6y ago
      And there are calculators online to tell you if it is worth it for your itinerary.
  - mlindner 6y ago
    The Japan Rail Pass doesn't let you ride the fastest Shikansen variants (namely the ones that stop at the fewest stations), FYI.
- kinow 6y ago
  Same for me, going from Tokyo to Osaka was an amazing experience. It only saddened me when I returned (New Zealand) and realized how much better tourism would be here if we had a similar way to travel from Auckland to Wellington/ChCh/Matamata/Rotorua. I would definitely save just to travel within New Zealand (roads are narrow/hilly/curvy, buses take a long time, ferry not available everywhere, air travel expensive and limited too).
  - tjpnz 6y ago
    Japan has initiatives like these because there's cross party consensus that they're a public good. I can't see it happening in NZ with three year election terms and the policies of the National Party (et el) heavily favouring road over rail.
    - indemnity 6y ago
      Not to mention, you know, the cost of high speed rail in a country of 5 million.
supernova87a 6y ago
What station is suitable for trying that? I thought they stopped at every station?
- residentialm 6y ago
  I experienced this at Odawara station. I was there at around 11PM waiting for a train back to Tokyo.
  - lovemenot 6y ago
    Yeah, because Tokaido Hikari shinkansen stops there but the more express Nozomi doesn't. Generalising to any shinkansen line. To experience this effect, you'd need to take a sub-express train (still very fast) to/from a station where the fastest train doesn't stop.
- jschwartzi 6y ago
  Some of the lines departing from Tokyo Station are Special/Express lines and don't stop at most intermediate stations. There's a Shinkansen to Sendai that some coworkers and I took on a trip to Japan that was like that.
anadem 6y ago
That must be a real buzz. As a kid my biggest thrill was watching the Mallard [0] steam train rush through our small station on the London-Edinburgh main line at about 100 mph. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Class_A4_4468_Mallard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Class_A4_4468_Mallard
- saagarjha 6y ago
  And here I am amused by Caltrain's Baby Bullets doing the same thing…
  - MarkSweep 6y ago
    In fairness, the Caltrain is double-decker to the shinkansen’s single decker. It is further higher because the Caltrain platforms are less elevated. You can usually get closer to a fast moving Caltrain, as most stations are double tracked (many Shinkansen stations have sidings for loading trains and the passing trains are on interior tracks) And the diesel-electric engine makes an impressive rumble. I personally think Caltrain still ranks well in terms of an impressive experience watching it pass.
- dwd 6y ago
  The HST125s are impressive when they roar through. They pull at your clothes and rattle all the signs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEdE0VXMlac https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEdE0VXMlac
ahartmetz 6y ago
I've had a similar experience with an ICE train going through a provincial station on a very straight track outside Berlin. Unlike in (most?) stations in Japan, there are no gates between platforms and track. I was standing maybe two-three meters away. (Took a step back initially out of fear of aerodynamic effects.) Damn, that was impressive! The roar, ground shaking, and how fast it was gone. On a later ICE trip over that track, I observed that the train was doing 200 km/h at that point. ICEs can go 250-300 or so (on suitable tracks, which aren't many) based on model.

Standing in a train station as a Shinkansen roars through without stopping was one of the most exhilarating things I've experienced. Worth the trip to Japan just for that alone.

benbristow 6y ago

It really is amazing! Like being in a wind tunnel almost. Got to go on the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Tokyo and back. Expensive but wouldn't have been a visit to Japan without it as a train fan.

nereye 6y ago
It’s expensive if you reside in Japan. If you’re visiting you can get all-you-can eat rail travel (including Shinkansen, though only a limited choice) for relatively little money, e.g. one week for less than $300 and two weeks for less than $450), see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Rail_Pass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Rail_Pass.
- benbristow 6y ago
  Unfortunately it wasn’t planned so I bought it on the spot. Cost £200 or around 28k yen.
- ericd 6y ago
  It’s great, but make sure to order it before you get there.
  - awslattery 6y ago
    And there are calculators online to tell you if it is worth it for your itinerary.
- mlindner 6y ago
  The Japan Rail Pass doesn't let you ride the fastest Shikansen variants (namely the ones that stop at the fewest stations), FYI.
kinow 6y ago
Same for me, going from Tokyo to Osaka was an amazing experience. It only saddened me when I returned (New Zealand) and realized how much better tourism would be here if we had a similar way to travel from Auckland to Wellington/ChCh/Matamata/Rotorua. I would definitely save just to travel within New Zealand (roads are narrow/hilly/curvy, buses take a long time, ferry not available everywhere, air travel expensive and limited too).
- tjpnz 6y ago
  Japan has initiatives like these because there's cross party consensus that they're a public good. I can't see it happening in NZ with three year election terms and the policies of the National Party (et el) heavily favouring road over rail.
  - indemnity 6y ago
    Not to mention, you know, the cost of high speed rail in a country of 5 million.

supernova87a 6y ago

What station is suitable for trying that? I thought they stopped at every station?

residentialm 6y ago
I experienced this at Odawara station. I was there at around 11PM waiting for a train back to Tokyo.
- lovemenot 6y ago
  Yeah, because Tokaido Hikari shinkansen stops there but the more express Nozomi doesn't. Generalising to any shinkansen line. To experience this effect, you'd need to take a sub-express train (still very fast) to/from a station where the fastest train doesn't stop.
jschwartzi 6y ago
Some of the lines departing from Tokyo Station are Special/Express lines and don't stop at most intermediate stations. There's a Shinkansen to Sendai that some coworkers and I took on a trip to Japan that was like that.

anadem 6y ago

That must be a real buzz. As a kid my biggest thrill was watching the Mallard [0] steam train rush through our small station on the London-Edinburgh main line at about 100 mph. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Class_A4_4468_Mallard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Class_A4_4468_Mallard

saagarjha 6y ago
And here I am amused by Caltrain's Baby Bullets doing the same thing…
- MarkSweep 6y ago
  In fairness, the Caltrain is double-decker to the shinkansen’s single decker. It is further higher because the Caltrain platforms are less elevated. You can usually get closer to a fast moving Caltrain, as most stations are double tracked (many Shinkansen stations have sidings for loading trains and the passing trains are on interior tracks) And the diesel-electric engine makes an impressive rumble. I personally think Caltrain still ranks well in terms of an impressive experience watching it pass.
dwd 6y ago
The HST125s are impressive when they roar through. They pull at your clothes and rattle all the signs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEdE0VXMlac https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEdE0VXMlac

ahartmetz 6y ago

I've had a similar experience with an ICE train going through a provincial station on a very straight track outside Berlin. Unlike in (most?) stations in Japan, there are no gates between platforms and track. I was standing maybe two-three meters away. (Took a step back initially out of fear of aerodynamic effects.) Damn, that was impressive! The roar, ground shaking, and how fast it was gone. On a later ICE trip over that track, I observed that the train was doing 200 km/h at that point. ICEs can go 250-300 or so (on suitable tracks, which aren't many) based on model.