For travelers of Japan who intend to cover any distance, trains are the best way to get around. And nothing is quicker than the famous Bullet Train. If tickets are purchased per journey instead, these Shinkansen trips can cost almost the same as the equivalent airfare - but the range of destinations is not limited to cities that only have airports. Shinkansen simply means ‘New Trunk Line’ in English, however it’s more commonly referred to as the Bullet Train.

The other convenience factor of the Japanese bullet train is probably not immediately apparent. For example, imagine catching a plane. You’d need to get yourself right out of town to the airport, check in early, go through the screening and boarding procedures and then do it all again at the other end! It could add many hours to a journey that may only entail 1 or 2 hours flying time. With the Shinkansen bullet trains, assuming you have an un-reserved seat, all you need to do is turn up at the station, wait about 15-20 mins for the next train and jump aboard.

The Shinkansen schedule is very regular and but I recommend picking up a Shinkansen timetable as the services do stop overnight. That way you won’t get caught out. Stash your luggage out of the way and relax! There are even food & beverage carts that are wheeled through the train just like in the air! You can purchase snacks, hot meals and even alcohol, and the seats have fold down tray tables too! When you arrive at your destination simply grab your bags and alight. Most Shinkansen bullet trains run from stations fairly central in the cities so are easy to get to.

You will find that your Japanese trip is much more pleasurable by train, and you can take in the sights too, albeit at pretty high speed. If you plan on traveling by train a lot in Japan, a Japan Rail Pass is definitely recommended and allows you unlimited travel on JR (Japan Rail) trains for 7, 14 or 21 days depending on the pass purchased. But be carefuly, since many other train companies other than Japan Rail and the Japan Rail Pass is not valid for all train services. You will find the JR Pass saves you an absolute bundle especially since you can have unlimited Shinkansen bullet train travel using it.

The Japan Rail Pass lets you use all Shinkansen services apart from the Nozomi class, which are the current fastest bullet trains. Since usually the Nozomi shinkansen will be a full express service to the destination, you are probably going to want to take the other Shinkansen service anyway to get off along the way for your sightseeing in Japan. A trip on the bullet train is a must-do for the total Japan experience!

TAGS: SHINKANSEN, BULLET TRAIN, JAPAN RAIL PASS, JR PASS, TRAVEL, JAPAN, SHINKANSENSCHEDULE

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 6th, 2006 at 11:28 am and is filed under Technology, Sightseeing, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.