Over 30 years ago, I’m living in the rural town of Shimonoseki, Japan, finishing up my evening jog around the nearby rice paddies. As I round the last corner, my course parallels the bullet train tracks, high above and to my right. Suddenly I hear a whooshing sound and look up. Sparks sizzle off the tracks, the ground rumbles like an earthquake, and there it is – the sleek, streamlined “shinkansen,” a missile hurtling past me at 300+ mph. I imagine myself being picked up off the ground, propelled forward in its wake, a kite taking flight.
What an awesome sight. What an amazing feeling.
What can I say? I’m a fan of the Japanese bullet trains.
Shinkansens may not be the only high-speed trains in the world, but I think they’re still the best.
They’re certainly the most punctual! Believe it or not, the average delay time is less than one minute. Heck, a bullet train departing the platform even 24 seconds earlier than schedule will make national headlines. According to a recent annual report from Japan Railways, the average delay time for the Tokaido Shinkansen was just 12 seconds!
On the very rare occasions when trains are not exactly on time, train companies apologize! if a train leaves the station even 30 seconds early, official delay certificates are given to passengers so they can prove to their employers and teachers that their lateness wasn’t their fault.
Here are a few more amazing facts about the bullet train:
They’re super safe: In the 57 years since the launch of the world’s first bullet train, Japan has had zero cases of death caused by shinkansen derailment or collision. (Except for Godzilla attacks, of course.)
They’re built for power failures (caused by earthquakes): Thanks to a new lithium-ion battery developed in 2019, bullet trains are now able to run on an independent power source, allowing the train to move slowly and steadily towards a safe tunnel when emergencies strike.
They’re super eco-friendly: Shinkansens consume 12.5 percent of the energy planes require and produce about 92 percent less carbon emissions per seat.
Interestingly, as slick and sleek as bullet trains are from the outside, they aren’t particularly futuristic on the inside. In fact, on my first shinkansen ride, I recall thinking, “Wow, this is so smooth and so fast. But it looks like a normal train.” Bullet trains aren’t SpaceX. No robots compete to serve you, no cool, sci-fi elements decorate the walls. It’s not Disneyland’s Space Mountain — just a series of normal looking train carriages with seats, tables and foot rests, as if to say, “This is an ordinary commute. What more were you expecting? Relax!”
Every so often, an ordinary snack cart comes around, pushed by an ordinary-looking service person. But hopefully you’ve thought ahead and purchased your own “eki-ben,” short for train station bento box. Ekiben are delicious, fresh, high-quality boxed meals, often using locally sourced ingredients that reflect the local region. They come in a huge range of varieties and change by the season.
In my book, there is no greater pleasure than to nibble at a tender morsel of your ekiben lunch while speeding along from Tokyo to Kyoto, then to blink in astonishment as Mount Fuji suddenly appears outside your window. Talk about a kite taking flight. Wow.
(It’s interesting how many places look “exotic” from the outside but rather mundane once you peel away the surface. The main temple in Petra, Jordan is one such example. When we all saw it featured in the third Indiana Jones movie, with its classic columns and Greco-Roman pedestals carved into a sheer rock wall, we all probably imagined it must be equally elaborate on the inside. In fact, there’s nothing to see once you enter—nothing at all –just a shallow, dusty cave.
We all travel to be dazzled and amazed. Sometimes the outside of a place is better than the inside, like Petra. Sometimes the façade is drab but the interior is astonishing, like the Santa Maria Novella Perfume shop in Florence, Italy. People are the same, of course. A flashy outfit might disguise a shallow personality. A nerdy appearance might camouflage a shiny individual. The point is, don’t let exteriors fool you. Get to know a person or a place beyond the surface and see what’s really inside!)
(Dave Blum is the creator of Dr. Clue Treasure Hunts, www.drclue.com, a teambuilding company featuring over 150 treasure hunt locations worldwide. He has visited over 40 countries in his 60+ years of life and plans to keep traveling until he gives up the ghost. Dave lives in Northern California with his wife, Donica, and their 18-year-old Maine Coon, Ava — an indoor cat who dreams of one day escaping captivity and exploring her own neighborhood Wow Places.)