Shinkansen Notes

General notes & recommendations

  • General
    • Many trains now have internal picocells. However, your phone will still try to handoff to the terrestrial cells, so it's a good idea to switch off the phone to conserve battery.
    • How to identify rolling stock: online schedules do not usually indicate the rolling stock, but the JR timetables have labels for the more interesting hardware. They are indicated by the number followed by the kanji for "kei", 系.
  • Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen (Hakata - Shin-Osaka - Tokyo)
    • Rolling stock preference list: -- applies only to Nozomi runs
      1. N700, E window if possible
      2. 500 series "black sheep", for the coolness factor
      3. 700 series
      4. 300 series
    • Try to get the 2-up seats (D aisle, E window) if possible. These are on the north side of the train and are better because:
      • Direct sun is on the opposite side of the train, so you don't have to close the window shade.
      • View of Mt. Fuji while passing through Shizuoka prefecture.
      • On eastbound trains, they don't face the other track, so there's less noise from opposing traffic.
    • Free electricity is hard to come by in Japan, so the Shinkansen time can be useful for recharging:
      • All N700 trains have power at each row, but only one outlet, at the window seat.
      • Most 700-series trains have power outlets at row 1 and the last row. These seats may be requested at the ticket counter (the automated terminal assigns them randomly).
      • There's a shaver outlet at the sink on most trains if really in a emergency.
    • Recommendation for motion sensitive folks (reading, working):
      • N700 and 500 series trains have active suspension and less horizontal sway. Of the two, the N700 is smoother by virtue of being newer.
  • Sanyo Shinkansen (Hakata - Osaka)
    • Hikari runs that terminate at Shin-Osaka (vs ones that continue to Nagoya or Tokyo) are called "Hikari RailStar" offer extra comfort features because JR West doesn't have to revenue-share on that line.
      • 2x2 seating, so it's effectively a free upgrade to "green car"
      • 6-passenger booth seats available by special request (extra fee applies, I think). They have a big desk and one power outlet.
  • Tohoku Shinkansen (Tokyo - Sendai - Aomori)
    • Trains often consist of a Tohoku Shinkansen (Hayate Yamabiko, Nasuno services) component coupled to an Akita (Komachi) or Yamagata (Tsubasa) "baby" Shinkansen component. Tsubasa splits off at Fukushima, and Komachi splits off at Sendai.
    • Rolling Stock Preference List
      • To Hachinohe, Aomori, Hokkaido, etc. - no choice, you will end up on the E2 Hayate.
      • To Sendai:
        1. Sweet: E2 Hayate component (the one that continues to Hachinohe)
        2. Normal: 200 series Yamabiko or Nasuno.
        3. Cramped: E3 Hayate/Komachi component. This is the Akita baby-shinkansen, so everything is narrower than the E2.
      • To Sendai, Utsunomiya, etc.
        1. Sweet: As above, E2 Hayate.
        2. Normal: 200-series, basic (if somewhat old) Yamabiko, Nasuno service
        3. Meh: The two-story E4 MAX Yamabiko is a compromise. Second floor has narrow, non-reclinable seats but a better view and less noise. First floor has wider, reclining seats. Overall, these trains kinda suck.
        4. Weird: The 400 series Tsubasa component riding experience is essentially just like a normal JR limited-express train, since it's a baby Shinkansen, with all the usual creaking and cramping.
  • Joetsu, Hokuriku, Nagano, Kyushu, etc.
    • I have no idea. Edit this page if you have info.
    • There is a special Nagano Shinkansen run during the winter, that takes you right to the ski lift GALA Yuzawa. Although the ski resort itself is reported to be nothing special, I'm looking forward to trying this.
  • Weird trivia
    • When there's lots of snow on the tracks, the shinkansen makes a weird "puffing" sound as there's some kind of air oscillation associated with the snow. Less pronounced on the super-speed 500 series train, probably due to its rounded profile.
    • Trains only slow down when snow is actually falling, typically causing a 5-minute delay on arrival to Nagoya from Osaka (which is made up by increasing speed in the warmer coastal segment). This implies that there's no mechanical limitation, just a visibility issue for the driver.
    • The emergency stop braking isn't as strong as you might expect. I experienced this upon leaving a station once and someone hit the emergency stop button, and it was about as strong as a car braking about half of its maximum. Nothing went flying or anything. Makes me wonder whether the earthquake monitoring system will really do any good or not. Guess we really need the nekomimi shinkansen.

500 Series run, Feb 2008

The exotic sports car of shinkansens, the 500 series, is set to effectively disappear from the timetable in March 2008, with only 2 token runs a day that recall the glory of the late 90s 300 km/h service on the Sanyo segment. I was lucky enough to grab a seat on one recently.


Arriving at the station. Note "bald head" dome driver's canopy and German designed nose.

Don't be the guy lining up at the front door of car 1, only to discover there's no entrance there. Also, no vending machines.

There is, however, a remnant of a service counter. Ah, the glory days of shinkansen travel. Note curved profile of doors.

Interior of car 1. Note the roof is canted at the front of the car for better aerodynamics. Rows 1 and 2 have auxilary luggage storage because the overhead storage is smaller.

Interior of a Green Car. Nothing special, but seats do have audio programming.

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