How the Shinkansen bullet train changed travel in Japan

High-speed train passing Mount Fuji

On the morning of October 1, 1964, a blue-and-white train glided through the vast urban area of ​​Tokyo. Elevated tracks carried the train south toward Osaka.

Sixty years ago, Japan saw the dawn of the shinkansen era. The trains were considered a symbol of the country's remarkable recovery from World War II. Experts called the shinkansen "the technological marvel of the 1960s," helping to put Japan back on the list of the world's leading powers. The shinkansen (new line or new artery) has become a byword for modernity, speed, and efficiency in the world of travel.

Today, the typical image of Japan that tourists often see is a shot of a shinkansen train gliding past the snow-covered foot of Mount Fuji.

When the Nishi Kyushu shinkansen line connecting Nagasaki and Saga prefectures in southwestern Japan opened in late September 2022, just one year later, the local tourism industry saw a clear boost.

As of September 2023, more than 2.37 million passengers used the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen Line. Many tourists have visited the places along this line thanks to its convenient transportation and fast travel time.

Taishoya, a traditional-style inn, is located in the heart of Saga City's hot spring resort area, 2 kilometers from Ureshino-Onsen Station on the Shinkansen Line. Since the launch of the bullet train, the inn has served about 42,000 guests, up 40 percent from the same period in 2019.

Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, the inn's manager and director of the local tourism association, said the number of visitors to the inn has exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

Similarly, the expansion of the Shinkansen line connecting Fukuoka in the north to Kagoshima in the south has reduced the travel time between the two prefectures to 3 hours and 42 minutes, from the previous 5 hours. The fast, accessible mode of travel has helped boost tourism on the island of Kyushu (which includes the two prefectures).

In 1889, the train ride from Tokyo to Osaka was 16.5 hours. If you walked, it would take two to three weeks. By 1965, it took residents and visitors just 3 hours and 10 minutes by shinkansen.

Two famous Japanese inventions appear together in the photo: the shinkansen bullet train decorated in Hello Kitty style.

According to a report by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), before the pandemic, the number of international visitors to Japan increased from 8.4 million in 2012 to nearly 32 million in 2019. The increase in tourists boosts the country's economy . An average of more than 220 million passengers used the shinkansen each year in the past 10 years, according to Statista.

Experts point out five benefits that the shinkansen brings to the tourism industry: easy accessibility, convenience, comfort, economic impact and environmental friendliness.

Transportation systems play an important role in tourism development. The impact of high-speed rail lines shows a significant change in tourist behavior. When the ability to travel to a favorite destination is limited due to inefficient transportation systems, they will look for alternative destinations. Therefore, the introduction of high-speed rail has a significant impact on the choice of tourist destinations.

Since 1964, the shinkansen network has been steadily expanding. From Tokyo, there are trains to Kobe, Kyoto, Hiroshima with speeds up to 322 km/h. The convenience and comfort make the shinkansen familiar to tourists and become a symbol of Japan's modernity and technological progress.

In addition, the shinkansen is also famous for its punctuality and safety, making it a favorite means of transport for tourists. No passenger has ever died or been injured on the shinkansen high-speed train network due to derailment in its history. Shinkansen stations are located in the center of major cities, making it easy for tourists to move around their destination.

The next generation of high-speed trains, called ALFA-X, are being tested at speeds of up to 400 km/h, promising to usher in a new era for travel.

A prominent feature of today's shinkansen trains is the long nose, designed to eliminate noise that can be annoying to people in crowded areas. The experimental ALFA-X also features new safety technology designed to reduce vibration and noise, and reduce the likelihood of derailment in major earthquakes.

Japan's experimental ALFA-X train

Witnessing the convenience and success of the shinkansen, many countries around the world have built and developed high-speed train routes over the past four decades. Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Türkiye, and the UAE are all operating high-speed train routes connecting major cities, competing directly with domestic and international airlines. India and Thailand are also planning to develop their own high-speed rail networks. China has also built the world's longest high-speed rail network with a total length of nearly 45,000 km by the end of 2023.

VN (according to VnExpress)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/tau-cao-toc-shinkansen-thay-doi-du-lich-nhat-ban-the-nao-394766.html