Shinkansen
posted November 7, 2004
We went to Okayama this week on a Nozomi 500 Series Shinkansen, the fastest looking of the bullet trains.
We went to Okayama this week on a Nozomi 500 Series Shinkansen, the fastest looking of the bullet trains.
I agree that the Nozomi 500 Series is the fastest looking of the shinkansen. There’s something cool about the 300 Series. It looks more formidable than fast.
The only thing that keeps the shinkansen from being the ultimate travelling machine is that it is (unfairly) restricted to travel in two dimensions. If only it had more of a free-wheelin’, watch-me-fly-anywhere capability… then again, I guess being penultimate isn’t too bad.
yah, how much faster is the nozomi over the hikari trains? i didn’t really understand.
The 500 series Nozomi has the highest maximum speed at 300 kph, though it usually doesn’t run that fast (fastest stretches are through Chuugoku region, I’ve heard). Different train models run as Nozomi or Hikari, but the most common slope-nosed Hikari 300 series run at max 270 kph, I believe. Also, Nozomi runs have fewer stops, so the travel time is reduced that way as well. 30 minutes off a trip between Osaka and Tokyo compared to Hikari. I prefer the cheaper Hikari between Tokyo and Osaka, but Nozomi was good on the smooth track to Okayama, and we got a package deal with JR for the ryokan and train tickets.
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