Shinkansen Series 300, 100 and 0
So today was the first experience on the Japanese Shinkansen (note: not bullet train - more on that in a bit). The journey is (according to the internets) some 366km (227 miles) and takes 107 minutes - average speed 127mph (and that is on the 3rd fastest service - my rail pass isn't valid on the 2 fastest types of service). The aim of the journey was to get to Nagoyo to visit the Japan Railways-owned SCMAGLEV and Railway Park. Given the importance Japan seems to put on rail travel, the museum is fairly small, but does concentrate quite heavily on the Shinkansen. A good display of how the network has changed over the years and some of the technology behind it. They have static displays of some of the earlier Shinkansen trains which are not in use quite so much these days. Sadly, no static exhibits of the current generation of trains. They also have a simulator where you can "drive" the latest Shinkansen, and also a number of other simulators for the commuter services (commuter trains are somewhat lacking in the main exhibition). The problem is that they grant access to the simulators by a ballot 4 times a day. When you enter you are given a card with "tickets" for each type of simulator (there is also a "cummter train crew" simulation) which you put in a box. The time you enter determines which of the day's draws you go into. At a published time they then display a list of successful "winners" (you have a card that has your number on so you can remember.) The problem with this system is that it seems that it's one card per person. This means that a lone visitor has a lower chance of getting at least one successful result in the draw than a family of 4 (I think even kids get a raffle ticket!) Sadly, this meant that I didn't get to experience any of the simulators - something that did spoil the day a little. I can understand why they would want to control these things; but at the same time they do run the risk of annoying people!
The museum also shows how much JR think the future lies in MAGLEV - note that part comes before Railway in the name! JR has plans to build a new line between Tokyo and Osaka using MAGLEV technology. They have a dedicated test facility and have clocked up at least 800,000km of test runs (going back a few decades). The latest tests seem to be going well for them, and I think they've had a test unit run at over 1,000km/h (621mph) compared with the Shinkansen's record of around 450km/h (280mph). This would cut the Tokyo to Osaka journey time from the current 2 and a half hours to just over 1 hour (I'm assuming service speed will be a lot lower than 1000km/h - I think they're taking about 500km/h as being standard service speed.) The one thing that did surprise me is that they still seem to using a system where the train gets up to around 160km/h on rubber tyres before being able to levitate. Back in 1992 (I think) they had a failure of a tyre on a test unit. As the unti was being brought back to the terminal at low speed the friction on the burst tyre caused the tyre to overheat and catch fire. The train burned out disturbingly quickly. Hopefully they learnt some lesson from that experience to ensure that never happens again!
So you'll notice I avoid using the term "Bullet Train", preferring to use the word Shinkansen. You never seem to hear the term bullet train in Japan. Instead the services are branded as Shinkansen (and sub-branded according to how many stops they make.) When you look at the newer trains (the 700/N700 series being the latest) you can see that there is no resemblance to a bullet anymore (except perhaps in terms of speed!) The "bullet" idea came from the fairly distinctive design of the Series 0 trains which has since given way to more aerodynamic designs. The latest trains look completely weird, but will probably become iconic in their own right (incidentally, I think the 300 series - far left in the photo - were a bit of a design flop... For some reason I keep thinking of the later German ICE units. The 300 series was hardly a design icon!) It will be interesting to see what we end up with as the next Shinkansen!
The other thing with Japanese trains is quite often on the commuter services it is possible to see into the driver's cab. This was the case on the short commuter train from Nagoyo station to the museum. It's quite interesting watching what goes on. Firstly, the driver wouldn't look out of place on the flight deck of your average airline given the way they are dressed. Of course, there are also the obligatory white gloves that many people in positions of responsibility seem to wear over here.) There is then the attention to detail. After he enters the front cab (the museum is at one terminus) and turns the thing on, he gets out, examines the front of the train and clearly points at the things he is checking (lights, destination display, etc) and then walks down the outside of the train; I assume to check it is OK. Then there is the driving... There is much pointing at things - acknowledging signs and signals, buzzers in the cab, and much pointing to the pocket watch (the trains all seem to have a cubby-hole designed for the driver's pocket watch to fit into in the dashboard) and the timetable as he arrives and departs stations. I'd love to see them introduce that for UK train drivers! I assume it is all in the name of safety as it makes them check things and confirm they've spotted and acknowledged them. The only worry in my mind is that they develop a "muscle memory" of the actions and one day they will acknowlege something as being "normal" when actually it isn't, and an accident happens.
The formality also extends to the platform staff and on-train staff. The train dispatcher on the platform does much pointing at clocks and TV screens when he is preparing to let a train leave the station. There is also much waving of flags (red, strangely) and tapping on the side of the train as part of the dispatch process. There is then the "saluting" that goes on between the conductor and the platform staff as the train leaves the station. Finally, the on-board staff (conductors and catering staff for certain, maybe the maintenance/cleaning staff too) always bow when entering or leaving a carriage, even if they have to stop and turn around to do so. I'm sure I even saw the cleaning staff bow to each other before boarding a terminating service to clean it!
Anyway, later than I wanted to be in bed - early start again tomorrow to head off to arguably one of Japan's most famous icons - Mt Fuji!