From Tokyo to Kyoto: First time Journey through Japan - Part 2 (Shinkansen)

The Shinkansen of Japan is truly incredible. Travelling at speeds up to 200 mph, it can get you from Tokyo to Kyoto in around 2.75 hours. The distance between these two hubs of Japan is around 310 miles, a little less than from San Jose to Los Angeles.

The shinkansen have three different types of trains, Kodama, Hikari, and Nozomi with Kodoma being the slowest and Nozomi being the fastest. On my trip, I opted to take the Hikari which is a middle ground and stops only at the some stations such as Shinagawa, Shizuoka, and Nagoya.

Once we arrived at Tokyo station, it was extremely easy to find our way to our train. However, if you do want to ride the Shinkansen, I recommend buying tickets ahead of time and getting to the station early just like if you were to go on a flight. The reason behind this is because the Japanese schedule does not dilly dally. The time on the ticket is exactly when that train will arrive. Delays by even 2 minutes would be considered odd in Japanese standard.

Finally, I'll talk about the inside experience and comforts of the Shinkansen. I would best describe the shinkansen as a tool to get you from point A to point B. The seats are comfortable with plenty of legroom but it's nothing special. The restrooms are cramped and limited as expected on a train moving 200 mph. The food offered is a bit pricey so I recommend just grabbing a drink and bento from the station.

Overall, not having ridden a bullet train in my life before, I was amazed by the speed and efficiency of the Shinkansen. Obersving the countryside as a blur as we sped through was amazing. The Shinkansen is truly a marvel of engineering that would be amazing if it were to somehow be implemented in America.