Thinking of traveling around Japan by train?

Japan has an extremely efficient train network - and one that, on the whole, you can set your watch to.  Japanese rail travel is invariably fast, frequent (in cities - more on that later), comfortable and clean.  It can also be, however, quite expensive.  Services range from small local lines that run every a few times a day, to the Shinkansen "bullet" train lines that span Honshu.

Japan Railways
Japan Railways (or JR as they are usually known) has a network of trains that covers the entire country, as well as providing services in urban areas such as the famous Tokyo Yamanote line.  In many places, the JR station is located at the center of the town, surrounded by entertainment and shopping areas. There are a number of private railways also operating in Japan.

The Shinkansen
The most famous train in Japan is the Shinkansen (known outside Japan as the "bullet train").  These trains run on continuously welded lines, making them relatively quiet - feeling more like an aircraft than a train.  Announcements are made in English and you feel comfortable from when you get to the station until you come out at the other end.  There are usually 2 services on each route - an express service that stops only at a limited number of stations, and one that stops at all the shinkansen stations.

Shinkansen stations are separate from the normal JR lines and are huge.  Anyone who has seen the large stations in Yuzawa or Urasa in Niigata will know that!

There are a number of Shinkansen lines in Japan.  The Tokyo-Osaka-Hakata line goes from Tokyo all the way down to the western tip of Honshu and northern Kyushu, but this will not be used by skiers and snowboarders looking for the hills.

The Tohoku Shinkansen takes people up to Morioka in Iwate Prefecture and is used by winter sports fans to get up to some of the resorts in Tohoku.  A train to Morioka will take about 2 and a half hours, and the same time necessary for the trip to Yamagata.  There are not many direct Yamagata Shinkansens, but it is simple enough to change at Fukushima onto the trains heading for Yamagata.

The Nagano Shinkansen is the newest and goes from Tokyo up to Nagano City.  This has become a good way to quickly get to the popular resorts in Nagano Prefecture.

Perhaps the most popular shinkansen with skiers and boarders is the Joetsu Shinkansen that runs from Tokyo to Niigata City, importantly stopping off at the ski and onsen town of Echigo Yuzawa in southern Niigata.  An interesting point about the Joetsu Shinkansen.....the construction of this line was backed by the then-Prime Minister Tanaka.  Many people thought that the huge costs involved in building the line complete with all the necessary tunnels could not be justified, but it went ahead anyway.   Mr Tanaka came from Niigata Prefecture, and many cite this as the main reason that it went ahead........

Travelling by Shinkansen is an experience that shouldn't be missed - as well as it being the fastest way to get out on the slopes.