Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum

This article is based on a visit made on Wednesday, 2 April 2014.

To complement the Edo-Tokyo Museum I visited at the start of my Spring 2014 trip, a few days later I paid a visit to its sister museum, the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum (江戸東京たてもの園, Edo Tōkyō Tatemono-en).  Located in the western suburbs of Tokyo, the museum consists of all manner of buildings, relocated or reconstructed here to preserve them from disasters and redevelopment.  It is somewhat out of the way -- a half-hour train ride from Shinjuku on the Chuo line, plus a 5-minute bus or taxi ride -- but it's worth it to witness a wide variety of time periods represented in one place.

The entrance to the museum lies within Koganei Park (小金井公園, Koganei-kōen).  I had timed my holiday to coincide with the sakura, or cherry blossom, peak in Tokyo, and as you can see from the above picture, it finally paid off here.  Koganei Park may not be one of the more famous spots of its kind, but it was nonetheless abuzz with families holding hanami (花見, lit. 'flower-viewing') picnics.

The museum is laid out in three "wings" -- West, Centre, and East, with the entrance in the Centre Zone.  Nearby in the West Zone stand a row of more modern buildings, such as this photography studio built in 1937.  The upper floor used frosted-glass windows to create optimal lighting conditions inside.

The museum attracted a few budding artists who parked themselves down to paint some of the houses.  It must be fulfilling to re-imagine the building in a setting of your own design, as in the painting above.  Good work!

The far end of the West Zone has a few rural buildings from the Edo period (AD 1603-1867), mainly farmhouses.  The one pictured above actually belonged to the Hachioji Thousand Warriors, the retainers of the Tokugawa Shoguns.

The museum employs various volunteers, identifiable by their blue happi (法被) coats.  These gentlemen were making handicrafts such as straw sandals.

Going back across the Centre Zone, one passes this mansion.  It was built in 1902 and once belonged to the Meiji-era politician Korekiyo Takahashi (高橋 是清, Takahashi Korekiyo, 1854-1936).  As can be seen here, guests are allowed to enter this and most other buildings in the museum, but generally must take their shoes off before going in.

There are a number of nature spots to walk through within the museum grounds, such as this garden belonging to the mansion shown above.

East Zone.  The copper building on the left was the house of the Uemura family, dating to 1927.  The brown building on the right is a grocery store from 1928, with a small tobacco-shop fixture in the front-right corner.

An old (but well-maintained) streetcar stands near the front of this wing.  Also, for some reason there were a whole bunch of stilts for visitors to play with!

A former public bathhouse located in the back of the East Zone.  This bathhouse, in addition to Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama, has been cited as an inspiration for Studio Ghibli's anime film Spirited Away.  This would not surprise me -- Ghibli's office and museum are located not far away, in Mitaka.

The bathhouse had separate bath and changing rooms for men and women.  Paintings like the one shown here depict scenes of nature (the other side featured Mt. Fuji on its wall) to evoke feelings of calmness and relaxation.  It almost makes me want to write about some of the hot spring resorts I've been to lately...  Another article, perhaps?

---

Hours: Open from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM (closes 4:30PM November to March). Admission ends 30 minutes before closing time. Closed on Mondays, and from 26 December to 1 January.

Costs: ¥400.

Address: 3-7-1 Sakura-chō, Koganei-shi, Tōkyō-to 〒184-0005

Access: Take the JR Chuo (Rapid) (JC) line to Musashi-Koganei station (JC15, 25 minutes, ¥310 from Shinjuku station; 40 minutes, ¥470 from Tokyo station; JR Pass OK). From there, take Seibu bus 武12, 武13, 武14, 武15, or 武21 (any bus departing from stops 2 or 3).  Get off at the fifth stop, Koganei-koen Nishi-guchi (小金井公園西口, 5 minutes, ¥200).

Alternately, take the Seibu Shinjuku (SS) line to Hana-Koganei station (SS18, 25 minutes, ¥270 from Seibu-Shinjuku station). From there, go to the Hana-Koganei Iriguchi bus stop (turn left out of the station's north exit and head to the traffic light), and take one of the Seibu buses listed above, bound for Musashi-Koganei station (武蔵小金井駅).  Get off at the fifth stop, Koganei-koen Nishi-guchi, as above (5 minutes, ¥200).

From either of the above stations, the museum can also be reached on foot in 25 minutes.

Website: (English) (Japanese)

Know Your Trains: Type-500 Eva

This article is based on a visit on 23 November 2016.

Edit: The Type-500 Eva Shinkansen was taken out of service on 13 May 2018.

The Type-500 Eva stopping at Higashi-Hiroshima Station.
By kh ws (500系 V2編成) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

There's a reason I've spent the last few articles talking about the Shinkansen.  I wanted to get the background information out of the way so I could show you this before it's too late.  Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce the Type-500 Eva Shinkansen!  Launched on 8 November 2015, its debut was meant to mark two anniversaries: the 40th anniversary of the Sanyo Shinkansen line, and the 20th anniversary of the TV anime Neon Genesis Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン, Shin Seiki Evangerion).

For those unaware of the Evangelion franchise, allow me to summarise it for you.  In the near future, the city of Tokyo-3 is being beseiged by extraterrestrial monsters called Angels.  Humanity's only defence lies in fighting them with giant robots called Evas.  The main character of this story is one such Eva pilot, a 14-year-old boy named Shinji Ikari.  Unfortunately, Shinji is beset with a fragile, emotional state, fueled partly by his father Gendo -- who just so happens to be his new commanding officer.  Furthermore, their organisation, known as NERV, may have a secret agenda that may forever alter the future of humanity...

While the finer points of its plot (and some serious budget cuts near the end of the series) have split opinions, Evangelion still maintains a wide and devoted fanbase (myself included), so much so that its creator Hideaki Anno collaborated with JR West to bring this world to the Sanyo Shinkansen.  The result is the "Type-500 Eva", a special 500-Series Shinkansen running once daily from Fukuoka to Osaka and back.  As seen in the picture above, the train features a violet and green livery evoking Eva Unit-01, the robot piloted by Shinji in the series.

The interior of Car #2.
By Rsa [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons

The interior of car #2, a non-reserved car, continues the exterior's colour scheme with purple seats, green stripes along the floors, and the NERV logo plastered everywhere.  A few of the window shades in car #2 feature images like an AT-Field barrier, or Gendo Ikari doing his trademark stare.  Think you could rest easy with him right beside you...?

For the most part, the unique decor doesn't extend beyond the first two cars, but there are some neat touches here and there.  The smoking cabins in car #3 feature images of side characters Ryoji Kaji (shown) and Ritsuko Akagi.  I may not indulge in tobacco myself, but I couldn't resist taking a peek.

The highlight of the Type-500 Eva, however, has to be car #1.  Rather than additional seating, this car features a small exhibit on Evangelion, including a few dioramas and a standee of one of the characters.  The guy featured here is the mysterious latecomer Kaworu Nagisa.  As a special promotion, his voice-actor (Akira Ishida) did a few of the on-board announcements!  (By the way, I was wearing a T-shirt and NERV ID card I got at Evangelion World in Fuji-Q Highland.)

The centrepiece of car #1 is this re-creation of an Eva cockpit.  Passengers can sit in it to play a simulation game where they defend the train from various Angels!  In order to play, passengers must be selected by a lottery, the application for which is sadly not available to non-Japanese citizens.  However, if it's not too crowded, anyone can line up to get their picture taken with it for free!

The Type-500 Eva is a Kodama service, meaning it stops at every station on the line.  Once a day, it leaves Hakata Station in Fukuoka at half-past 6 in the morning, ending at Shin-Osaka Station at a quarter past 11.  Soon after, it leaves Shin-Osaka, returning to Hakata just past 4 in the afternoon.  There is no Green Car seating on this train, however the reserved seats in cars #4 through 6 are arranged 2+2 across, and are almost as comfortable as Green seats.  Also, be aware that the train is periodically taken out of service for maintenance, roughly a couple of days every two to three weeks.  This schedule is not regular, so be sure to check the service calendar on the official website (the link is at the end of this post) to make sure it is in service when you're available.

Station	Kodama 730 for Shin-Osaka	Station	Kodama 741 for Hakata
Hakata	6:36 AM	Shin-Osaka	11:32 AM
Kokura	6:54 AM	Shin-Kobe	11:46 AM
Shin-Shimonoseki	7:03 AM	Nishi-Akashi	11:56 AM
Asa	7:17 AM	Himeji	12:10 PM
Shin-Yamaguchi	7:27 AM	Aioi	12:23 PM
Tokuyama	7:45 AM	Okayama	12:40 PM
Shin-Iwakuni	8:01 AM	Shin-Kurashiki	12:56 PM
Hiroshima	8:24 AM	Fukuyama	1:11 PM
Higashi-Hiroshima	8:37 AM	Shin-Onomichi	1:24 PM
Mihara	8:51 AM	Mihara	1:38 PM
Shin-Onomichi	9:07 AM	Higashi-Hiroshima	1:50 PM
Fukuyama	9:19 AM	Hiroshima	2:02 PM
Shin-Kurashiki	9:35 AM	Shin-Iwakuni	2:29 PM
Okayama	9:52 AM	Tokuyama	2:53 PM
Aioi	10:13 AM	Shin-Yamaguchi	3:08 PM
Himeji	10:28 AM	Asa	3:23 PM
Nishi-Akashi	10:50 AM	Shin-Shimonoseki	3:38 PM
Shin-Kobe	11:00 AM	Kokura	3:48 PM
Shin-Osaka	11:14 AM	Hakata	4:07 PM

But that's not all!  To generate further interest in the Type-500 Eva, JR West had launched a few promotional campaigns not long before my visit.  Due to popular demand, they announced the service would be extended into Spring 2018, an extra year after its original closing date.  On top of that, they launched a stamp rally.

To play the stamp rally, pick up a free booklet from one of the stations on the Sanyo Shinkansen line, and stamp it at the following five stations: Shin-Osaka, Okayama, Hiroshima, Hakata, and Osaka (not served by the Sanyo Shinkansen), plus one more aboard the Type-500 Eva itself.  The stamp stations, such as the one from Shin-Osaka shown above, are located somewhere within the ticket gates, so you will need to buy a train ticket, or show a rail pass, in order to find them.  (What, you think they'd let you play for free?)

Once you've collected three or more out of the 6 stamps, go to one of the three shops indicated on the booklet, in Osaka, Hiroshima, or Hakata stations.  Show them the booklet along with any purchase of 500 or more, and you will win the following: a NERV/JR West button-pin, and an entry to win a scale model of one of the Type-500 Eva cars.  But hurry; the stamp rally ends on 9 January 2017!  Now do you see why I wanted to get this article out as soon as possible?

Website: (English) (Japanese)

Know Your Trains: Sanyo Shinkansen

Edit 28 May 2018: Updated with new map.

An N700-Series (left) and a 500-Series (right) Shinkansen at Nishi-Akashi Station.
Takeshi Kuboki from Amagasaki, Japan / CC BY

The Sanyo Shinkansen (山陽新幹線, San'yō Shinkansen) is a high-speed rail line travelling from Shin-Osaka Station to Hakata Station in Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu.  It was the second line in the Shinkansen network, opening in 1975.  It connects cities including Osaka, Kobe, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kitakyushu, and Fukuoka, in a minimum of two and a half hours end-to-end.  Its maximum speed limit is 300 kilometres per hour, or about 185 miles per hour.

Times

Five types of services run on the Sanyo Shinkansen.  The full-stop Kodama runs the full length of the line from Shin-Osaka to Hakata, separate from its counterpart on the Tokaido Shinkansen. The full-stop Hikari and limited-stop Nozomi continue on from the Tokaido line.  Finally the limited-stop Sakura and Mizuho continue on the Kyushu Shinkansen.

Name	Colour*	Start Station	End Station(s)	Time**	Frequency***
Kodama	Blue	Shin-Osaka	Hakata	4½ hours	1 per hour
Hikari	Red	Tokyo (Tokaido) Shin-Osaka	Okayama	75 minutes	1 per hour
Nozomi	Yellow	Tokyo (Tokaido) Shin-Osaka	Hakata	2½ hours	3-4 per hour
Sakura	Pink	Shin-Osaka	Hakata Kagoshima-Chuo (Kyushu)	3 hours	1-2 per hour
Mizuho	Orange	Shin-Osaka	Hakata Kagoshima-Chuo (Kyushu)	2½ hours	6 per day

* The colour associated with each particular service on signboards, etc.
** Approximate time between Shin-Osaka and Hakata stations, unless otherwise noted.
*** Departure frequency is based on November 2016 schedules and are subject to change.

Stops

A map of the Sanyo Shinkansen and its stops.

Each of the five services on the Sanyo Shinkansen have different stopping patterns.  Below is a list of stations on the line, along with the stopping patterns of all five services.

Name (English)	Name (Japanese)	Prefecture	Kodama	Hikari	Nozomi	Sakura	Mizuho
Shin-Osaka	新大阪	Osaka	X	X	X	X	X
Shin-Kobe	新神戸	Hyogo	X	X	X	X	X
Nishi-Akashi	西明石		X	X	I	I	I
Himeji	姫路		X	X	O	O	O
Aioi	相生		X	O	I	I	I
Okayama	岡山	Okayama	X	X	X	X	X
Shin-Kurashiki	新倉敷		X	O	I	I	I
Fukuyama	福山	Hiroshima	X	O	O	X	I
Shin-Onomichi	新尾道		X	O	I	I	I
Mihara	三原		X	O	I	I	I
Higashi-Hiroshima	東広島		X	O	I	I	I
Hiroshima	広島		X	O	X	X	X
Shin-Iwakuni	新岩国	Yamaguchi	X	I	I	I	I
Tokuyama	徳山		X	I	O	O	I
Shin-Yamaguchi	新山口		X	I	O	O	I
Asa	厚狭		X	I	I	I	I
Shin-Shimonoseki	新下関		X	I	I	I	I
Kokura	小倉	Fukuoka	X	I	X	X	X
Hakata	博多		X	I	X	X	X

Legend
X: All trains stop at this station.
O: Some trains stop at this station.
I: No trains stop at this station.

Notable stops

• Shin-Osaka: The economic and culinary centre of the Kansai region.
• Shin-Kobe: A port city with one of Japan's three major Chinatowns.
• Himeji: Home of Japan's most famous original castle.
• Okayama: Gateway to the island of Shikoku, and home to a famous landscape garden.
• Hiroshima: The first city in the world struck with an atomic bomb, now a monument to world peace.
• Shin-Iwakuni: A town with a famous multi-arched bridge.
• Kokura: The main station in Kitakyushu.
• Hakata: The main station in Fukuoka, the largest city on Kyushu.

Seating

Sakura and Mizuho trains make up for fewer Green Car seats with regular reserved seats (pictured)
that are arranged 4 to a row and are almost as comfortable as Green seats.
衛兵隊衛士 / CC BY-SA

Apart from stopping patterns, the five services also differ in their seating layout.  On the Sanyo Shinkansen, Kodama, Sakura, and Mizuho trains run with 8 cars instead of 16.  Reserved seats on these trains are laid out in a 2+2 pattern, similar to Green Cars, and are almost as comfortable, although their seat pitch is the same as non-reserved seating, at (an admittedly still spacious) 104 cm (41 in).  Only half of one car is designated as Green on Sakura and Mizuho trains, and Kodama have no Green Cars altogether.

Service	Total Cars	Non-Reserved Cars	Reserved Cars	Green Cars
Kodama	8	5 (Cars #1-3, 7-8)	3 (Cars #4-6)	0
Hikari	16	5 (Cars #1-5)	8 (Cars #6-7, 11-16)	3 (Cars #8-10)
Nozomi	16	3 (Cars #1-3)	10 (Cars #4-7, 11-16)	3 (Cars #8-10)
Sakura	8	3 (Cars #1-3)	4½ (Cars #4-8)	½ (Car #6)
Mizuho	8	3 (Cars #1-3)	4½ (Cars #4-8)	½ (Car #6)

Tips

• Nozomi and Mizuho services are NOT covered by the Japan Rail Pass. Even if you have a JR Pass active, if you take one of these trains, you must pay the full fare out of pocket. On the Sanyo line, services are marked by different colours on signboards. If you're using a JR Pass, beware of yellow or orange text/backgrounds -- these denote Nozomi and Mizuho trains!
• In addition to the Japan Rail Pass, the JR Kansai Wide Area Pass, JR Sanyo Sanin Area Pass, JR Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass, and JR Hiroshima Yamaguchi Area Pass cover part or all of the San'yo Shinkansen.  Notably, they also cover Nozomi and Mizuho services, where the nationwide JR Pass does not.  However, as a rule, they do not cover seat reservation or Green Car fees.  More information: (English).
• Do not confuse Shin-Osaka Station with Osaka (a.k.a. Umeda) Station.  The latter is closer to the city centre, but is not served by the Shinkansen.  The two are still close together and are linked by the JR Kyoto (A) line (4 minutes, ¥160) and the OsakaMetro Midosuji (M) line (6 minutes, ¥230).

Trivia

• The name Sanyo (山陽, San'yō) means "southern mountain region" in English.  It refers to the area south of the mountain range in western Honshu, bordering the Seto Inland Sea.  The name is also used for the parallel Sanyo Expressway and Sanyo Main Line.
• The name Sakura (さくら) means "cherry blossom" in English.  It was previously used for an overnight limited express service Tokyo and Nagasaki, which operated from 1959 to 2005.  It was reintroduced as a Shinkansen service in 2011, when the Kyushu Shinkansen was finished and connected to the Sanyo line.
• The name Mizuho (みずほ) means "harvest", or literally, "abundant rice" in English.  It was previously used for an overnight limited express service between Tokyo and Kumamoto, which operated from 1961 to 1994.  It was reintroduced as a Shinkansen service in 2011, along with the Sakura.
• A special Kodama service decorated in the theme of the TV anime Neon Genesis Evangelion had run on the Sanyo Shinkansen from November 2015 through May 2018.  Known as the "Type-500 Eva", it ran once daily from Hakata to Shin-Osaka in the morning, and back in the afternoon.  I had a chance to ride this train myself, and have posted more information in a separate article.
• After the Evangelion Shinkansen was retired, a new Hello Kitty-themed service was introduced to replace it.  It made its debut on 30 June 2018.

Know Your Trains: Tokaido Shinkansen

Edit 26 May 2018: Updated with a new map.

An N700-Series Shinkansen train running in front of Mount Fuji.
tansaisuketti / CC BY-SA

The Tokaido Shinkansen (東海道新幹線, Tōkaidō Shinkansen) is a high-speed rail line travelling from Tokyo Station to Shin-Osaka Station. Opened in October 1964 to coincide with the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, this was the world's first high-speed rail line.  Even today, it remains the most used high-speed rail line in the world, transporting a cumulative total of 5.6 billion passengers over its 50-year-plus history [1].  It connects cities including Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka, in a minimum of two and a half hours end-to-end.  Its maximum speed limit is 285 kilometres per hour, or about 175 miles per hour.

Times

Three types of services run on the Tokaido Shinkansen: the full-stop Kodama, and the limited-stop Hikari and Nozomi.  Some Kodama services end early at Nagoya.  Most Hikari and Nozomi services, on the other hand, continue on to the Sanyo Shinkansen, ending as far as Hakata Station in Fukuoka.

Name	Colour*	Start Station	End Station(s)	Time	Frequency**
Kodama	Blue	Tokyo	Nagoya	3 hours	1 per hour
			Shin-Osaka	4 hours	1 per hour
Hikari	Red	Tokyo	Shin-Osaka Okayama/Hiroshima (Sanyo)	3 hours	2 per hour
Nozomi	Yellow	Tokyo	Shin-Osaka Hakata (Sanyo)	2½ hours	6 per hour

* The colour associated with each particular service on signboards, etc.
** Departure frequency is based on April 2018 schedules and is subject to change.

Stops

A map of the Tokaido Shinkansen and its stops.

Each of the three services on the Tokaido Shinkansen have different stopping patterns.  Below is a list of stations on the line, along with the stopping patterns of all three services.

Name (English)	Name (Japanese)	Prefecture	Kodama	Hikari	Nozomi
Tokyo	東京	Tokyo	X	X	X
Shinagawa	品川		X	X	X
Shin-Yokohama	新横浜	Yokohama	X	X	X
Odawara	小田原	Kanagawa	X	O	I
Atami	熱海	Shizuoka	X	O	I
Mishima	三島		X	O	I
Shin-Fuji	新富士		X	I	I
Shizuoka	静岡		X	O	I
Kakegawa	掛川		X	I	I
Hamamatsu	浜松		X	O	I
Toyohashi	豊橋	Aichi	X	O	I
Mikawa-Anjo	三河安城		X	I	I
Nagoya	名古屋		X	X	X
Gifu-Hashima	岐阜羽島	Gifu	X	O	I
Maibara	米原	Shiga	X	O	I
Kyoto	京都	Kyoto	X	X	X
Shin-Osaka	新大阪	Osaka	X	X	X

Legend
X: All trains stop at this station.
O: Some trains stop at this station.
I: No trains stop at this station.

Notable stops

• Tokyo / Shinagawa: The largest city in Japan and the world.
• Shin-Yokohama: Japan's second-largest city, with one of the country's most famous Chinatowns.
• Odawara: Gateway to the Hakone hot springs resort area.
• Mishima / Shin-Fuji: Gateways to Mt. Fuji from western cities.
• Nagoya: An economic centre with industrial and historical sites.
• Kyoto: Japan's history-laden former capital city.
• Shin-Osaka: The economic and culinary centre of the Kansai region.

Seating

Apart from stopping patterns, the three services also differ in their seating layout.  Nozomi trains dedicate more of their cars for reserved seating, whereas Hikari and Kodama trains have more non-reserved seats.

Service	Total Cars	Non-Reserved Cars	Reserved Cars	Green Cars
Kodama	16	10 (Cars #1-7, 13-15)	3 (Cars #11-12, 16)	3 (Cars #8-10)
Hikari	16	5 (Cars #1-5)	8 (Cars #6-7, 11-16)	3 (Cars #8-10)
Nozomi	16	3 (Cars #1-3)	10 (Cars #4-7, 11-16)	3 (Cars #8-10)

Tips

• Nozomi services are NOT covered by the Japan Rail Pass.  Even if you have a JR Pass active, if you take one of these trains, you must pay the full fare out of pocket.  On the Tokaido line, services are marked by different colours on signboards.  If you're using a JR Pass, beware of yellow text/backgrounds -- this denotes a Nozomi train!
• The "Platt Kodama" travel plan, offered by JR Tokai Tours, is a package which includes a ticket for a one-way ride on any Kodama train, and a voucher one free soft drink or beer.  This package can save users ¥2,000 to ¥4,000 over regular fares.
• Multiple regional passes sold by JR East and JR West cover some regular trains in the areas crossed by the Tokaido Shinkansen, but do not cover the Tokaido Shinkansen itself, which is instead owned by JR Central.
• If departing from, or arriving at, Tokyo, you may want to consider using Shinagawa Station instead of the eponymous Tokyo Station.  Shinagawa serves some of the same JR lines as Tokyo (Yamanote (JY), Keihin-Tohoku (JK), Tokaido (JT), and Yokosuka (JO)), but is somewhat smaller and more manageable.  It also serves the Keikyu Main Line, which goes to Haneda Airport on one end, and through the Asakusa Subway (A) line on the other.
• Some Kodama trains terminate at Nagoya.  If you wish to use a Kodama train to get to Kyoto or Osaka, please be mindful of your train's terminal station before boarding.
• Most trains continue beyond Shin-Osaka station on to the San'yo Shinkansen.  Most Nozomi trains terminate at Hakata Station in Fukuoka, and Hikari trains terminate at Okayama or Hiroshima stations.
• Do not confuse Shin-Osaka Station with Osaka (a.k.a. Umeda) Station. The latter is closer to the city centre, but is not served by the Shinkansen.  The two are still close together and are linked by the JR Kyoto (A) line (4 minutes, ¥160) and the OsakaMetro Midosuji (M) subway (6 minutes, ¥230).
• On the older 700-Series trains, cars #10, 15, and 16 are smoking.  All cars are non-smoking on the newer and more common N700-Series trains; smoking rooms are available at the ends of certain cars.
• It is possible to see Mount Fuji from the Tokaido Shinkansen, between Mishima and Shin-Fuji stations.  Look to the right when heading for Osaka, or to the left when bound for Tokyo.  If you wish to reserve a seat where you can see Mt. Fuji, get a seat in row E for regular cars, or row D for Green Cars; this is true whether the train is going to or from Tokyo.

Signboards on the outside of a Nozomi train.  If you have a Japan Rail Pass, beware of the yellow background!!
JKT-c / CC BY

Trivia

• The name Tokaido (東海道, Tōkaidō) means "eastern sea road" in English.  It originally referred to a road linking Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto during the Edo period.  The old road roughly paralleled the modern-day Tokaido Main Line and Tokaido Shinkansen.
• The name Kodama (こだま) means "echo" in English.  It was previously used for a limited express service, running between Tokyo and Osaka in under 7 hours one-way.  At the time, this was the first train service with which it was possible to travel from Tokyo to Osaka and back in one day, hence the name "echo".  It operated from 1958 to 1964, ending the day before the Tokaido Shinkansen launched.
• The name Hikari (ひかり) means "light" in English.  It was previously used for a limited express service, running between Fukuoka and Beppu.  Like the old Kodama, it operated from 1958 to 1964, ending the day before the Tokaido Shinkansen launched.
• The name Nozomi (のぞみ) means "hope" or "wish" in English.  The Nozomi service was added in 1992, and used faster trains to cut the time between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka from 3 hours to 2½ hours.  Hikari used to have a similar limited-stop pattern as the Nozomi; additional stops were added to the Hikari's schedules to let Nozomi trains pass.

[1] "About the Shinkansen: Outline".  Central Japan Railway Company.  Retrieved 1 December 2016. http://english.jr-central.co.jp/about/outline.html

Know Your Trains: The Shinkansen

All information is current as of the date this article was last updated.

Edit 6 April 2018: Added information about using IC cards to board the Shinkansen.

Trains are such an invaluable method of transportation in Japan, both for domestic citizens and foreign visitors, that I've decided to start a new series of articles called "Know Your Trains".  Each of these articles will be dedicated to either a certain train line or a specific service.  And in the world of Japanese rail travel, what more notable place to start is there than the Shinkansen network?

A 700-Series Shinkansen train near Hamamatsu station.

The Shinkansen (新幹線, lit. 'new trunk line'), also commonly known as the "bullet train", is the network of high-speed trains in Japan, run by the Japan Railways (JR) group.  Debuting in 1964 to coincide with the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the Shinkansen was the world’s first high-speed rail service. Today, there are eight different Shinkansen lines traversing the country.  They are famous for their speed, punctuality, comfort, and safety.

A map of the Shinkansen network. (Current as of March 2017, when the planned Hokuriku Shinkansen route between Tsurugi and Shin-Osaka was announced.)
Hisagi [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

As of 2016, there are 9 different Shinkansen lines connecting cities across the main islands of Honshu, Kyushu, and Hokkaido.  A quick overview of these lines, in order of debut, is below:

Name	Operator	Debut	Service	Top Speed
Tokaido Shinkansen	JR Central	1964	Tokyo - Shin-Osaka	285 km/h (175 mph)
Sanyo Shinkansen	JR West	1972 - 1975*	Shin-Osaka - Hakata	300 km/h (185 mph)
Tohoku Shinkansen	JR East	1982 - 2010*	Tokyo - Shin-Aomori	320 km/h (200 mph)
Joetsu Shinkansen	JR East	1982	Tokyo - Niigata	240 km/h (150 mph)
Yamagata Shinkansen**	JR East	1992	Fukushima - Shinjo	130 km/h (80 mph)
Akita Shinkansen**	JR East	1997	Morioka - Akita	130 km/h (80 mph)
Hokuriku Shinkansen	JR East / JR West***	1997 - 2015*	Tokyo - Kanazawa	260 km/h (160 mph)
Kyushu Shinkansen	JR Kyushu	2004 - 2011*	Hakata - Kagoshima-Chuo	260 km/h (160 mph)
Hokkaido Shinkansen	JR Hokkaido	2016	Shin-Aomori - Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto	260 km/h (160 mph)

* The first year refers to the initial debut of the line, and the second year refers to the debut of the (currently) complete line.
** Marked lines are known as "Mini-Shinkansen", meaning they share their tracks with regular trains, and thus have a lower speed limit. Trains on both the Yamagata and Akita Shinkansen are coupled with other services on the Tohoku Shinkansen, then diverge on to their branch lines at certain points.
*** The Hokuriku Shinkansen is jointly owned by JR East between Tokyo and Itoigawa stations, and by JR West between Itoigawa and Kanazawa.

There are plenty of future plans for the Shinkansen network, both extensions of existing lines and entirely new lines.  (Please note that all plans are subject to change.)

• The Hokuriku Shinkansen will be extended from Kanazawa to Tsurugi in 2022-23.  Later on, sometime in the 2040s, it will be extended further to Obama, Kyoto, and Shin-Osaka.
• A branch line of the Kyushu Shinkansen, to Nagasaki, will partially debut in 2023-24.  At the moment, it is planned to stay separated from the main Kyushu Shinkansen.
• The Hokkaido Shinkansen will be extended from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto to Sapporo in 2030-31.
• The Chuo Shinkansen, a new line using maglev technology, will open between Tokyo and Nagoya in 2027, and will be extended to Osaka by as early as 2037.  Trains on the Chuo line will travel at up to 505 km/h (315 mph), reaching Nagoya in only 40 minutes, and Osaka in 65 minutes.

Seating in the regular (left) and Green Car (right) sections of a W7-series train on the Hokuriku Shinkansen.
Taken on Thursday, 17 May 2018.

Seating on the Shinkansen is very comfortable.  Virtually all seats can recline and offer no less than 100 centimetres / 40 inches of seat pitch, more so than economy seats on most airlines. They are divided into the following categories:

• Non-Reserved: Non-reserved seats are laid out in a 3+2 pattern, or in other words, 3 seats on one side of the aisle, and 2 on the other side.  They have a seat pitch of 104cm (41 inches), and a width of 44cm (17 in.). Electricity outlets are available for window seats, or all seats on some newer trains, such as the E7/W7 trains on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. When using a non-reserved ticket, just use any available seat in the car. If using a Japan Rail Pass, there is no need to get a ticket beforehand; simply show your pass when going through the ticket gates.
• Reserved: Reserved seats are generally the same as non-reserved seats (except for trains on the San’yo and Kyushu lines, which are closer to Green Car seats in terms of layout). The difference is that when purchasing your ticket, you are assigned a specific seat. Reserved tickets cost a few hundred yen on top of the ticket price. If using a JR Pass, you can book seats for free.
• Green Car: Similar to business class on airplanes, Green Car seats are the next level up in comfort. Seats are laid out in a 2+2 pattern, offering greater seat width. Seat pitch is around 116cm (46 in.), seat width is 48cm (19 in.), and seats may have leg rests in addition to footrests. Electricity outlets are available for all seats. All Green Car seating is reserved.  Green Car tickets cost up to one-and-a-half times as much as regular tickets.  If using a JR Pass with a Green Car option, you can book these seats for free. If you have a regular JR Pass and wish to book a Green Car seat nonetheless, you will have to pay a supplement fee, including Green Car surcharges.
• GranClass: Offered on some services on the Tohoku, Hokkaido, and Hokuriku lines, GranClass is even more luxurious than the Green Car. Seating is arranged in a 2+1 layout.  GranClass tickets cost up to twice as much as regular tickets.  If using a JR Pass, even the Green Car version, you will need to pay a supplement fee for GranClass seats. 

Amenities aboard Shinkansen trains are comparable to, if not above, those of commercial airplanes.  Western-style toilets are available at the ends of some cars, in addition to trash receptacles, separate smoking rooms (virtually all Shinkansen cars today are non-smoking), and even drink vending machines.  Refreshment carts also travel down the aisles periodically, selling various drinks and snacks.  As for luggage storage, there are overhead shelves and some extra space behind the last row of seats in each car, but those travelling with larger suitcases may have trouble storing them.

The "Midori no Madoguchi" logo used for JR's ticket counters, seen at Hiroshima Station.

So, how do you use the Shinaksen?

1. Purchase your ticket. This may be done at ticket windows marked either as “Shinkansen Tickets” or with the “Midori no Madoguchi ('green window')” logo (pictured above). You will receive two tickets: one is for the base fare (the equivalent of taking regular trains to your destination), and the other is for the Shinkansen supplement fare (including reservation, Green Car, and other applicable fees).
2. Enter the regular ticket gates. Insert your base-fare ticket into the gates, or show it to the attendant. If using a Japan Rail Pass, you cannot use the automatic gates; simply show your pass to the attendant.
3. Within the ticket zone, enter the separate Shinkansen ticket gates. Insert both the base-fare and Shinaksen supplement tickets into the machine simultaneously -- DO NOT STAPLE THEM TOGETHER -- or show them to the attendant. Again, if using a JR Pass, show it to the attendant. Note: In some stations, you may be able to enter the Shinkansen fare zone directly, without needing to go through the base fare zone first.
4. Locate your train and platform. The display boards (example pictured below) listing upcoming trains alternate between Japanese and English.
5. Once you have identified your train and its track, locate and board the appropriate platform. Line up behind the floor marker for your desired car.
6. Board your train when it arrives. Shinkansen trains wait for a minute or two at each station before departing, longer than regular trains.
7. The PA system will make an announcement, in Japanese followed by English, a few minutes before stopping at a station. If the car has a display board, the station’s name will be displayed as well. When the train is about to arrive at your destination, prepare to disembark.
8. Upon disembarking, exit through the Shinkansen and/or regular ticket gates as needed. Make sure you have your tickets and/or JR Pass available.

As a rule, IC cards (Suica, Pasmo, Icoca, etc.) can not be used to get on the Shinkansen.  However, a few exceptions have recently been implemented:

1. As of September 2017, it is possible to use IC cards to board the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen.  How it works is: you register an IC card and credit card together online, via smartex.jp.  When you book tickets in this fashion, the cost is not deducted from your IC card, but instead billed to your credit card.  When you enter your departing station, you can then simply tap in at the gates with your IC card.  There is an English-language mobile app, called "smartEX", from which you can do so; however, it is only available for citizens of the USA, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.  It is not possible to use this service with a Japan Rail Pass.  More information: (English) (Japanese)
2. As of April 2018, it is possible to use IC cards to take non-reserved seats on certain Shinkansen lines within the Kanto region.  This includes the Tohoku Shinkansen between Tokyo and Nasu-Shiobara, the Joetsu Shinkansen between Tokyo and Jomo-Kogen, and the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Tokyo and Annaka-Haruna.  Before doing so, you must register your IC card at a ticket machine; this service is called "Touch de Go!" (タッチでGo!).  The cost is deducted from your IC card's balance.  More information: (Japanese)

A signboard at Shin-Osaka Station listing upcoming Sanyo Shinkansen services.

Please be aware that different Shinkansen services have different stopping patterns. Do research ahead of time to be certain that your train will stop at your desired destination. I will write separate articles for each of the Shinkansen lines to provide more detailed information on their stopping patterns and more.

Suginami Animation Museum

This article is based on a visit made on Wednesday, 2 April 2016.

Suginami, a ward in the western suburbs of Tokyo, is home to a number of anime production companies. Thus, it is only fitting that a museum dedicated to animation can also be found in the area. The Suginami Animation Museum (杉並アニメーションミュージアム, Suginami Animēshon Myūjiamu) is small and somewhat out of the way, but is free to enter.

If you're taking the bus, you'll want to get off at this police station, only 5 minutes from Ogikubo Station.

The bottom of this banner features Piipo-kun (on the right), the mascot of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

The museum is only a short walk away from the police station.  The outer walls of the museum building are decorated with reliefs of various anime characters. Can you name them all...?

Upon entering the building, take an elevator to the 3rd floor to enter the museum. It is laid out across three tiers. Visitors may take pictures of the lower and upper tiers, but not the middle (where I am actually looking from).

The reception desk stands in front of this column, where all manner of anime and manga creators have left their marks, in signature and sketch forms.

A curved wall off to the left displays a chronological list of anime shows. TVs from across the decades loop anime clips of their respective eras.

Giant robots have been a staple of anime since the mid-20th century. Mecha from the Mobile Suit Gundam (機動戦士ガンダム, Kidō Senshi Gandamu, lit. 'Mobile Fighter Gundam') franchise, which debuted in 1979, are standing beside the TV on the right. Behind them are figures of the time-travelling cat Doraemon (ドラえもん), another famous mascot character.

"You wa Shock!" This immortal, semi-English line comes to us from the opening theme song of Fist of the North Star (北斗の拳, Hokuto no Ken).

Near the back of this floor, one can learn about what work goes into the animation process. Back to the right of this shot, you can even try your hand at recording a voice track, but it's probably best if you know how to read and speak Japanese.

Why, hello there, beautiful! These statues are characters from the 2007 film Brave Story, based on a light novel of the same name. The movie was dubbed to English, but was never released in North America.

Re-creations of different animators' desks are displayed to describe various steps of the animation process. You can see how technology has evolved the process over time, with today's productions marrying hand-drawn lines with computer colouring. Even I learned a few insights from all this.

Visitors can try their hand at drawing at one of the lightboxes or computers in this mock studio. Fun fact: When I attended AnimeNEXT 2016 (an anime convention in Atlantic City, NJ), I got almost the exact same Kill la Kill poster as the one in back, and I even got it autographed by some people who worked on the show!

At one of the lightboxes, I traced this picture of Pinoko and Black Jack, from the anime of the same name. Created by Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion), Black Jack is about the adventures of a mysterious, unconventional, and miraculous surgeon of the same name.

The upper tier of the museum is home to rotating exhibits, such as this short film about ghostly yokai. Its name eludes me at the moment, however.

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Hours: Open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Admission ends 30 minutes before closing time. Closed on Mondays, and from 28 December to 4 January. Open on national holidays, but closed the day after.

Costs: Free.

Address: 3-29-5 Kamiogi, Suginami-ku, Tōkyō-to 〒112-8555

Access: The nearest train station is Ogikubo Station (JR Chuo (JC), Chuo-Sobu (JB), and Tokyo Metro Marunouchi (M) lines).  From Shinjuku Station, take the Chuo (Rapid) line to Ogikubo (JC09, 10 minutes, ¥170, JR Pass OK).  From Tokyo Station, the same trip takes 25 minutes and costs ¥310.

From Ogikubo Station, take a JR Kanto bus from stop #0 or #1. Get off at the Ogikubo Police Station (荻窪警察署前, Ogikubo Keisatsusho-mae) intersection (5 minutes, ¥220). The museum is on a side road across from the police station. It may also be reached on foot in about 20 minutes.

Website: (English) (Japanese)