Ahhhhh...the bullet train. I'm not exactly a train geek, but there is something about these trains that I love. Or rather, I love EVERYTHING about these trains (except the ticket price).


(picture copyright JR Group)
Fast, safe, efficient, and generally cool.

I love the little songs they play before they announce the stations, to wake up the sleeping salarymen...


I love the cute ladies selling overpriced lunches and reasonable beer...


I love the fact that it's so freaking safe:
Quote Originally Posted by wikipedia
Safety record

During the Shinkansen's 45-year, nearly 7 billion-passenger history, there have been no passenger fatalities due to derailments or collisions, despite frequent earthquakes and typhoons. Injuries and a single fatality have been caused by doors closing on passengers or their belongings; attendants are employed at platforms to prevent such mishaps. There have, however, been suicides by passengers jumping both from and in front of moving trains.
The only derailment of a Shinkansen train in passenger service occurred during the Chūetsu Earthquake on 23 October 2004. Eight of ten cars of the Toki No. 325 train on the Jōetsu Shinkansen derailed near Nagaoka Station in Nagaoka, Niigata. There were no casualties among the 154 passengers.[7] In the event of an earthquake, an earthquake detection system can bring the train to a stop very quickly. Experimental Fastech 360 trains have ear-like air resistance braking flaps to assist emergency stops at high speeds. A new anti-derailment device was installed after detailed analysis of the derailment.
45 years, ONE derailment, caused by a huge freaking earthquake.

I love the fact that, in my 6 years and probably 50 trips (counting changes and return trips) on the Shinkansen, not ONCE has the Shinkansen been late. In fact, here's how reliable these trains are...

In every train station (not only Shinkansen) in Japan, there are lines and arrows telling passengers where to line up, and exactly where the doors will open when the train stops. The space is about 1 meter wide...the width of the door. There's maybe 4cm buffer. In all of my train trips in Japan, NEVER has a train stopped anywhere but where it was supposed to. The doors opened exactly where they should, when they should, every time.

Ahhhhh...makes me want to take a trip.