Riding some of the newer Shinkansens

On one of the days we were in Tokyo in late March we made a day trip to Nikko.  We purchased Shinkansen tickets from Tokyo station to Utsunomiya to cut the travel time but also we hoped to ride one of the newer trains that are now running on the Tohoku Shinkansen line.

We were not disappointed and got to ride two Shinkansens that we had not ridden before.  The E5's running in 10 car formations are common on the Tohoku Shinkansen line as seen on the board shown here.

On the trip back to Tokyo we rode on this E3 which is not exactly new but we had never ridden on one before.  They also appear to have a new paint job from ones I've seen before.

I noticed that the E3 had these little steps that fold out when the train came into the station.  The E3 is a bit narrower than the other Shinkansens we had ridden with the seating arrangement being 3 + 2 as opposed the normal 3 + 3.




 I later learned that both the E3 and E6 Shinkansens are narrower so the trains can fit through narrower clearance areas on both the Akita and Yamagata Shinkansen lines.

As I often do, I got a photo of the train guide that is  in between cars.  As seen in the guide, this was a 7 car formation.

So it looks like now I"ll have two more Shinkansen models I will  want to add to my collection.

Shinkansen train collection

Like most who collect Japanese train models, I have a collection of Shinkansens, also known as bullet trains.  All of my Shinkansen trains are models of trains that Nona and I have actually ridden on.

On the page I maintain called Japanese Train Collection I have up to now only shown my models of non-Shinkansen trains taken on my Musashi-Koyama module set.  This was because I did not feel the Musashi-Koyama module set offered the proper scene to display or photograph Shinkansens.  However the Ntrak lines on the Hot Springs Junction Ntrak module are perfect for the display and photography of that type of train.  I have now included photos of my Shinkansens on the Japanese Train Collection page.

Shinkansen - The only way to fly !

During this summers trip to Japan we got JR passes for one week and took two Shinkansen rides.  These trips both originated at Tokyo Station.  I've always found the Shinkansen part of the station to be more like visiting an airport, but back in the day when flying was still fun.  Tokyo station is the terminal for the Tokaido, Tohoku, Nagano, and Joetsu Shinkansen lines so it's quite busy.

Inside Tokyo Station, below the Shinkansen platforms there are displays showing the trains that will be departing and which tracks they will be on.

The displays are in both Japanese and English and include graphics of the trains.

This display is just for the Tohoku, Nagano, and Joetsu Shinkansen lines.  The Tokaido Shinkansen line uses different tracks and has it's own similar display.

I have always noticed that even among the Japanese there is more excitement about going on the Shinkansen.  Notice the platform in the photo, I'm not the only one taking photos of this E5 / E6 lash up.

Each arriving train that is going to then go back out again is met by a large team of people who service the train after the arriving passengers have left the train and before the departing passengers are allowed to board.  You always get a fresh train with leaving from Tokyo station.


Someones post on the JNS forum led me to this story about the cleaning of the Shinkansen trains.

Here is Tamami and Nona on the way back from Osaka on an N700 Hikari service.

We were enjoying drinks, a smooth and fast ride, and way more leg room.  The Shinkansen is still my favorite way to travel.