Public Transport

    While you are in Japan, you may notice that there are plenty of ways to get around. Many people choose to ride bikes or walk places, some may choose to use a car if that suits them better. However, the main choice for most people is to walk everywhere. The reason for this is the incredible public transport system that is set up in the country. From simple bus systems to the intricate sprawling subway system of Tokyo to the quiet and speedy shinkansen, there are plenty of interesting ways to get around within Japan. I will go over a couple of these in this blog post.

The Shinkansen

    The first and most interesting form of transport that I will go over is Japan's own shinkansen system. The shinkansen is an incredibly fast bullet train that goes all around Japan's main 3 islands. It can reach a max speed of almost 200 mph and boasts its noise level and safety over similar trains of this speed. 

A comparable system to the shinkansen would be the Eurostar. The Eurostar has a max speed just under the shinkansen at 186 mph and is a transcontinental railroad, going all over Europe. The Eurostar, however, is much louder in comparison. This is due to the incredibly streamlined shape of the train, as well as the turning functions. This lowered noise is imperative for the shinkansen to be able to reach the legal standard noise level of Japan, 70 db. This legal limit exists because the shinkansen will go through plenty of residential areas, where residents may not want to live next to a very loud train that goes through fairly regularly.


 

The Tokyo Subway

     The Tokyo subway system is a vast and complex web of lines that sprawl Tokyo. There are 9 lines run by a company called Tokyo Metro and 4 lines run by Toei Subway.  With easy to spot stations and good coverage, if you happen to be lost in Tokyo, going to a station and looking at a map might be a good way to see where you are or if you are in the place you want to be. Some interesting things to note about the subway is that there tends to be little to no space to sit down on most days. The subway is the most popular form of transport, so many people have to squeeze into a train car.


     These were just a few of the transport systems in Japan, and they can be very convenient and interesting to tourists who want to visit Japan and get around, especially for those used to car-centric systems like those in America.

 

 (442 Words)

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