Foreign Friday

Bullet train
Southern Japan
Spring 1980
Because I lived in the northern part of Honshu, Japan and the Bullet Train (Shinkansen) was only in the southern areas, I only travelled on it once in the two years I was in Japan. It was an amazing experience.

The train was comfortable and definitely fast, traveling 150 - 200 miles per hour.

Nancy S.
I even managed to sleep on the train as did nearly everyone in our tour group. The seats flipped from front to back, so it was possible to always ride in the direction the train was moving or to arrange to face your friends for visiting.

Bev, Martha and Lavina
Nancy cruising the aisle to take photos
advertisement on the wall of the Bullet Train
I often wish the United States would invest in wide-spread rail transportation again, but since Americans have become so dependent on vehicles, I wonder if it would be viable.

Comments

  1. Fun photos! I have often thought the same, that the US needed to invest in more rail travel. I took the train a lot in Germany when I was an exchange student. And as a child we took the train from my hometown in Minnesota into Minneapolis quite often. But that passenger train stopped running when I was a senior in high school.

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  2. I think train travel is SO under rated. There is consideration of a high-speed train from Jacksonville to Miami. Brevard County is holding it up because they are angry that the tracks go through the county, but they won't have a stop there.

    I would definitely take the train, if I could.

    Love the pic of you sleeping on the train. I bet the rocking of the rails puts you right to sleep.

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  3. Maybe it's just me but I think a lot of people would love to travel by high speed train. I have always enjoyed Amtrak and would travel that way any time. I love the pictures of you sleeping and cruising for photos. It is much easier to talk to friends and enjoy a trip on a train than on an airplane. Great post Nancy!

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  4. We have taken a train to the coast...but not a high speed one... it took us 24 hours and you can drive it in 10:)).... What fun memories!!

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  5. At first glance, Nancy I thought it was a plane. And I though how nothing much had changed! I like train travel too..such an interesting perspective on the homes you can peek inside.
    Asked for a quilt of valor for our dear friend Larry. I've already heard from a local chapter. :) Im thrilled but there is no hurry

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  6. I thought you were in a plane at first, too. Looks like a great ride...so comfortable one could fall asleep... Ha. I wish we had a more trains going across the US too. It would be such a great way to travel long distances.

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  7. I would like to ride the train too...we have gotten rid of lots of the track and up here it is all oil or coal trains:(

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  8. I love the train and do use it to go into DC when I go alone. I've never slept on the train though.

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  9. When my son was much smaller, we would day dream about riding the Shinkansen when all things were about trains. I would still love to ride it one day.

    I have very similar feeling of wants and a bit of disappointment in the US's lack of a robust rail system, throughout the country.

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