Tōkaidō Shinkansen

Japan’s high-speed railway line connecting Tokyo with Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka. Opened in 1964, it was the world’s first high-speed rail line built for sustained commercial service.

Shinkansen: Japan’s network of high-speed passenger railway lines, known for dedicated tracks and frequent service. The Tōkaidō line is the network’s original and busiest route.
Shinji Sogō: A Japanese railway executive who led Japanese National Railways as president from 1955 to 1963. He championed the new line and helped secure political support for its construction.
Nozomi: The fastest Tōkaidō Shinkansen service, stopping at a limited set of major stations. It serves time-sensitive journeys between Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka.
High-speed rail: Passenger railway service operating at substantially higher speeds than conventional rail. The Tōkaidō line became an early global model for high-speed rail.
Air travel: Passenger or freight transportation by aircraft. The route competes with flights for journeys between major cities, especially Tokyo and Osaka.
Japanese National Railways: Japan’s state-owned railway corporation, which operated the national rail system until its breakup in 1987. It built and operated the line from its 1964 opening.
Hideo Shima: A Japanese railway engineer who served as chief engineer for the original Tōkaidō Shinkansen project. He directed the engineering design of the first Shinkansen line.
Hikari: A Tōkaidō Shinkansen service that stops at more stations than Nozomi. It balances faster intercity travel with service to additional stations.
Sanyō Shinkansen: A Shinkansen line extending west from Shin-Osaka through western Honshu to Hakata. Its connection at Shin-Osaka continues the high-speed route beyond the Tōkaidō corridor.
Night train: A passenger train scheduled to travel overnight, often with sleeping accommodation. High-speed daytime service displaced much overnight rail travel on the corridor.

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