The First Shinkansen
A preserved 0 Series Shinkansen, the type that opened the Tōkaidō line between Tokyo and Osaka in October 1964.
The Shinkansen opened days before the Tokyo Olympics and cut the journey to Osaka from nearly seven hours to four. It ran on dedicated standard-gauge track with no level crossings, which is what made the speed safe rather than merely fast. For a country rebuilding its international standing, a train that worked to the minute was an argument as much as a service. Read the full story in our article on Japan’s Bullet Train: Technological Innovation and National Identity in the Shinkansen Era, 1964–1980.
CC BY 2.0 — source (Wikimedia Commons). Free to reuse under the stated licence.
