It's a Small World After All
It is a small world after all. At least for those who have a Japan Rail pass. Though not cheap in absolute terms, the JR pass is a relative bargain compared to paying as you go. And it gives you access to an all-you-can-eat buffet of the wonders of Japan.
It’s common knowledge that Japan has an excellent rail system. But once you’ve had the chance to use it, you realize it’s nothing short of amazing. The backbone of this sprawling beast is the Shinkansen (Bullet Train). Traveling at close to 300 km/hr, the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto takes under 3 hours. That’s about how long it takes to get from Vancouver to Whistler if there’s a bit of traffic. With unlimited access through the rail pass, my next trip to Kyoto, Nara, or Hiroshima will probably be a day trip from Tokyo. That’s like doing day trips from Toronto to Montreal.
Once off the Shinkansen lines, things do slow down a bit. But it’s still undeniably impressive. Today, I headed up from Tokyo to Sapporo on the relatively remote northern island of Hokkaido. I left in the morning and arrived in time for an early dinner. That’s the kind of like heading from Vancouver to Whitehorse within a work day. This trip involved a Shinkansen ride to the north end of Honshu, another train through the Seikan Tunnel (the world’s longest underwater tunnel at over 53 km), followed by one last leg up to Sapporo. The time between one train arriving and the next departing was never more than 15 minutes. But everything runs like clockwork and the transition is nearly seamless. Just enough time to grab a bowl of noodles and head out again.
The accessibility is phenomenal. There are hardly two points in this country that aren’t less than a day’s travel apart by train. And with a JR pass, you can ride to your heart’s content. On Sunday, Dorian was feeling sore from a lot of walking, so he decided to just hop on a Shinkansen, ride up Honshu and then come back again. A Japanese person would have paid hundreds of dollars for that same privilege.
Seeing this paragon of efficiency, it’s hard not be embarrassed by the poor effort delivered by B.C. Transit, B.C. Ferries, and the like. We’re still in the dark ages. My hat goes off to JR.
It’s common knowledge that Japan has an excellent rail system. But once you’ve had the chance to use it, you realize it’s nothing short of amazing. The backbone of this sprawling beast is the Shinkansen (Bullet Train). Traveling at close to 300 km/hr, the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto takes under 3 hours. That’s about how long it takes to get from Vancouver to Whistler if there’s a bit of traffic. With unlimited access through the rail pass, my next trip to Kyoto, Nara, or Hiroshima will probably be a day trip from Tokyo. That’s like doing day trips from Toronto to Montreal.
Once off the Shinkansen lines, things do slow down a bit. But it’s still undeniably impressive. Today, I headed up from Tokyo to Sapporo on the relatively remote northern island of Hokkaido. I left in the morning and arrived in time for an early dinner. That’s the kind of like heading from Vancouver to Whitehorse within a work day. This trip involved a Shinkansen ride to the north end of Honshu, another train through the Seikan Tunnel (the world’s longest underwater tunnel at over 53 km), followed by one last leg up to Sapporo. The time between one train arriving and the next departing was never more than 15 minutes. But everything runs like clockwork and the transition is nearly seamless. Just enough time to grab a bowl of noodles and head out again.
The accessibility is phenomenal. There are hardly two points in this country that aren’t less than a day’s travel apart by train. And with a JR pass, you can ride to your heart’s content. On Sunday, Dorian was feeling sore from a lot of walking, so he decided to just hop on a Shinkansen, ride up Honshu and then come back again. A Japanese person would have paid hundreds of dollars for that same privilege.
Seeing this paragon of efficiency, it’s hard not be embarrassed by the poor effort delivered by B.C. Transit, B.C. Ferries, and the like. We’re still in the dark ages. My hat goes off to JR.
Labels: japan
posted by Justin Callison at 1:58 AM
1 Comments:
Hey Justin, It is truely amazing the infrastructure that can be created with such a high population density. But there are some areas that JR does not measure up. The cost is far too high (unless you are a gaijin on a rail pass) and the stations are too far apart even on the local train lines. With this in mind, Vancouver transport may not seem so bad. Certainly Melbourne gets a few points back.
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