Tags: shinkansen
Give a Name to a Shinkansen!
By Muza-chan on Mar 8, 2010 | In Web | 20 feedbacks »
I wrote 3 months ago about the launch of the new Shinkansen E5 series, a new train which will begin commercial operations March next year.
I’m writing again about it because, last week, the JR East company opened a public contest to… name the new E5 series.
Of course, there are some prizes, the Gold prize would be an E5 series Shinkansen commemorative plaque plus an originally designed E5 series Shinkansen Suica card and the Silver prize would be the E5 designed Suica card. The contest is opened at the JR East website and the deadline is April 1st.
[Later edit: from the application page, it seems to me that you can only apply if you have a Japanese address… So, if you want to participate, maybe a postcard is a better solution]:
“Atarashii Tohoku Shinkansen no ressha aisho boshu” Jimukyoku
P.O. Box 32 go, Tokyo Ginza Branch, 100-8691, JAPAN
JR East is looking for…
“a name that is not only easy to understand but is capable of representing the train’s speed and comfort.”
The train is painted in a “Tokiwa” green-white scheme with a bit of pink (Tokiwa 「常盤」 is the name of a lake), has a very distinctive long nose, some advanced technical details like car body tilting system and full-active suspension and, talking about comfort, features a very comfortable looking power-reclining “shell” seats… 
… and here’s how it looks in operation…
Do you feel inspired?
Sayonara Shinkansen 500 - The Retirement of a Champion
By Muza-chan on Mar 1, 2010 | In Web | 31 feedbacks »
Not long ago, I wrote about the reduced lifespan of Japanese trains, approx. 15 years (7 Reasons Why Japanese Trains Are Different).
Perhaps the best illustration of this principle was the retiring from service of the 500 series Shinkansen, yesterday, after less than 13 years in the Nozomi service of JR West.
500 Series Shinkansen Image via: Wikipedia
Announced in 1994, the Shinkansen 500 series was built between 1995 and 1998, totalizing 9 train sets. The trains distinctive shape was based on a futuristic design made for Hitachi by the German designer Neumeister, back in 1990.
The service started in March 1997 and although it was designed to be capable of 320km/h, the 500 series was operated at the maximum speed of 300km/h, on the Sanyō Shinkansen line and at “only” 275km/h on the Tōkaidō line.
Since this was the first train in the world to attain, in service, the top speed of 300 kilometers per hour (in 1997), I perfectly understand the fans who gathered yesterday in Tokyo, Osaka and other stations, to say goodbye to a marvelous piece of Japanese railway technology.
The Shinkansen 500 series will remain in operation as the slower Kodama service, between Osaka and Hakata.
Sayōnara!
Fans in Shin-Osaka Station:
A Japan Photo per Day - Street Scene in Kabukicho
A Japan Photo per Day - Street Scene in Kabukicho
A Japan Photo per Day - Street Scene in Kabukicho
A Japan Photo per Day - Street Scene in Kabukicho
A Japan Photo per Day - Street Scene in Kabukicho
A Japan Photo per Day - Street Scene in Kabukicho
A Japan Photo per Day - Street Scene in Kabukicho
A Japan Photo per Day - Street Scene in Kabukicho
A Japan Photo per Day - Street Scene in Kabukicho
A Japan Photo per Day - Cute Chibi Gundam
A Photo Visit to Hongaku-ji Temple
A Japan Photo per Day - Torii Pathway