#bullet-train

[nagasakimako]

Will I ever stop?

Nah

[fdbc00]

かっこﾖ🙂

[sxpxrmxrgxr]

[fa-cat]

Japan Opens First Bullet-Train Service to  Island of Hokkaido

Japan on Saturday opened its first bullet-train service to the northern island of Hokkaido, part of an extension of high-speed rail to more corners of the country frequented by tourists.

The trains will travel through the Seikan Tunnel, one of the world’s longest, and connect Tokyo with some ski areas in Hokkaido as well as the port city of Hakodate. The new service follows the opening last year of Shinkansen, or bullet-train service, to Kanazawa, a city on the Japan Sea coast known for its feudal castle and gardens.

Japan drew nearly 20 million foreign tourists last year, a record, and visitor numbers in the first two months of this year are showing further gains.

Hokkaido Gov. Harumi Takahashi said she hoped visitors would use the line to view cherry blossoms in the region later this spring. “The prefecture will enter its tourism season soon, so I hope tourists will take the new Shinkansen trains here,” she said.

The new line, however, has drawbacks compared with airlines, including price and time of travel. A trip on the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate Hokuto station, currently the final stop, will cost 22,690 yen ($200), which is costlier than some discounted airline tickets. Travel time is slightly more than four hours, while a flight from Tokyo to the area takes only about 90 minutes.

[the-imiko]

I'd appreciate it if everyone following me could sign this petition, and re-blog it to as many followers as you have!

A project like this would create thousands of jobs in states all over the country; it would offer environmentally-friendly, affordable means of Cross-Country Transportation, and it would provide an alternative means of cross-country travel to Flying, which would provide "Competition" for the Air-Line industry, and prompt Air-Line companies to lower their prices!!

A big project like this could help pull America's Economy out of the gutter, and move us in a better direction for "Green Transportation".

[cbrmagazine-blog]

What We're Reading: China's Bird Flu Toll Reaches Nine, More Chinese Enroll in Finishing School

China H7N9 Strain Bird Flu Toll 'Reaches Nine' (BBC)

China Trade Data Raise Accuracy Worries (Financial Times)

Finishing School, Chinese Style (Christian Science Monitor)

China Ex-Minister Tied to Bullet-Train Graft (Al Jazeera)

China Anger at Japan-Taiwan Disputed Island Fishing Deal (BBC)

[engagedelectorate]

Bullet-train planners face huge engineering challenge.

The 141-mile section from Bakersfield to L.A. will travel over two mountain ranges and more than half a dozen earthquake faults. Experts see it as the project of the century.

[proteanpixels-blog]

Various “art” magazines in Japan have mentioned that tagging (applying graffiti art) to a bullet-train is a nice prize.

Apparently someone got the prize...in 2008

You’ll notice that there’s a barb-wire fence in my previously posted pic of a stopped train. Security around the Japan Rail’s Shinkansen is comparatively higher than other train lines. And despite much lower, sometimes non-existent security, local lines don’t get tagged like the NYC subway.

I suppose it’s saved for more high-profile targets. ;)