Just nine days prior to the opening of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics -- the first Olympics hosted in Asia -- the Tokaido Shinkansen Line was launched between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka stations.
The shiny new train reached top speeds of 210 kilometers per hour from the first day it began operating on Oct. 1, becoming the world's first high-speed rail service to travel in excess of 200 kph.
As 2024 marks 60 years since the bullet train was first put into service, this visual story traces the history of what has become one of the most recognizable symbols of postwar Japan.
Symbol of Japan's rapid economic growth
1964 saw a defeated country rising from the ashes of World War II and moving toward a high-growth era. Planning for the Tokaido Shinkansen Line began in the 1950s within the state-run Japan National Railways, with construction beginning in 1959.
The idea of a super limited express train was put forward by Shinji Sogo, who became the fourth JNR president in 1955. Along with Hideo Shima, the chief of engineering who designed the beloved D51 steam locomotive, Sogo pushed vigorously for the bullet train "national project."
JNR President Shinji Sogo in the cockpit of a test shinkansen model in 1962.
JNR President Shinji Sogo in the cockpit of a test shinkansen model in 1962.
With air travel on the rise and automobiles becoming increasingly commonplace in Japan as in Europe and the United States, some had already begun discussing the possibility that railways may have begun their decline as a form of public transport.
A family washes a car in 1960.
A family washes a car in 1960.
Despite Sogo's marching order that "the dream super limited express" be completed within five and a half years, before the Olympics' opening, many JNR employees are said to have been skeptical about the timeline.
DC-8 airliner, the first passenger jet used by a Japanese airline, is pictured in 1960.
DC-8 airliner, the first passenger jet used by a Japanese airline, is pictured in 1960.
One JNR worker, who joined the railway operator the year the shinkansen construction began, said the "dream" had meant to them that whether the project would be completed within the time frame was "fifty-fifty." Still, the project continued at a brisk pace, while generating high expectations among the public.
However, construction costs ballooned, with soaring land prices and rising materials and personnel costs hitting the project hard. Initially projected at 170 billion yen, the venture ended up costing roughly 380 billion yen.
To put it in perspective, when the shinkansen debuted in 1964, a bowl of ramen noodles cost 60 yen, while the initial fare for a taxi ride was set at 100 yen in Tokyo. Fresh college graduates earned about 20,000 yen a month, according to a 1963 survey.
Despite securing loans from the World Bank, Sogo and Shima were forced to resign in 1963 before the shinkansen service began to take responsibility for the enormous cost overruns.
Developed with cutting-edge technology
The ambitious target of having the Tokaido Shinkansen project completed in a remarkably short five-and-a-half years owes a lot to wartime Japan's legacy. Also called a "bullet train" project, there was a plan to build a nine-hour rail service connecting Tokyo and Shimonoseki in western Japan.
Construction began in 1941, with the ultimate goal of linking Tokyo and Beijing across the sea. But after some work, including on the Shintanna Tunnel in Shizuoka Prefecture, the project was terminated amid Japan's worsening war prospects.
Streamlined steam locomotive used for "Asia Express" on the South Manchuria Railway. It is said to have been a model for future bullet trains.
Streamlined steam locomotive used for "Asia Express" on the South Manchuria Railway. It is said to have been a model for future bullet trains.
Under the unfinished project, tracts of land were bought and some tunnel work had been done, and the Tokaido Shinkansen Line was built partially on this legacy.
Behind the development of the original "0 (zero) series" shinkansen, which was put into service in 1964, were former military engineers who had lost the outlets for their skills following Japan's defeat in 1945. Engineers who designed the train's bogies, which house wheelsets, included those who had been involved in research for the carrier-based Zero fighter plane during the war. The train reached a top speed of 256 kph during a pre-opening test run.
Among those present at the launch ceremony at Tokyo Station on Oct. 1, 1964, was JNR President Reisuke Ishida. After Ishida cut the ribbon, the "Hikari No. 1" train departed at 6 a.m., while a brass band played a marching song. From Shin-Osaka Station, the "Hikari No. 2" train left for Tokyo at the same time, traveling along the four-hour route more or less as scheduled.
Passengers ride a second-class car on the first shinkansen train from Shin-Osaka Station on Oct. 1, 1964.
Passengers ride a second-class car on the first shinkansen train from Shin-Osaka Station on Oct. 1, 1964.
Then Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako, the grandparents of the current Emperor Naruhito, attended an opening ceremony held at the JNR headquarters. In his remarks, the emperor said he "deeply appreciate(s)" the shinkansen project's completion after seeing it overcome "numerous difficulties."
Once it went into service, the newly built shinkansen connected Tokyo and Osaka in four hours, down from around seven hours previously. The new service made it possible for people to go between the two cities on day trips, which had a huge impact on the Japanese economy and society. To prioritize speed, the shinkansen adopted a wider track gauge of 1,435 millimeters, rather than the 1,067 mm narrow gauge used for non-shinkansen services -- conventional trains that were common in Japan.
In the quest to ensure the new line operated safely, JNR engineers worked to incorporate the leading technologies of the day into the world's first high-speed rail service. One of particular note was the Automatic Train Control system, or ATC, designed to regulate train speeds. It was the first time the safety system was applied to JNR's operations. The improvements made to the ATC system, alongside other efforts that were made to ensure safety, partly attest to the impressive safety record of the shinkansen service. There has never been a train accident in which passengers died while aboard a shinkansen train, and its world-famous punctuality is also noteworthy.
To the West
