Shinkansens

Mike this one's for you. :)

Shinkansens (a.k.a. bullet trains to Westerners) are one of the most reliable forms of transportation in Japan. They travel at an average speed of 164 mph and are extremely punctual like up to the second. In fact, in one year the total time all bullet trains were late by was 12 seconds. However, Shinkansens are also very expensive! To take a Shinkansen from Maibara (one stop over from Hikone) to Tokyo costs $100. So to go to Tokyo and back costs over $200 just to ride the train. Shinkansens, however, save you so much time. It takes me 2 and half hours to get to Tokyo by Shinkansen. If I were to take an Express train, however, it would take over 8 hours. The fastest recorded Shinkansen has traveled at 277 mph. China, however, now has a train that can travel at 287 mph because it uses magnetic levitation so there's less friction. It will be interesting to see if Japan follows in their footsteps.