Transportation in Japan

Bullet train (shinkansen) and the kingfisher bird

What do they have in common? The beak!

If you look at the image you may see that the bullet train has a particular shape. It resembles the kingfisher’s beak. Scientifically this is called biomimicry – creating solutions to human challenges by emulating designs and ideas found in nature.

The kingfisher bird is a good example to follow since it’s able to dive into water to hunt while making a minimal splash thanks to its streamlined beak.

Japanese engineers noticed that the movement of air ahead of an old high-speed train created a loud noise also while passing a tunnel, often creating a powerful shock wave known as “tunnel boom”.

Inspired by the bird’s beak, the new bullet train was redesigned diminishing in this way the sonic boom problem, increasing its speed by 10% and reducing the electricity intake by 15%.

Let’s ride!

Mamachari is the Japanese iconic bike and the word literally means “mom’s bike”. Introduced during the 50s and in the beginning mainly driven by women, nowadays mamachari is the main vehicle used by the Japanese. They are everywhere and are ridden by everyone – old/young, female/male, students, salary men, mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers... Cheap and convenient for going to the train station, supermarket, work or school, this bike is part of every Japanese city’s landscape.

Don’t forget to play this game when you go to Japan!

Yamanote sen game is maybe the most known drinking game the Japanese play. The rules are simple: Each player needs to say the name of a station while others are clapping. You have to follow the rhythm, say the name in the right beat and most importantly not repeat any station. Otherwise you will drink... And drink...

A good thing to know is that you can play this game using any other train line, too. So the next time you regularly take a train line, better study the stations a little bit.

Written by Manuel Jose Flores Aguilar