That's where you're wrong dude. They just hit 581 km/h yesterday. They want commuters to be able to travel from Osaka to Tokyo in 1 hr.
Yeah, but as Pemu said, this is a prototype running on a short section of test track. They need to build a new track from Tokyo->Osaka for this train and do more development, so it won't be running 'til 2015 or so!
Joined: 24 Jun 2002 Posts: 4009 Location: East Coast, US Country:
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 8:53 pm Post subject:
thetenken wrote:
The Shinkansen isn't all that fast. I think they top out at 300km/h. Still, it's the fastest way to get around in Japan. Never really took the Nozomi, cause it's always more expensive and you never really save much time over the Hikari. I wish they had Shinkansen in Kyuushuu, cause the trains there are slooooow. The only Shinkansen stop is at Hakata.
which means nothing because it'll never be built. =)
I think they should implement Shinkansen in Hokkaido, Shikoku, and Kyuushuu before they put more money into the main Tokaido route. Did you know that some people commute to work from Osaka to Tokyo everyday by Shinkansen at about $100 a pop each way?
Joined: 10 Jun 2003 Posts: 69 Location: Singapore Country:
Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2003 9:27 am Post subject:
thetenken wrote:
............which means nothing because it'll never be built. =)
That's totally untrue. Couple of decades ago who'd have thought the Shinkansen was possible?
Right now the only way to travel between Osaka and Tokyo in 1 hr is by air. Shinkansen needs 2.5 hrs for now. That's why they want to reach the 1 hr target for the train as well.
Sorry for replying to this so late, but I just came back from Tokyo last night.
Joined: 08 Nov 2003 Posts: 435 Location: USA Country:
Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2003 11:16 am Post subject:
happyfeet wrote:
That's totally untrue. Couple of decades ago who'd have thought the Shinkansen was possible?
Right now the only way to travel between Osaka and Tokyo in 1 hr is by air. Shinkansen needs 2.5 hrs for now. That's why they want to reach the 1 hr target for the train as well.
Sorry for replying to this so late, but I just came back from Tokyo last night.
I was saying the maglev train from San Francisco to Los Angeles will never be built. Too much in terms of regional politica and other crap involved.
Actually it takes 80 mins from Tokyo to Osaka by air. That's not the total time, need to reserve time to reach the airport, waiting, check in/out procedure, readyin for take off/landin procedure, baggage claimin, a train ride to the station (depends on the service, faster is pricier). I'd say a flight and a shinkansen are equally fast in total time (Shinkansen might be a little faster) but overall Shinkansen is significantly more convenient: just head off to the station and enter the train from the platform, relax on the train and let the time flow. Before you even manage to realize you've already reached your destination, time sure flies You can enjoy the lovely view of Japan on the train, not on the plane
Joined: 08 Nov 2003 Posts: 435 Location: USA Country:
Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2003 12:37 am Post subject:
Pemu wrote:
Actually it takes 80 mins from Tokyo to Osaka by air. That's not the total time, need to reserve time to reach the airport, waiting, check in/out procedure, readyin for take off/landin procedure, baggage claimin, a train ride to the station (depends on the service, faster is pricier). I'd say a flight and a shinkansen are equally fast in total time (Shinkansen might be a little faster) but overall Shinkansen is significantly more convenient: just head off to the station and enter the train from the platform, relax on the train and let the time flow. Before you even manage to realize you've already reached your destination, time sure flies You can enjoy the lovely view of Japan on the train, not on the plane
The other thing convenient about shinkansen is the fact that the shinkansen stations are usually at major stations which are within the cities. Most of the airports require some travel time to get to (especially Narita, which is out in the sticks). Kansai International Airport also requires a major ride. Haneda and Itami are both closer to the city, but still would require more travel time. Then there's the cost of getting there. You'd have to take a bus, train, or car to get there. With the crazy toll fees in Japan you'd be paying quite a bit if you decided to drive, and the bus and train usually pick up at the major stations anyway. =)
Joined: 10 Dec 2001 Posts: 3308 Location: cloud 9 Country:
Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2003 10:45 pm Post subject: Bogus Dictionary Lands Tourists In Trouble!
A practical joker has stirred up trouble by publishing a Japanese-to-English phrase book with incorrect definitions for every phrase!
Now thousands of Japanese tourists who've painstakingly studied the bogus dictionary in preparation for trips to America are arriving on our shores only to encounter blank stares, hysterical laughter or even brutal beatings as soon as they open their mouths.
"The man who compiled this dictionary clearly went out of his way to wreak havoc," says New York hotel concierge Jacqueline Porseman, who arranges tours for many VIP guests from Japan.
"For instance, when the Japanese think they're asking 'Can you direct me to the rest room?' the book actually has them saying, 'Excuse me, may I caress your buttocks?'
"And, the phrase for 'I am very pleased to meet you' is given as 'My friend, your breath could knock over a water buffalo.'"
At least 50,000 copies of the book have been sold in Japan in the past year and while the Japanese government has pulled the plug on further sales, copies still turn up in used bookstores and bargain-hunters snap them up.
"This is not a funny matter to us," says Hiro Suzuki of the Japanese embassy. "Our citizens who look forward to a pleasurable time in America are being laughed at, spat upon, roughed up and humiliated without knowing what they said wrong. Tourists have been found beaten to a pulp on street corners with this terrible phrase book still in their hands."
Among the nearly 2,300 incidents reported to the embassy:
A 29-year-old Tokyo man visiting San Francisco for the first time meant to ask a female store clerk, "May I please have film for my camera?" But what he actually said was, "Would you place your copious breasts in my mouth?" He was slapped in the face, then got tossed out by the manager.
Four family members from Osaka were thrilled see their favorite American singer coming out of a ritzy store in Beverly Hills. While waving frantically, they shouted out what they believed to be, "We love you so much." Unfortunately, what they really said was, "We're here to take your head." The four were arrested and detained for six hours by police.
A 45-year-old tourist from Okinawa looking for the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem thought he was asking a group of young men, "I am lost. Which way is uptown?" In reality, he said, "I know martial arts. May I kick your ass?" He was chased five blocks before being rescued by police.
No one knows who's behind the elaborate hoax. Some suspect the editor-publisher of the book, identified only as "M.L. Tanaka," is a disgruntled former Japanese tourism official. Others insist the culprit is a U.S. autoworker who lost his job to Japan in the '80s.
Says Porseman, "If it's an American, I wonder how 'funny' he thinks it would be to visit a Sumo wrestling gym in Tokyo and think he's saying 'You guys are the best, keep it up,' when he's really saying, 'You have fat butts. Sit on my head.'
"It's not so amusing when the shoe is on the other foot, is it?"
Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 2106 Location: singapore Country:
Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2003 7:05 am Post subject:
oh my god.. that's sick.. whoever is that idiotic person who did that..? but at the same time.. the government allowed the book to be sold in japan...? this is horrible..
How can it even get published and be on store shelves? No one checks the content? If every translation is incorrect, surely it wouldn't be hard to spot I think.
Joined: 07 Apr 2002 Posts: 2495 Location: Wales Country:
Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2003 12:09 pm Post subject:
OH THANK GOD! ....that's good news!
offtopic: (isn't wierd ppl say "thank god" even tought they're not religious...[like me..i'm not religious] but still say it anyway? ..like when they think they're gonna die but don't....?? i tought that was wierd)
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You can enjoy the lovely view of Japan on the train, not on the plane 
............... 
This is terrible. 
