The 500 series (500系 500-kei) is a Shinkansen high-speed train type operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR-West) on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen and San’yō Shinkansen lines in Japan since 1997. They were designed to be capable of 320 km/h (200 mph) but operated at 300 km/h (185 mph), until they were finally retired from the primary Nozomi service in 2010. The trainsets were then refurbished and downgraded to the all-stations Kodama service between Shin-Osaka and Hakata.
In March 2018, JR West announced the launch of a special “Hello Kitty” themed 500 series train on Sanyo Shinkansen Kodama services on June 30, 2018.