The Japanese Bullet Train Design that Pioneered the NEW Shinkansen trains.

Today, we are taking a trip on one of the few remaining original 700 series Shinkansen trains still in service. These trains were the base for the superior N700S trains that now operate most of the services on the JR West high-speed lines. So join me as we take a trip on one of these iconic high-speed trains.

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Train type: JR West 700 series Shinkansen
Route: Shin-Osaka to Okayama
Train: Kodama 839
Distance: 162km
Journey time: 1h6m
Average speed: 147 km/h
Price: 5610 JPY / 34€

This is the 700 series Shinkansen built in 1997 and onwards. This 285 km per hour high-speed train was the original design behind the now very popular 700 series family of trains, with more than 300 sets being built in total across all variations of the 700 series. This is a very popular high-speed train in Japan, so join me as we travel on one of the 16 remaining sets from the original design from Osaka to Okayama as we check out the history behind this iconic Japanese high-speed train. Hello and welcome back to another video. Today we are at the Shin-Osaka railway station, specifically in the parking lot. But as we are traveling by train today, let’s head inside the station. Shin-Osaka definitely does not get any points for its visual identity, but as you’d expect in Japan, even the less impressive stations are still pretty clean and pleasant to use. As we make our way into the station, you’ll already find some coin lockers handy if you’re just visiting the city for a day. And as we’re in Japan, the strange to a westerner like myself vending machines are already present, so if you’re craving dumplings at 3:00 a.m., you can come to the central entrance at Shin-Osaka. Stations in Japan are generally easy to navigate, being well signposted in both English and Japanese. We are heading for the Shinkansen today, which is this way. This takes us up to the Central Station Concourse, which has plenty of shops and is brightly lit and already bustling with activity even before the crack of dawn. It’s also here you can find the ticket machines and a ticket office that’s open a bit later in the day. And I also spotted this handy guide to all the restaurants inside the station, so if you’re looking for the McDonald’s, you can see that it’s located on floor 2F. And if you’re not comfortable using the ticket machines, don’t worry. Straight across from them, there is a ticket office that’s actually open. Also very common at train stations in Japan are these mobile office booths where you can rent an office space for a short time. But as our train will be leaving fairly soon, let’s head towards the Shinkansen tracks, which you can see here are very clearly signposted. To access the platforms, you must show your ticket at the barriers. Simply insert them like this and remember to take it once you have passed through. Our train today will be the 659 Kodama service bound for Hiroshima, which looks to be leaving from track 20. Inside the gate lines, you’ll also find more shops and restaurants in case you didn’t manage to pick up everything before going through the gate. And at this place, you can even find some Shinkansen-themed bento boxes. Enough fumbling about, let’s head towards track number 20. The station is fully accessible using lifts, but be aware there are a lot of stairs in the station without escalators, so if you’re carrying heavy luggage, you might also want to seek out the lifts. Departing ahead of our train is one of the newer N700 series trains. This is the successor of the 700 series. We’ll be traveling on this one in particular, which is operating a Sakura service bound for Kagoshima-Chuo. The departure board soon starts flashing, indicating the arrival of our train is imminent. Arriving just a few minutes before the scheduled departure time, fresh from the depot, is our 700 series Shinkansen train. During the construction years, the 700 series was built by a variation of Japanese train manufacturing companies and are all capable of speeds up to 285 km per hour. And without further ado, let’s head on board the train. I’m traveling on a Green Car JR pass; however, as these trains have no Green Car, the only benefit you get is being able to reserve a seat for free in one of the reserved coaches. I’ve picked a seat in Carriage number six. Specifically, the window seat number 13A. Our train begins its journey right on time at 6:59 from Shin-Osaka station. And as the sun rises, we’ll quickly start accelerating up towards a maximum speed of 285 km per hour. This is the Kodama Super Express to Hiroshima. And as we accelerate out of Osaka, let’s take a closer look at the route map for today’s journey. Kodama 839 leaves from Shin-Osaka, stopping at Shin-Kobe, Nishi-Akashi, Himeji, Aioi, and Okayama, which is as far as I’ll be traveling. This is a distance of 162 km covered in 1 hour and 6 minutes, giving the train an average speed of 147 km per hour. After Okayama, the train continues to six further stops to Hiroshima. And as we’re speeding along the railway line, let’s take a closer look at the seat we will be traveling in. At your seat, you’ll find a tray table which can be deployed like this. It’s very sturdy and has a cup holder as well. In the seat in front, you’ll find a storage pocket. The armrest has a small table as well, and over here there’s also a cup holder. Unlike many other Shinkansen trains, these unfortunately do not have power outlets. However, the seat is very comfortable; it’s basically a big armchair, so thumbs up. The seat also comes with a generous recline, and they rotate by pressing the button under the seat to face the direction of travel. It’s a beautiful morning for train travel as we make our way through Japan’s stunning nature and bustling cities. We are now approaching the station. Our train actually has to pull aside here and wait for a few minutes. As we’re traveling on board one of the Kodama Shinkansen services, these are the slowest type of train operated on this line, meaning other trains will have to overtake us. Here comes the 16-car N700S Shinkansen and overtakes us, forming a Nozomi service bound for Hakata. And pulling up on the opposite platform is an N700 series Shinkansen. Speaking of all these 700 series, I think it’s about time we take a look at the history behind them. In 1997, the first of the plain 700 series trains were built, which is the one we are traveling on. In total, 91 complete train sets were built across three variants. Only 16 of the E sets remain in service today. The 700 series was succeeded by the N700 series entering service in 2007. Based on the same design as the 700 series, these trains featured many upgrades and improvements to the already successful train platform. Currently, 179 complete train sets remain in service across five variants. In 2020, the N700 train design once again received an upgrade with the introduction of the N700S series trains. Three variations exist, with more trains currently under construction. Current orders will bring the total fleet size to 65 train sets by 2026. Alright, I think we’ve been stopped here for long enough. Time for our train to continue the journey towards Hiroshima. And as it won’t be too long before we reach Okayama, I think it’s about time we have a look at the train’s interior, so let’s go for a wander. I have to say I’m not a fan of the lighting in these trains; it feels very outdated. However, they have added free Wi-Fi to these trains, and by the doors in each carriage, you will find a space for oversized luggage. However, this has to be booked in advance, so make sure you reserve this area when booking your ticket in order to store your luggage here. Continuing on through the vestibule is where you’ll find the toilets, which we’ll take a look at a bit later in the video. The train consists of eight carriages with two seating layouts. In the reserve carriages, you will find 2 plus 2 seating like this, fully airline style with every seat rotating to face the direction of travel. However, at the end of carriage number seven, you will find a few solo seats, great if you’re traveling alone. Let’s continue into the vestibule where we can find a multi-purpose room here to our right as well as an accessible toilet to our left. Let’s go and check that one out. As you’d expect from Japanese trains, it’s clean, fully functional, and in good order. On Japanese trains, you’ll also find a sink in the vestibule outside of the toilets, as these trains also feature urinals which you can find next to the sink. Continuing into carriage number eight, we will find some slightly special seating. Not here, but all the way at the end, these private compartments that I’m not really sure how you book. Being almost fully enclosed, they’re very exclusive and private. However, I don’t really know anything about them, and I couldn’t find much information, so if you know, let me know down in the comments. How can you book these, and is it really expensive? Back at my seat, there was not really much more left to do on this journey other than kicking back, relaxing for a bit, and enjoying the scenery as we make our way to Okayama. And as we’re now approaching Okayama, it’s about time we talk about tickets. A ticket on the Shinkansen from Osaka to Okayama is a fixed price of 5,610 yen, or about €34. While this is not super cheap, it’s a high-quality service that gets you between the cities fast and reliably. Our train arrives on time into Okayama at 8:05 after a comfortable and fast journey on board these otherwise slightly outdated trains. Thank you so much for joining me on this trip. If you want to see more videos like this, make sure you’re subscribed to the channel, as I try to post a new one every Sunday. You can also follow me over on Twitter @IntercitySimon. I usually post live from my travels over there, so it’s a great place to get a sneak peek at what videos might be coming to the channel in the future. Thanks for watching.