The Japanese Shinkansen is the most technologically advanced method of transportation I have ever seen. Style and substance, they arrive at the station like clockwork...and leave just as fast. The Shinkansen waits for no one - you literally only have a few minutes to get on/off before it darts down the track again like a bullet.

Riding the rails is a great way to witness Japan's population density up close. The entire distance from Tokyo to Hiroshima (approx. 894km) is one never-ending city. In between municipalities like Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe are just like neighborhoods in one gigantic megalopolis. It's overwhelming...as is the view when sitting in a shinkansen. Whizzing by at over 300km/h, it was hard to appreciate the blur scenery at times.

But, when whizzing by at over 300km/h, at least the ride is never long.