Word: shinkansen
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...minds of downtrodden U.S. commuters and rail travelers, the very mention of Japan conjures up visions of superfast trains and a superefficient railroad system. To a degree, the image is justified. The futuristic Shinkansen, or "bullet" trains, whisk passengers as far as 735 miles from Tokyo to Fukuoka City in the southernmost main island of Kyushu in six hours flat amid plush comfort. That trip costs only $31.15 for a one-way economy-class ticket with a $20.70 surcharge for first-class...
...hour along the 420-mile scenic route between Tokyo and the central city of Okayama, Japan's gleaming, automated bullet trains have long been a keen source of pride to the country and the envy of railroad men the world over. Yet, beneath the bright image of the Shinkansen, or bullet express, most of the country's rail service, operated by the government-owned Japanese National Railways, is a tangled, money-losing mess of aged equipment, angry employees and boiling riders. So bad is the trouble that a few weeks ago, JNR President Satoshi Isozaki abruptly quit...