But few worry about the bullet train, which has become a symbol of Japanese ability to make technology convenient. The Sony Walkman was invented in part because Japanese commuter trains were so jampacked that passengers could not read or hold up a newspaper. It is so unusual for the bullet trains to be even a few minutes late that an electrical problem this week on the Nagano line was huge news. The railway is so proud of its punctuality that it issues partial refunds to passengers if the train arrives late. Cutting the travel time in half between Tokyo and Nagano is having the same effect that halving the travel time from Washington to New York would have.
People going on business can now make it an easy day trip.
The Asama bullet train carries 26,000 passengers a day, and that number is expected at least to double for the Olympics. Some train buffs miss the old engines that took a prettier route through mountain scenery. But Japan stakes a lot of national pride on its high-tech trains, distancing itself from the old iron roosters that still puff around Russia and China. That has happened out of necessity. There are double-decker trains, wide ones that run along the ocean with panoramic windows and seats that tilt toward the ocean view.