1. Alejandro D. Almaguer 3/20/2018
Transportation
Alejandro D. Almaguer
3/20/2018

2. Railways
Started in 1872
Steam Locomotives, first linking Tokyo to Yokohoma, leading to a nationwide train system
With the advancement of technology, travel times shortened
Ex. Traveling from Tokyo to Kobe started as a 20 hour trip, and thanks to the bullet train, was reduced immensely to a 4 hour trip
Japan’s 4 main islands were finally linked in 1988 with undersea tunnels
12 cities in Japan have subway systems
Tokyo having the most lines, with 13, that carry more than 7 million people a day
A few of these lines link to commuter lines, which have become a bigger focus, since living in the city can be very expensive

3. The Shinkansen High-speed railway system made up of seven lines
the Tokaido Shinkansen, Sanyo Shinkansen, Tohoku Shinkansen, Joetsu Shinkansen, Hokuriku Shinkansen, Kyushu Shinkansen, and Hokkaido Shinkansen
Goes to up 255 mph in some places
It connects Japan’s major cities, stretching from Aomori on the northernmost point of the island of Honshu all the way down to Kagoshima on the southernmost point of Kyushu
Surprisingly enough, not a single accident has occurred from derailing/ collision since it opened in 1964.
A new, much more advanced railway has been in development since the start of the 21st century, dependent on magnetic energy, reaching speeds up to 375 mph.

4. Air Transportation
From the end of WW2 to 1951, Japan wasn’t allowed to use passenger aircrafts by SCAP, so international and domestic airlines didn’t start until 1953
Almost 100 airports exist in Japan
New Tokyo International Airport is the embarkation point for many overseas passengers. The number of the airport’s flights is set to increase after the extension of a runway in 2009
In 2010, Haneda Airport began offering flights to foreign destinations, such as Los Angeles, Paris, Hong Kong, etc.

5. Motor Vehicles
Motor vehicle production by Japanese manufacturers began in 1904
Private ownership of cars skyrocketed in the 1980s, due to economic growth, and road improvements
Between 1960 and 2000, car registrations jumped from 3 million to 73 million
Construction of expressways began in 1950s, but faced many issues such as
The nature of the terrain, high concentration of factories, land prices along the route, and the extra support required to withstand earthquakes.
Construction prices are among the highest in the world
In bigger cities, traffic is a major issue, and so was traffic safety.
Deaths from road-traffic dropped from 16,000 deaths in 1970, to 4,117 in 2015

6. Overall Opinions
Innovation led to the many advancements in transportation options that exist in Japan.
From steam trains, to bullet trains, it amazes me to see how far they can push technology in this area.

7. Work Cites
bullet-train-to-run-every-20-minutes-in-peak-hours /