HN Theater @HNTheaterMonth

whether china does this because they cannot transition into services quickly enough and they need to manufacture a new capital stream to purchase their own products or because of some benevolent world connection plan is largely inconsequential, where there is political will there is a way.

a) china offers to triple your standard of living in the next decade through a massive transnational infrastructure project that will allow increased trade and job opportunities, growing local export sectors and connecting you into the largest economic region in the world.

b) continue to be brain drained by germany and scandinavia while their large agrobusiness interests buy your farmland on the cheap and create a monoculture base of gmo exports to feed their growing welfare states, in the name of human rights and european unity of course.

this is going to be a hard choice for easte-.... western eurasia. crimea and syria are just russia and america trying to get a station on this supercontinental train. the general tone towards china's plans, reminds me of the attitude towards japan and the shinkansen project in the 60s. sometimes pragmatic long term thinking beats moonshots. a traveler in 2050 will likely be on a high speed train from europe to asia than on a spaceship to low earth orbit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3LLgzO_PrI

⬐ mises

When Japan built its Shinkansen, she had just been thoroughly beaten in a war, and we were reasonably confident she was no longer "bad". We have no such confidences with China; she has proven herself to be "bad" at many times. She is still locking ethnic minorities in concentration camps, continues to try to take over Taiwan, has taken over Tibet, mistreats her citizens, is focused on expanding the surveillance state, and is (in my view) intent on eventual world domination. Whether she will achieve this goal is debatable, but the risk is still there, and having many developing nations beholden to her is a risk for the free world.

At some point, I would argue any nation with more people than the free world in total that also has a totalitarian government is a risk to the rest of us. It's important to bound the influence of China, because should a war break out, the scale of death would be much larger than ever seen before. This is both because of China's sheer number of bodies she can throw at a problem and because of better technology.

⬐ cerealbad

this is a joke right? "every nation but mine.... (acts in its own self-interest and needs to be encircled should it try to expand)".

this is exceptional in it's dullness. you want to benefit all of humanity but also out-compete every other nation on earth- but i thought a nation was just an idea, or is it an individual? maximize individual freedom, but prevent the inevitable conflict, loss, suffering and death that freedom would bring about. think totalitarian governments are a systemic risk to world peace, but not your absolutist ideas which allow no room for compromise with a simple difference of opinion but create escalating tensions and threatening rhetoric. what are you suggesting? in order to save the chinese people from themselves you will bomb them, lend them paper to rebuilt and prop up a puppet government?

china needs new markets, because the chinese people demand it, through their production and consumption.

when you anchor your superstructure of belief on a fantasy, divorced from history, politics, and the state of the natural world with it's finite resources, no good decision dilemmas, and complex inter-dependencies your conclusions are crackpot lunacies. show me an individual, and you will show me a barbarian, a beast of burden, a machine. a human being is neither free nor undivided, the very process of existence requires division, sacrifice, and the reduction of freedom. when you say 'i want to be free' i hear 'do what i say', 'think like i do'. give me the freedom to be free of you. the tyrants and despots of history, always promising the sky and offering a shallow hole in the dirt.

a close reading of the 19th and 20th century would do you well. it was the sudden contraction of american banks lending to weimar germany brought about by an ill prepared and newly formed central bank that caused communist and reactionary forces to emerge and fight for europe. trade restrictions were placed on germany with the express goal to twist the iron glove to war, largely for the benefit of expanding american manufacturing, banking and business interests in the war-weary and destitute post-war period. china is peacefully doing 80 years later what the allies did by force and no regard for human life. why else were so many cities fire bombed and destroyed? what did the americans do in korea? vietnam? what are american forces doing in the middle east? borrow, bomb and build. freedom is the carrot, capital is the stick.

the guilty man sees his sins in the faces of others. the free world doesn't look so free anymore.

so lets get down to realities, you will escalate, china will defend, you will go bankrupt since you can't manufacture a working plane anymore and the world doesn't want to buy your debt, china will take your place in the northern hemisphere and you can go back to setting up banana republics in your backyard and liberating the other america from bad ideas. how is venezeula working out?

nb. this post is largely in jest, you present and therefore receive the treatment of a fool.

⬐ dang

Please do not take HN threads further into flamewar, or political or national battle, regardless of whether someone else started it. And particularly please don't resort to personal attacks. We ban people for doing that.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

⬐ NicoJuicy

> china offers to triple your standard of living in the next decade through a massive transnational infrastructure project that will allow increased trade and job opportunities, growing local export sectors and connecting you into the largest economic region in the world.

No, they are not. They are loaning you money so you can spend it on Chinese workers/companies and they get 100% ROI.

⬐ vuln

Do you have any data on how many of these “loans” are actually paid back in full and not defaulted on? Generally interested.

⬐ NicoJuicy

Just look at the trends, investments that are made. I don't have insider knowledge, just common sense.

The defaults aren't really defaults, they do get paid back one way or another.

Either by a 99-year lease of strategical infrastructure or something else.

Most of the countries do pay back though.

⬐ vuln

Here is an example of 8 countries that are about to default.

https://qz.com/1223768/china-debt-trap-these-eight-countries...

⬐ sbacic

I don't think it's either of those things. I suspect China is doing it as a way to get a foothold in EU politics. Smaller, poorer countries are easier to bribe, coerce or just plain intimidate than say France or Germany.

Furthermore, those investments will do nothing to fix the problems those countries have. My biggest concern is that those countries will not be able to honor their obligations to China and the consequences of that.

⬐ microcolonel

> Smaller, poorer countries are easier to bribe, coerce or just plain intimidate than say France or Germany.

Not to mention, many of those countries are already being bullied and coerced by France and Germany anyway, so they may see some international abuse as the lesser of two evils.

Now, if countries like Romania could get their act together and stop accepting the free outward movement of people who they've just paid to educate, maybe the equation changes.

⬐ sbacic

To be fair, some of that bullying is for good causes - such as human rights and rule of law.

Free movement is one of the cornerstones of the European Union. If Romania were to restrict it, I think that the people most pissed with that decision would be the Romanians. This might even be a blessing in disguise, as it could generate enough outrage to fix the problems ailing the country. Though considering the apathy and disillusionment with democracy in much of Europe, I'm not sure that even that would work.

⬐ microcolonel

> To be fair, some of that bullying is for good causes - such as human rights and rule of law.

I'm all for human rights and the rule of law, but the rule of law without sovereignty is just tyranny, and human rights without sovereign rights deteriorate inevitably.

> Free movement is one of the cornerstones of the European Union. If Romania were to restrict it, I think that the people most pissed with that decision would be the Romanians.

The suggestion from other member states to Romania (which, I should clarify, I have no real personal attachment to), is that they should take on migrants from even poorer economies; the problem with this is that poorer economies generally do not produce the educated people Romania is losing, but a further set of people who they must educate, and who will ultimately be able to simply hop on a bus and setttle in a place where even low-skilled work is better compensated than high-skilled work in their home country.

I don't think it's great when countries try to trap their citizens arbitrarily, but by the same token, they can not simply allow their best and brightest the option to take their skills somewhere more developed, and have that cost those people nothing. Furthermore, the end result of brain drain is a country full of nationalists and wretches, which seems to me like a bad thing to aim at, even if the process seems fair.

⬐ bjourne

EUs criticism of Romania has nothing to do with immigration! What Romania is expected to do is to abide by the provisions of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union which it agreed to when it joined the union. In exchange for this, they get billions upon billions in EU aid from rich EU countries tax payers' pockets - such as mine. Respecting the Charter is not an onerous burden.

⬐ sbacic

And what is the absence of rule of law and (in some cases) human rights abuses coupled with full-throttle sovereignty?

Because that's exactly what you get with much of EE and the Balkans. Lots of talk of sovereignty and lots of examples on how that sovereignty is being squandered and misused. I honestly think that a lot of those countries (my own included) would be better off without that sovereignty.

⬐ microcolonel

> And what is the absence of rule of law and (in some cases) human rights abuses coupled with full-throttle sovereignty?

A national tyranny, which I'd argue is still better than an imperial tyranny.

> Because that's exactly what you get with much of EE and the Balkans. Lots of talk of sovereignty and lots of examples on how that sovereignty is being squandered and misused. I honestly think that a lot of those countries (my own included) would be better off without that sovereignty.

I'd argue first that that's not your call to make; but failing that, we don't know what the enlightened sovereign Eastern Europe looks like, because the people you probably like the most (educated, middle and upper class) are busy leaving, and it seems to me that the people are fighting politics on two fronts (as far as I gather, the local politicians who use their weak constitutions and electoral systems to win elections with minor vote buys to crooks and desperate elderly people in the countryside; and Eurocrats who do effectively the same thing but with better haircuts).

⬐ lifty

And how would you stop accepting the outward movement of people educated in Romania? Not sure if you are proposing to restrict freedom of movement, but that would be pretty hard to pass, and frankly scary. As I see it, the only reasonable way to fight the brain drain is to make it attractive for young people to stay in Romania.

⬐ microcolonel

> Not sure if you are proposing to restrict freedom of movement, but that would be pretty hard to pass, and frankly scary.

My thought is that they should create some form of obligation or tuition option for the schools so that they don't subsidize people who ultimately leave their economy. You stay in Romania, your tuition is subsidized like normal, if you leave Romania and become resident elsewhere, you pay a bill to recover the cost of educating you.

Obviously they can't, as a matter of civil rights, prohibit people who are not criminals from leaving the country, but they have tools to enforce agreements like that at least with EU member states, and states they generally have relationships with regardless (i.e. UK).

⬐ sbacic

A couple of problems with this idea - one, the people emigrating and their parents paid for that tuition through taxes. Second, what about all the people who finish college and stay in Romania, but work in some dead end job that doesn't even need higher education?

And lastly, this would mean keeping the people most dissatisfied with the current state of the country in the country. No corrupt government would want that. Much better for them to leave and not cause any trouble.

⬐ microcolonel

> their parents paid for that tuition through taxes

The way that (modern) governments finance programs like this is exactly the opposite of your model of it. Your parents didn't pay to subsidize your education, the next generation did (this is in part why birth/immigration rates falling is taken as such bad news).

> Second, what about all the people who finish college and stay in Romania, but work in some dead end job that doesn't even need higher education?

The next ones will know from that more about the demand for educated people, and adjust accordingly; at least they mainly wasted time and not money on getting into that dead-end job.

> And lastly, this would mean keeping the people most dissatisfied with the current state of the country in the country. No corrupt government would want that. Much better for them to leave and not cause any trouble.

Sure, but should we govern based on what the government wants? The people benefit when the legitimately dissatisfied are heard rather than just swept under the rug.

As for it being a corrupt government that encourages the people most likely to become dissidents to leave the country, what does that say about the countries receiving those dissidents? Is it moral to accept masses dissatisfied people from a country that suffers more from politics than from geography? Is that moral even when that country does have enough semblance of free expression that you could conceive of dissidents making a difference from the inside?

⬐ mrunkel

Just rode the Shinkansen last month from Kyoto to Tokyo. Very enjoyable trip, except (like everything in Japan) at my height and size (190cm/6'3") it was a tick too small. Even in the green car.

That, and the annoying foot rest which takes up most of the space in front of you whether you need it or not were the only negatives. Awesome train (although the styling of the modern noses doesn't appeal to me at all) ride. Super smooth.

If you're going to be riding, don't dawdle getting off. You're expected to be at the door ready to get off when the train stops, if you wait, you'll be encountering passengers getting on, and the train doesn't stop long at the station.

p.s. Please don't get offended that I said Japan was a tick too small for me. It doesn't have to fit me, I don't live there. I was just making an observation. :)

⬐ yogrish

The story of its long nose inspired by kingfisher that reduces tunnel booms. https://asknature.org/idea/shinkansen-train/

⬐ uhryks

Woah what model of Shinkansen did you ride? Every trip I made on the Tokaido line had these wide rows large enough people can fit a luggage standing in front on their feet (and not in green cars). I'm 190cm too and Japan is the only country I've been able to ride trains (or highway buses) with that much room for the legs. Not every bus or train of course but otherwise it's as short as it would get in europe.

⬐ pietjepuk88

Agreed. 196 cm/6'5" here, and the only thing I found lacking was the width of the chairs on the Tokaido line (3+2 arrangement). I'm not sure what the pitch of the seats is, but I had plenty of leg room (much more than any train in the Netherlands anyway, let alone air planes).

If you ever find yourself in Japan with a rail pass, do use the free reservation option when traveling between Osaka and Kagoshima with the Sakura. That one has a 2+2 arrangement in the reserved seat cars, which makes for a more comfortable ride.

I do agree with things being quite small/low though, bumping my head at least a couple times a week.

⬐ robin_reala

I guess that’s the threshold then because at 188cm I found the shinkansen perfectly comfortable, even on long journeys (e.g. Tokyo to Hakodate). Maybe it’s because the foot rest folds up if you don’t want it by your feet :)

⬐ joshschreuder

I'm about the same size as you and got pulled out of the Space Mountain line at Disneyland Tokyo and taken backstage to test if I'd fit in a carriage. Luckily I did, barely, and it was an interesting (if a little illusion-breaking) glimpse behind the curtain of the happiest place on Earth.

⬐ innocenat

> (although the styling of the modern noses doesn't appeal to me at all) It isn't supposed to look good -- it just supposed to make things efficient.

> If you're going to be riding, don't dawdle getting off. Nozomi stops for 5 minutes at each station -- and at peak runs every three minutes.

⬐ mrunkel

Here's a short video of a train going through the station in Odawara.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qc4nlf6p9fhbdi0/IMG_1450.m4v?dl=0

⬐ thanosnose

> p.s. Please don't get offended that I said Japan was a tick too small for me. It doesn't have to fit me, I don't live there. I was just making an observation. :)

Why would anyone be offended? If you are 6'3", no place is accommodating for you. No train, bus, airplane, car or homes are built for you since you are not close to the average anywhere. This goes for whether you are too short or too tall or too fat or too skinny. Everything nowadays is built for the average. So you wouldn't feel comfortable anywhere.

⬐ mrunkel

People get offended (even here) at the drop of the hat... Just wanted to clarify that I wasn't being a western imperialist or that I expected the country to adapt to me. :)

⬐ kaybe

I really enjoy being in Asia because finally everything is the right size for me. I'm a bit small, and I didn't notice before how everything in the west is slightly too big for me. A minor annoyance, sure, but what a relief when things finally fit!

⬐ h1d

I wonder what you really benefitted in Asia in that regard. Having more roomy space doesn't sound bad and I'm sure clothing won't have shortage of varying sizes.

⬐ mav3rick

Having more room doesn't look good (most cases). A closer fit will always look better.

⬐ kaybe

One simple thing: Chairs are usually just a few cm too high. As a result, all the weight of my lower legs is on the part just above the knee and sitting normally is quite uncomfortable and I usually just.. don't, and cross my legs to sit fully on top of the thing. (In formal settings, this is not acceptable however.) I recently flew with China Airlines (the Taiwanese one) and lo and behold, I could finally sit in an airplane normally. Not recommended for tall people, but very much so for shorter ones.

Workspaces in the kitchen or workshop are also just a few cm too high to work comfortably. In public transport, I often cannot reach the straps to hold on to from the top without being in very very uncomfortable stretch. Of course, if they were lower, other people would hit their heads, so it can't be helped.

It's these small things that are hard to set up in any other way (one size fits all) and someone will be inconvenienced at any setup. I'm not saying we should change things here to accommodate people my size. It's just really nice when things simply.. fit.

⬐ ragebol

The Shinkansen is just so awesome. GF an I toured Japan last October and we did all inter-city travel by the Shinkansen, using a Japan-Rail pass, so you can just walk through the entry gates. The punctuality is also unparalleled. On a different train, we arrived well in time for departure, only to find the train was delayed! Oh noes! The guy at the counter walked up and off the walkway to our platform to personally excuse himself for the 15 minute delay. Of course, the train was exactly 15 minutes late.

I wish Europe would have this level of high-speed rail. I'm starting a remote job next year, traveling to the office twice month. That trip will cost me ca. 6hrs one-way but with a Shinkansen, maybe 3 hours. The continent would be so much more close-knit with such train service.

⬐ melling

I wish the US could have the level of European HSR.

We’ve spent 50 years explaining why it won’t work here and widening highways. Now to even acquire the land is incredibly expensive.

Now our dream is to go 700 mph so we can take the long way over cheaper land instead of directly at slower speeds.

⬐ lozenge

Huh? A comfortable ride means the track needs to be straight - especially at high speeds.

⬐ dingaling

That hasn't been strictly true since the tilting APT ran commercially in 1981. It was designed for sustained 160mph on 100mph line-curves.

The patents for the tilting mechanism were bought by FIAT who debugged the technology and it's now common on UK railways in the Pendolino trains.

⬐ SmellyGeekBoy

Shame the Pendolinos very rarely (if ever) get up to full speed as our track maintenance and rail infrastructure in general is so poor.

The UK is also one of the most expensive places in the world to travel by rail, but that's a whole different story...

⬐ masklinn

A straight-ish track is a baseline requirement for high-speed, to maintain top speed (220mph in the most recent generation) you need a turn radius of a few miles.

⬐ mav3rick

The best part is trains every 10 minutes or so. And so comfortable. I actually looked forward to the train journey.

⬐ JKCalhoun

Yep. Sort of the opposite of how we feel about plane flights. I would take a train to destinations within the U.S. if we had high-speed rail.

⬐ umichguy

My take on HSR preferences, based on what I've personally experienced:

Japan=>Other Asian systems (Korea, China)> Europe (Italy, France, Germany, Spain) >>>U.S (Acela)

I am talking about the whole system, not just trains or ticketing or something specific.

Haven't been in any other countries' HSRs, so don't know.

⬐ forgot-my-pw

Taiwan is very good too, and very affordable.

⬐ com2kid

Comparing Japan to China, the amazing thing is how organized the Japanese stations are. Being able to just walk on board a train that comes every 3 minutes is mind blowing.

I took high speed rail in China, and the one leg up China does have is the display showing the current speed! :)

⬐ kurthr

Also, be careful, just because a train is on your track 1-2 minutes before schedule doesn't mean it's yours... they put them close together and yours may be arriving exactly on time!

From personal experience, it's an easy mistake to make when you're running to make a connection... always check the number.

⬐ mav3rick

Can anyone explain unlike other countries how has the Shinkansen not crumbled like the trains in California or New York. Did they bet on the right technology early on and/or are they just better at upgrades ?

⬐ lbriner

Owning a car is hard in Japan. There is generally no parking on any roads so you need a garage at home and parking off-street at work. Also, culturally, it is not seen as weird or cheap for a CEO to cycle to work, even in large enterprise companies. In the West, we are a little more status-driven by our vehicles I think ;-)

⬐ innocenat

Service performance. Train ride in Japan is comfortable, fast, and on-time. (Highway in Japan has quite low speed limit that standard intercity train is faster on many routes)

Japanese train is quite expensive, but people feels that it's worth the money. Couple that with the fact that Japanese Taiheiyo belt is among the biggest, most densely populated area in the world, you can see where this is coming. At least 10 trains (14 on peak hour) of ~1300-seat, 400-meter-long Shinkansen trains depart Tokyo station for Nagoya/Osaka every hour from 6.00~24.00. It's even more frequent than subway service in many cities.

The fun thing about rail service is that maintenance cost does not go up very much with more train. So Shinkansen (especially the Tokaido Shinkansen) bring in a LOT of money, enough for the operating company (JR Central) to invest in building the new maglev Chuo Shinkansen all by itself.

Of course, local train lines outside major cities in in Japan are also struggling.

⬐ masklinn

> Can anyone explain unlike other countries how has the Shinkansen not crumbled like the trains in California or New York.

Crumbled in what sense? Ridership?

⬐ mav3rick

BART Muni Caltrain all have a lot of delays and breakdowns. Some of them are also not safe to travel in (but this is besides the technical points.)

⬐ masklinn

So… you're wondering if japan performs basic maintenance & rolling stock replacement?

⬐ Tsubasachan

European countries have an interest in cutting down on the number of cars on the road. The Paris climate accord means that we all have to drastically cut CO2 emissions. Also European cities are suffering from air pollution.

This means that governments invest very heavily in trains and other mass transit. Trying desperately to keep cities livable and functional.

⬐ toweringgoat

Maintenance. Some countries invest a lot in active maintenance (Japan, Switzerland), some invest a bit (Germany, UK), some just don't or throw away their money (USA).

⬐ ianbooker

Europe could have that tomorrow, if it would really put its act together and regulate its train system more tightly. I did both a super-long distance commute (900km) bi-monthly and a regular daily commute (100km) using German trains for two years each. It was horrible. But with some proper coordination the network could become viable overnight: For example: Deutsche Bahn knows it unreliable even using their own weird definition of delays, but still they do noting to work with this information. Every time you book a train they will offer a journey with a time to switch trains below 5 or 10 Minutes, although the probability of reaching that is below two thirds.

⬐ nlh

Anecdote: I was just in Japan and w/ a train-loving buddy, and he found the fastest in the country for us to take a ride (The Hayabusa line between Tokyo <-> Sendai).

Super fun! It tops out just over 200mph for a few stretches (obligatory screen cap from whatever GPS speedometer app I happened to download at the moment)[1]

We rode coach up to Sendai and First Class on the way back after a long day of wandering around. 1000% worth the experience if anyone is considering the adventure as part of a Japan trip.

[1] https://m.imgur.com/a/WBtSgJ6

⬐ kurthr

If you know you're traveling to Japan and want to ride the Shinkansen, then definitely get a JR rail pass. They are good for a week (upto 3) of travel, but can pay for themselves in 1 or 2 rides. They're even good for travel within Tokyo on Yamanote and Chuo lines (and if your flight arrives in time for you to validate for the Narita Express or Haneda Monorail).

There are lots of places on-line to purchase, but the ticket must be delivered/picked-up outside of Japan and you must have a foreign passport/residence.

Also, the pass is only valid on the Kodama/Hikari (echo/light) trains, but not Nozomi (hope) which have fewer stops.

The real advantage of Green/1st class is that you can more easily book last munite at busy times without fear of the train being full.

⬐ SmellyGeekBoy

I actually framed my JR Pass when I got home.

⬐ kaybe

Actually, they have a trial right now where you can buy the JR passes inside Japan. The cost is a little higher compared to buying abroad. The foreign passport and short-term visa requirements still remain.

⬐ 2bitencryption

small self-deprecating anecdote:

after I landed in Narita for the first time, I rode the Narita Line into Tokyo.

I, coming from the US, was absolutely amazed at the cleanliness and super-fast speed of the train, which I assumed must be a bullet train because we were traveling so much faster than I had ever traveled by train before.

Imagine my surprise when I found out it was just the regular train line, and the bullet train is a whole different beast...

⬐ Symbiote

"Maximum speed 130 km/h (80 mph)" (Wikipedia)

That's slower than the airport express trains for several European airports I'm familiar with (London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Stockholm, Oslo), which is unexpected. However, it's probably a lot cheaper than any of them.

⬐ innocenat

Narita Express is among the expensive train in Japan though. Narita Airport to Tokyo station cost JPY2820 (~$25).

130km/h is the maximum speed any train can operate on a line with level crossing designated by Japanese law. But in Japan a lot of train can maintain near maximum speed throughout its journey, unlike what I have seen in the Europe.

⬐ wallace_f

Imagine if the US had leaders obligated to resign when projects ran overbudget.

⬐ ericdykstra

Politics needs more skin in the game overall.

⬐ tokyodude

What love about the Shinkansen, at least Tokyo <-> Osaka is that it leaves every 5-10 minutes so I never make reservations. I just casually go when I feel like it, shop outside for a snack, then go in and get a ticket at a machine and hop on the next train.

This is something I can't do with planes as well as you have to book in advance, get there early, check in, get inspected, line up to board. Filling plane seems to take 15 to 30 minutes. Filling the train takes 2-3 mins. And of course the train drops me off in the center of town, not 30 to 90 minutes outside of town like most airports.

There's a couple of seasons where getting a seat or getting 2 seats together might take more planning but most of the time taking the Shinkansen feels no different than taking any local train or subway in terms of prep which makes it super easy to use. It's a little expensive, $240-$350 round trip (free seating->reserved seating->1st class) but I've still made impulse trips for various events deciding on the same day that, yea, ok, let's go!

I will say China's bullet trains are amazing as well but booking/tickets are not nearly as smooth.

⬐ xixixao

Both Mustard and Brilliant look really cool. In fact in this video I wasn't sure at times whether the footage was CGI or real, testament to how good rendering is these days.

⬐ Geee

I think it's rendered in a game engine, possibly Unity. The whole video appears to be put together in a game engine.

⬐ TravelAndFood

Here's another nice video about Shinkansen origin story from a video series I enjoy ("Begin Japanology"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHCl8z47bL0

⬐ dredds

The next generation Shinkansen will begin testing around May next year (2019). The ‘Alfa-X’ is expected to travel faster than 400 km/h (360 km/h with passengers)

note: The fastest commercial train in the world is Shanghai’s maglev train (431km/h) which uses magnetic levitation.

- https://plus.google.com/117929795458007747856/posts/iVaesHMc... - https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/alfa-x-shinkansen-bullet-trai...

⬐ pasbesoin

There are a couple of high def web cams of busy Japanese lines just outside stations, that stream live on YouTube (with good sound, as well). (Unfortunately, the recent typhoon took out the one by the Italian Park in Tokyo.)

I've found I can watch those for hours. I've thought of putting a TV in my office and just leaving one or the other on as background.

They also remind me a bit of one or two domestic market contemporary Japanese films that have featured trains prominently.

I guess it's probably mostly just a one-off amalgam of experiences that exists in my head. But enjoyable.

P.S. You watch one of these, and -- as a foreigner -- you realize just how many of the high speed trains are running each hour, each day.

⬐ atonse

Can you please link to these? I'd love to say my kid would enjoy these, but who are we kidding? I'd love them too.

⬐ pasbesoin

Yeah, I didn't, in my first comment. I guess I was a bit afraid if they got popular they'd "go away" or something -- even though they are "buffered" by YouTube.

--

This one is still working:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8LY9oqqzXM

looking SE towards the north end and east side of Shin Osaka station:

https://goo.gl/maps/LqVgRHNWu7H2

--

The following one has been down since the typhoon. I haven't tried reaching out -- I don't make comments on YouTube -- but if it's a matter of the cost of replacement, I wonder whether the person it belongs to would be interested in donations to pay for its replacement. I rather enjoyed it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F-Aw9t1VC8

Located across the street and tracks (and the other street) from Italy Park, looking to the SE:

https://goo.gl/maps/2154UmjBYu72

--

P.S. For the Osaka location, once in a while you'll see a commercial jet's shadow approach and cross the forefield. 2 pm local time, or sometimes an hour either way of that, has seemed to be the time for that, this fall.

⬐ atonse

Thanks!

⬐ jokoon

Crazy to know this train appeared so early.

I'm also quite curious about the recent US regulation that was dropped about wagon weight. Could not understand how this regulation made sense.

⬐ bostonpartee

It seemed interesting, but narration is very slow. :(

⬐ bitpush

2x speed doesnt help?

⬐ Animats

Aw.

Some of the Shinkansen technology came from BART, which was being built around the same time. Active suspension, all wheel electric drive with electronic controls, and automatic train control all started with BART. Now everybody has those features.

⬐ innocenat

Can I have source? According to Wikipedia BART began construction in 1964, the year Shinkansen open. Sanyo Shinkansen, the extension to Hakata, open in 1972, months before BART open.

⬐ throwawsay32434

Really cool! I like it that the Japan generally is not given to the BS-till-you-make-it attitude of SV.

The spiritual successor to the 60s pioneering project, the Chuo Shinkansen, which is the result of proven technology developed over 30-40y continues to chugging away slowly and silently, at an estimated cost of $80B to connect Tokyo with Osaka (in '2037).

Musk's Hyperloop's on the otherhand is what you get from SV. BS vaporware, which would magically connect LA and SF at a mere $6B, with technology which hasn't even been invented yet! Even the current Shinkansen costs twice as much as this valuation (in India!).

⬐ JKCalhoun

Agree that Hyperloop is ... hype. But you otherwise paint SV with too broad a brush with your "BS-till-you-make-it" comment.

⬐ dear

I would go even further to say it's not even broad enough to reflect the general culture in the US.

⬐ innocenat

The Chuo is Tokyo-Nagoya in 2027 and Tokyo-Osaka in 2045.

Could they make it earlier? Of course yes, but the amazing thing about Chuo Shinkansen is that it's 100% private (JR Central) money. The government did offer no-string-attached money to make it to Nagoya in time for 2020 Olympic and Osaka in 2025 [Expo] (this was back in '13), but JR Central declined. Japan population is declining so I guess nobody want to invest too much in case the return isn't as expected.