The Shinkansen bullet train of the newest E5 series, operated by Japanese railway company JR East, will start its regular service next spring in 2011.

The new sleek train will speed on the existing Tohoku Shinkansen Line from Tokyo to Shin-Aomori in Aomori prefecture in the northeast of the Japanese main island of Honshu. JR East says that despite the maximum speed of 320 km/h (199 mph), the train will be running at “only” 300 km/h (186 mph) until 2013. The entire trip will take exactly 3 hours and 10 minutes.

Much of the new technology that the train will introduce has been implemented in the areas of comfort, noise reduction and safety. There are many improvements in comparison to the existing Shinkansen trains which are already regarded as some of the most advanced trains in the world.

Each train will have 10 cars and there are currently 59 trains under construction — a total of 590 cars. Looking at this number, it’s no surprise that bullet trains in Japan run every few minutes, even on distances of 3 hours or more!

The Shinkansen trains are known by their names, like the existing Nozomi, Hikari, Kodama, Komachi and others. At this time, the name for the newest train is still unknown. JR East has held a public naming contest this March. There are some rumors that the new name could be Hatsune but this has not been confirmed.

Interior and exterior of Shinkansen series E5.

Exterior and interior

The futuristic design of the exterior is essentially based on the experimental train Fastech 360S and uses color combinations called Tokiwa (green top part of body) and Hiun (white bottom part) which are separated with a pink stripe Hayate.

According to JR East, the spacious interior will allow for a very comfortable ride for everyone, including people on wheelchairs. Each train will be divided in three classes: Standard (or Economy), Green and “Super Green”. The pitch between the seats measures from 1040 mm (60 mm more than in previous E2 series) in Standard class and up to 1160 mm in Green class and 1300 mm in Super Green class.

Long nose

What really stands out in this train is the sleek and smooth long nose which measures 15 m (49 ft). This special design will improve noise reduction in tunnels and reduce vibrations during travel.

Full bogie covers

Full bogie covers feature the latest technology to reduce noise.

Pantographs

New technological solutions have also been implemented in pantographs on the roof of the train.

Full active suspension

To allow for a smoother and more comfortable ride, each car features full active suspension with actuators of a new type and vibration sensors.

Car body tilting system

With air cushions installed underneath each car, the passengers will be able to ride in better comfort during high speed turns. According to the maker, the train can run at a maximum speed in a 4 km (2.5 miles) radius turn without passengers feeling much of a tilt at all.

Brake system

The brake system has been improved to be more easier and safer even when the train is running at maximum speed. Previous systems allowed braking only up to 275 km/h (170 mph).

Comfortable seats

A 3 hour train ride really calls for some decent seats! The incline seats with cushions are wider than before. The pitch between the seats has also been increased. All seats in Green class also have incline leg supports.

A lot of space

The new Shinkansen is a lot more spacious than all previous ones. Large bathrooms allow for easier access by people on wheelchairs and also feature an intercom system to talk with staff in emergencies. The eco-friendly LED lighting will reduce energy usage.

Main technical and other data of the Shinkansen series E5

Construction completed: 2009
Service start: from spring 2011
Cars in construction: 590 (59 trains)
Formation: 10 cars for 1 train
Capacity: 731 passengers (658 in Standard, 55 in Green and 18 in “Super Green” class)
Operator: JR East
Line: Tohoku Shinkansen
Car body construction: aluminum alloy
Car length: from 25 m (82 ft) to 26.5 m (87 ft)
Width: 3.35 m (11 ft)
Height: 3.65 m (11.98 ft)
Maximum speed: 320 km/h (199 mph)
Power output: 9960 kW

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The official Shinkansen E5 web site by JR East can be seen here (watch the Flash version!).

The floppy is dead! Grandma, still remember those antique 3.5-inch disks from the past century?

Sony has anounced it will stop manufacturing 3.5-inch disks next March 2011 in Japan because of rapidly plunging demand. This comes as no surprise since most computer users have long ago replaced the disk with USB sticks and other storage media. Previously, Sony has already quietly stopped selling floppies in many other parts of the world.

The disks that could hold the unbelievable 1.44 MB of data became practically standard for data storage since Sony rolled out the world’s first floppy disk back in 1981. Believe it or not, the production kept running alongside other media like CDs and DVDs and despite the 90% drop in demand since 1995 when the demand for floppy disks reached its peak.

In Japan, 47 million disks were sold in 2004 and only 12 million in 2009. Two other major disk makers, Hitachi Maxell and Mitsubishi Kagaku Media, ceased selling floppy disks in the spring of last year.

Demaeki keeps food in balance on delivery bikes.

Food delivery is a serious business in Japan and if the delivery boy isn’t skilled in speeding round busy streets full of aggressive samurai, he could easily spill all the soup he’s carrying on his bike.

How to solve such an unpleasant situation? The device on the picture isn’t a torturing machine but a special contraption for keeping food steady in balance during the ride.

The device, called demaeki (出前機), is mounted on the back of the bike and allows that bowls and boxes of food on the shelf stay in horizontal position regardless of how much the vehicle tilts. This relatively simple and effective solution that is quite common in Japan, is available in several versions, depending on the delivery needs.

Manufacturers who specialize in production and improvement of these devices, offer demaeki at a cost of about ¥40.000 ($450, 300 EUR) and up.

Demaeki attached to the back of a delivery vehicle. (Photo source: http://www.teito-co.com/cn4/cn16/cn17/pg124.html)

Photo source: http://www.motor-parts.jp/products/demae.html

Different types of demaeki. (Photo source: http://www.tctv.ne.jp/kk6348/demaeki.htm)

Photo source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/01/amazing-japanes/

How is Tokyo prepared for an event of a major earthquake or some other natural disaster? For an answer, we need to go underground!

In the video, a city official opens a trapdoor on the sidewalk and descends 20 meters deep down the stairway to huge underground warehouse that stocks emergency supplies meant for the public in an event of a natural disaster.

In this hidden area the size of 1480 square meters (15,930 sq ft) that would make James Bond especially happy, they keep stocks of emergency medical supplies, food, 5000 blankets, 8000 rugs, 4000 candles, 300 cooking pots, 200 t-shirts and various other items. They also built a system of conveyor belts that can transport the supplies up to the street level.

For this city of 13 million people, 300 cooking pots certainly won’t be enough. It is known that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government maintains a number of such warehouses along unnamed stations at the Oedo line which circles around Tokyo in a 40 km loop. Where exactly are these warehouses is kept secret in order to prevent too many people from gathering at the locations after a major disaster. At the end of video, the TV crew exits at one of such stations.

Japanese railway company East Japan Railway Co. has officially announced the introduction of a new series of Shinkansen bullet train in spring 2013.

The new E6 series trains will be connected with the E5 series on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line and run at the speed of 320 km/h (about 200 mph) in the section between Tokyo and Morioka. The E6 series will run alone at 130 km/h (about 80 mph) on the Akita Shinkansen Line between Morioka and Akita.

The lead vehicle will feature a 13-meter long sleek nose to reduce air drag and noise.

You can see a picture of the new train here.

Source: http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201002030429.html