Not surprisingly, the first ‘New Trunk Line’ was expensive. In fact, costs overran by up to 100% and both the president of the Japanese National Railway, Shinji Sojo, and his chief engineer, Hideo Shima, were forced to resign. Neither was invited to the opening of the magnificent railway they had created.

Their great adventure, and financial gamble, had begun in 1959 when Shima was invited to design and engineer the new railway, its trains and services. Shima and his team came up with the idea of a brand new express railway that would run on elevated, motorway-style viaducts where necessary to keep gradients as even as possible. Curves were kept to a minimum. Older trains would not be allowed to share the line. In any case, Japan’s existing trains ran on narrower tracks compared to those of Shinkansen, which adopted the standard European and American gauge of 4ft 8.5 in (1.4m), allowing for greater stability and higher speeds.

Shima’s first railway designs had been for Japan’s last generation of main-line steam locomotives and one of his handsome models set Japan’s steam speed recordin 1954. Progress over the next decade was very rapid indeed. And, although Shima was disgraced on grounds of cost overruns, he went on to become head of Japan’s National Space Development Agency – from steam to outer space in two decades. – Today, he is revered as the father of Shinkansen and the high-speed electric express trains his railway spawned worldwide.

Smooth ride

Since it opened fifty years ago, the original Tokaido Shinkansen has carried more than 5.5 billion passengers while the trains themselves have become ever more impressive and radical. With their hugely long nosecones, hidden wheels and lustrous green or blue paintwork, the latest E5 and E6-series trains are astonishing-looking things. Resembling mechanical eels from some distant planet, their performance is as sensational as their appearance. Slithering away from stations, they can reach 270km/h (168mph) in three minutes, cruising over certain sections of line at 320km/h (199mph). Inside, they are smooth, quiet and vibration free. They boast impressive and very clean lavatories (as does most of Japan), reclining seats that always face forwards and hostesses bringing drinks and bento boxes. Staff are impeccably dressed. Manners matter, and are maintained.