logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2021
8m 58s

Japan's Bullet Train

Bbc World Service
About this episode

On 1 October 1964, the fastest train the world had ever seen was launched in Japan. The first Shinkansen, or bullet train, ran between Tokyo and Osaka, and had a top speed of 210km per hour. Lucy Burns spoke to Isao Makibayashi, one of the train's first drivers.

This is a rebroadcast

(Photo: Shinkansen, or bullet train. Credit: Keystone/Getty Images)

Up next
Apr 2025
The Cu Chi tunnels of the Vietnam War
During the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese VietCong guerrillas built a vast network of tunnels in the south of the country as part of the insurgency against the South Vietnamese government and their American allies. The tunnel network was a key base and shelter for the North Vietna ... Show More
9m 43s
Today
India goes to the UN
<p>In 1946, an Indian woman made history by leading her country’s first delegation to the United Nations.</p><p>Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit described it as a moment that reshaped her life.</p><p>As the sister of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, she was already in the pub ... Show More
10m 33s
Yesterday
The Howard Hughes literary hoax
<p>In 1971, the publishing world was rocked by one of the biggest hoaxes in literary history – a fake autobiography of the reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes.</p><p>Hughes was an aerospace engineer, film producer, record-breaking aviator and business tycoon, who’d built a $2 bil ... Show More
10m 4s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2021
From classical piano to rock stardom in Japan
Yoshiki is one of Japan's biggest stars. Although he started as a classical pianist, he went on to become an extraordinary drummer who transformed the music scene in Japan with his wild performances and over-the-top outfits. It all began in the 1980s when he founded the band X Ja ... Show More
22m 15s
Mar 2022
Terror in Tokyo (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
<p>On March 20, 1995, a crumpled up newspaper was spotted lying on the floor of a Tokyo, Japan train car. In Japan, the subways are always immaculately clean, so this newspaper stood out like a sore thumb. As commuters stared at the trash, wondering who would be so inconsiderate ... Show More
34m 32s
Feb 2023
30 Days of BTG – Day 22: Yuki Tsunoda’s Tokyo guide
F1 loves Japan: the passionate fans, the stunning racetracks, and the exciting drivers. Yuki Tsunoda wants to be his country’s first F1 winner. In this clip, recorded during Yuki’s rookie season in 2021, he told Tom Clarkson about his love of Tokyo and how former Japanese racers ... Show More
4m 24s
Nov 2021
This Week in Illinois History: First train in Illinois (November 8, 1838)
In early November 1838, the first railroad in Illinois went into operation. The train went on a symbolic, eight-mile run, introducing the state to the transportation that would dominate the next century. 
1m 36s
May 2023
The Day of Two Noons (Classic)
(Note: this episode originally ran in 2019.) In the 1800s, catching your train on time was no easy feat. Every town had its own "local time," based on the position of the sun in the sky. There were 23 local times in Indiana. 38 in Michigan. Sometimes the time changed every few mi ... Show More
18m 54s
Aug 2020
The Second World War in Japan
<p>It’s 75 years this week since the dropping of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which led to Japan’s surrender to Allied forces and the end of the Second World War. We hear first-hand accounts of military turning points in the Pacific including the attack on Pearl Harbou ... Show More
50 m