Each week, here at Osaka.com, we bring you a selection of some of the top stories about Osaka making the local and national news here in Japan. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes it’s funny, but it’s always direct to you, from Osaka.
Here’s a look at some of the stories hitting the headlines in Osaka this week.
Table of Contents
High Praise for Shinkansen on Reaching New Milestone
High speed transport in Japan hit an historic milestone this week. The Shinkansen, the world’s first high-speed rail link celebrated its 60th anniversary this week. The original line, between Tokyo and Osaka, opened this week in 1964.
Ceremonies and celebrations took place in both Tokyo and Osaka on October 1st.
The high-speed transportation was part of a series of technical and infrastructural innovations debuted in Japan that year. With Tokyo hosting the Summer Olympics in 1964, the shinkansen was one of many technological marvels unveiled that year to show that Japan was back on the international stage. The shinkansen’s maiden voyage took place on October 1st 1964, just a matter of days before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics. This marked the first day of operation for what we know today as the Tokaido Shinkansen Line.
In time, the shinkansen network grew outward. The line extended further south, culminating with the opening of Hakata terminal in Kyushu in 1975. Today’s shinkansen is also significantly faster than the one that made that journey 60 years ago. That initial trip took 4 hours. Today’s trains cover the same distance in just 2hours 21 minutes.
High Hopes for the Future as Innovation Continues
Speaking at the commemorative event in Osaka, A spokesperson for JR Central also said the future is bright for high-speed travel in and out of the city. And it’s about to get even faster.
They said: “Since 1964, the Tokaido Shinkansen has welcomed more than 7 billion passengers. We look forward to going higher, faster and better in the future.”
A new line, using Maglev technology will enter service between Tokyo and Nagoya sometime after 2027. If all goes well, this revolutionary transport will extend to Osaka by 2045. This would allow commuters to go from Tokyo to Osaka in a little over an hour.
Despite the high hopes among JR execs, critics also cite the frequent delays and cost overruns to the project. The Osaka extension has aleady been pushed back from 2037 to 2045. This date may slip further still, amid high material costs, environmental implications and resistance from certain local citizens groups.
Expo’s Latest Announcement Lifts Hearts High
With The Osaka 2025 World Expo drawing ever closer, announcements about new features and exhibits are an almost daily occurrence.
The latest unveiling in Osaka this week gets right to the heart of the matter, literally.
It’s an artificial heart, grown from IPS stem cells.
The heart is the high point of a larger exhibition of cutting edge medical technologies planned for the exhibition.
Although the heart will have a pulse, as such, when it goes on display next year, its not yet fully functional.
“We still have some way to go to construct a heart this way that can handle the high pressure and extreme strength required to actually pump blood through the body,” said Yoshiki Sawa, head of the project.
“Think of it more as a proof of concept, a glimpse into our medical future.”
The heart forms the centerpiece of the pavilion assigned to Pasona Group, a staffing agency and major sponsor of the expo.
And Finally…
Those looking for an early dose of Halloween frights should maybe think about taking the train. Announced this week, on October 19th, a single carriage of the Nozomi Shinkansen service between Tokyo and Osaka will become the “Zombie Shinkansen”. Actors dressed as zombified crew members will terrorize passengers for the 2 hours and 20 minutes duration of the trip.
According to the event’s promoters it will be the first time that a fully-fledged haunted house experience will take place on a moving bullet train.
The idea evokes memories of the famous 2016 Korean horror movie Train to Busan.
The plot circled around survivors of a zombie outbreak in South Korea trying to stay alive as the virus that caused the outbreak wreaks havoc on the Seoul to Busan bullet train.
Tickets for the October event are priced at 33,000 yen for standard seats, and 50,000 yen for special seats. The special tickets allow a closer view of the zombies, and the opportunity to have your photo taken with some of them too.
Ticket information can be found at the Zombie Shinkansen official website.
That’s all for now but be sure to check back again same time next week for another round of this week in Osaka!
A short note from the writer:
Thank you for once again joining us for this week’s Osaka News Round Up.
I’d also like to let you all know about a charity event I am taking part in this month.
Throughout October, Australia-based Mental Health Research charity, The Black Dog Institute is running their One Foot Forward event.
Last year, I walked 300km and thanks to your generosity, I raised more than 300 Australian dollars for this very worthy cause.
Well, this year, I hope we can go one better. I’m aiming to walk 500km and raise $500. If you’d like to donate, or learn more about the great work The Black Dog Institute does, please have a look at my fundraising page. Thanks everyone.
