Businesses, Athletes Join Celebrations for 50th Anniversary of Sanyo Shinkansen Bullet Train’s Launch for Entire Route

By Kento Fukunaga and Yoshiki Okamoto / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

14:57 JST, March 20, 2025

Sanyo Shinkansen bullet trains this month reached a half century of service along the entire route between Shin-Osaka Station in Osaka and Hakata Station in Fukuoka.

Compared to Tokaido Shinkansen bullet trains, which run between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka stations, the Sanyo Shinkansen has less demand for business trips. Therefore, the operator has been making constant improvements on comfort and entertainment on board its trains to attract tourists. During the past five decades, Sanyo Shinkansen bullet trains have carried about 3 billion passengers. Companies along the route are voicing their gratitude for the Sanyo Shinkansen as they have been making developments and progress together.

Hikari to the west

On the morning of March 10, the anniversary day, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at JR Hiroshima Station. Participants included former baseball star Hiroki Kuroda, 50, who played for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp and in Major League Baseball. After the ribbon was cut, the stationmaster, Toru Imada, raised his right hand to signal “shuppatsu” (go).

In 1972, eight years after Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train services started in 1964, Sanyo Shinkansen services were launched between Shin-Osaka and Okayama stations. The catchphrase for the launch was “Hikari wa nishi e” (Hikari to the west), Hikari being the name given to the fastest bullet trains at the time. In 1975, the services were extended to Hakata, connecting Shin-Osaka and Hakata stations in as little as three hours and 44 minutes.

Stations served by the Sanyo Shin¬kansen include Shin-Kobe, Okayama, Fukuyama and Kokura.

“Our trains stop in a number of regional cities,” said Kazuaki Hasegawa, the president of the operator, West Japan Railway Co. (JR West). “For the past 50 years, our services have progressed closely with regional communities.”

JR West inherited the Sanyo Shin¬kansen when the now-defunct Japanese National Railways was privatized in 1987. The management base of the Sanyo Shinkansen is weak compared to the Tokaido Shinkansen, which is constantly used for business trips and is called a cash cow.

Aware of the competition with airlines, JR West worked on improving its customer services on Sanyo Shin¬kansen trains. In 1988, the company introduced West Hikari bullet trains, on which the layout of reserved seats was changed from five seats per row aboard ordinary bullet trains to just four seats per row. The operator tried to lure tourists by offering more room to relax on West Hikari trains.

The company has also provided unique services on board. The Cinema Car, which was introduced in 1988, let passengers watch films, and the Kodomo salon (children’s salon) introduced in 1995 had equipment installed for children to play with.

Spreading local delicacies

Masataka Kawahara still appreciates the benefit his company received when Sanyo Shinkansen services were launched on their entire course. He is the president of Fukuya Co., which makes and sells mentaiko spicy cod roe.

“Our products, which had loyal fans locally, spread nationwide thanks to the Sanyo Shinkansen,” he said.

Before the launch, tourists and business travelers who came to Fukuoka mostly used ordinary express trains or night trains that had longer travel times than the Sanyo Shinkansen. It was, therefore, difficult for them to take mentaiko on their return journeys.

When Hakata Station on the Sanyo Shinkansen opened, however, customers began lining up in front of Fukuya stores to buy many boxes of mentaiko. The company’s sales, which were ¥250 million in fiscal 1965, soared to ¥2.8 billion in fiscal 1980.

“Through the Shinkansen, we were able to make Fukuoka thrive with mentaiko,” Kawahara said.

Architect of victory

The year Sanyo Shinkansen services started on the entire route, 1975 is also remembered for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp winning their first-ever Central League professional baseball championship.

Kojiro Ikegaya, 72, who had 18 victories in the season as the team’s main starting pitcher, fondly recalled the victory.

“The launch of the Shinkansen was one of the main factors that contributed to our victory,” he said.

Ikegaya made his debut as a professional baseball player in 1974, the year before the launch, and was good enough to play on the top-tier Central League team from his debut year. When the Carp played as the visiting team, players had to journey by conventional train to Okayama Station and then change to the Shinkansen.

Ikegaya said it was the norm for him and his teammates to break into a sweat when running while carrying baggage full of baseballs and uniforms to catch their train.

“Traveling took a long time, and we became physically drained whenever we traveled to an away game,” he said. “The launch of the Shinkansen relieved us all from fatigue. We could focus on our games throughout the season.”

“I hope the Sanyo Shinkansen will continue to run safely so that it will continue to be admired in 50 years’ time from now, too,” said Keiya Orinaka, 60, who is in charge of Shinkansen operations at JR West.

Orinaka hails from Hiroshima. When he was a fourth grader in elementary school, Sanyo Shinkansen services started on the entire course. He would watch the bullet trains run past his elementary school.

He started working at JR West in 1990. In his third year, he worked as a Shinkansen driver for six months.

“I was overwhelmed by the sheer power [of the Shinkansen] when entering a tunnel,” he recalled.

He was also involved in drawing up the timetables for the Hikari Rail Star special trains, which were introduced in 2000 using the latest model of trains. They shortened Hikari bullet trains’ travel time between Shin-Osaka and Hakata, which used to be an hour longer than Nozomi bullet trains.

“I’d like to continue working to offer passengers flexible services that have their roots in local demand,” he said.