On top of your list of things to do in Japan, experience speeding through the countryside with tea fields, orange groves, quaint rice paddies, and Mount Fuji providing the perfect backdrop. Eating a bento, or boxed lunch, on the bullet train, and watching the scenery going past is a wonderful way to experience Japan.

The shinkansen, or bullet train, is more than just a mode of transport – it’s a truly Japanese experience. Immaculately clean, comfortable and fast, it’s the epitome of efficiency and the jewel in the crown of the shockingly prompt Japan Rail network. Incredibly, in a land of typhoons, earthquakes and heavy snowfall, the trains always keep to schedule, sometimes running just three minutes apart at 300kph. The fastest shinkansen service covers the distance between Kyoto and Tokyo in under two and a half hours: more efficient than air travel, and much more comfortable.