Illustration copyright Thinkstock
This year marks 50 years since the first Shinkansen bullet train left the train platform in Tokyo. talks about the project that became the basis for the development of rail transport throughout the world.
Nine days before the opening of the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Emperor Hirohito attended the opening ceremony of the first high-speed train linking the Japanese capital with Osaka. The blue and white express, whose outline resembled a bullet, rushed along the railway tracks past the picturesque Mount Fuji at a speed of 210 km per hour, covering the distance between the two megacities in record time.
A special high-speed railway track was built for the train, digging 108 km of tunnels and building more than three thousand bridges. But this was not a one-time PR campaign on the eve of the Olympics.
The Tokaido Shinkansen (which means "new main line" in Japanese) has become not only the fastest railway in the world, but also the busiest.
Today, 16-car Shinkansen bullet trains fire from Tokyo Station platforms every three minutes. Their average speed on the route is 270 km/h. Each train has 1,323 comfortable passenger seats.
Since last year, trains on the Tohoku Shinkansen line, one of six high-speed rail lines built over the past 50 years, have reached speeds of up to 320 km/h in some sections despite Japan's mountainous landscape.
High-speed trains have almost completely replaced air passenger transportation in Japan between the country's largest cities. They are not only fast, regular and follow the movement schedule down to the second. According to a government report on the state of Japanese land transport, the carbon dioxide emitted by such a train is only 16% of that of a car making the same journey.
Illustration copyright Getty Image caption There have only been two accidents on high-speed trains in Japan, and no one was injured in them. One of two cases in front of you: there was heavy snowfall, the train derailed.These trains are kept perfectly clean. But more importantly, since the day Emperor Hirohito blessed the first train in 1964, there has not been a single fatal accident on Japanese expressways. In 50 years, two trains derailed - one during the 2004 earthquake, the second during heavy snow last year. But both times there were no casualties.
50 years ago, against the backdrop of the new Shinkansen bullet train, all other railways in the world suddenly seemed outdated.
It was October 1964 - the height of Beatlemania. At that time, the fastest British locomotive could reach a speed of 160 km/h, and even then only on small modernized sections of the railway, built in the Victorian era.
Japanese bullet trains, so named because of the pointed nose that characterized the first O series, became the basis for the development of the French TGV, German ICE and Italian Pendolino. But all these trains were born only many years later.
Renaissance of Japan
Japan's global leadership in rail services was the result of the country's impressive economic and cultural revival in the first 20 years after its political and military defeat in 1945.
Then Emperor Hirohito - the same one who opened the Tokaido Shinkansen line and the Olympic Games in 1964 - said on the radio that as a result of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, “the military situation was not necessarily in Japan’s favor.” Then the Japanese first heard his voice on the radio.
Illustration copyright Getty Image caption Arnold Schwarzenegger, while governor of California, visited Japan and was shown the Falcon train.Less than 20 years later, guests of the Tokyo Olympics saw a completely different country - full of energy, with rich culture, modern architecture and magnificent highways. Japan was already famous for its high-end motorcycles and cameras, advanced cinema and many, many more achievements. So, in addition to the high-speed railway itself, the Japanese even then had something to show the world.
It is not surprising that Japan then became an extremely fashionable country. Leading musicians, from Ella Fitzgerald to the Beatles, flocked to Tokyo to tour. But all these remarkable achievements and cutting-edge developments fit harmoniously into the rich and extremely distinctive Japanese culture.
Advertisements showed high-speed trains zipping along the Tokaido Shinkansen line past cherry blossoms and snow-capped mountains. It was a fascinating combination of two worlds - the old imperial and the new democratic.
Illustration copyright Thinkstock Image caption Japanese high-speed trains are never late.It is not surprising that the first expressway was not cheap for the Japanese. During construction, its cost doubled. Because of this, Japanese Railways President Shinji Sogo and his chief engineer Hideo Shima were forced to resign. They were not invited to the grand opening of the railroad they created.
This financially risky project began in 1959, when Hideo Shima was asked to design and build a new railway line, create a train and the necessary infrastructure.
Shima and his team came up with the idea of a completely new train. It had to walk on elevated tracks like highways and laid over viaducts. It was necessary to smooth out the angles of inclination as much as possible and minimize the number of turns and bends of the railway track.
Old trains were prohibited from running on these tracks. Although this was impossible in any case - previous generations of Japanese trains used a narrower gauge. The Shinkansen adopted the European and American standard railway gauge of 1.4 m wide. This made it possible to achieve greater stability of the train at high speeds.
Illustration copyright AP Image caption "Nozomi" is one of the fastest trains, running almost non-stop. Translated from Japanese, "nozomi" means "hope".The Shinkansen was not the first train designed by Hideo Shima. This engineer was the designer of several previous generation Japanese steam locomotives. One of them set a speed record in 1954.
But the new generation of electric trains from the point of view of technical progress represented a tremendous leap forward. And although Hideo Shima was disgraced due to budget overruns, he still enjoyed great authority as a specialist and later became the head of the Japanese National Space Development Agency.
For twenty years, Hideo Shima has made his way from steam locomotives to space technology. Today he is revered as the father of the Shinkansen and many other high-speed electric trains operating on highways in various countries around the world.
Comfortable trip
Over the past 50 years, trains have become even faster. The total number of passengers they carried on the Tokaido Shinkansen alone reached 5.5 billion.
The most modern models of this train, the E5 and E6, with their unusually long pointed nose, hidden wheels and shiny green or blue body, are striking in their appearance. They resemble mechanical alien eels, and their performance is as impressive as their design.
Illustration copyright Thinkstock Image caption Japanese trains are very comfortableWhen fired from stations, these bullet trains are capable of reaching a speed of 270 km/h in three minutes. On some sections of the road they rush at a speed of 320 km/h. At the same time, the cabin is quiet and no shocks or vibrations are felt.
These trains boast comfortable and perfectly clean toilets, as does almost all of Japan. Seats with reclining backs are located along the train. The conductors serve drinks and neat boxes of bento - Japanese breakfasts and snacks. All service personnel are impeccably dressed. Polite manners are valued and encouraged here.
Meanwhile, white-gloved drivers sitting in air-conditioned cabins ensure strict adherence to train schedules.
The unusually elongated noses of these trains help not only to develop speed, but also to reduce the noise level that the train produces - especially when it leaves the tunnel. So-called "tunnel noise" has been a source of dissatisfaction for many Japanese living near the Shinkansen, but it has been significantly reduced thanks to the aerodynamic design.
The Shinkansen rail network continues to grow. The latest generation of bullet trains are currently running between the southern islands of Honshu and Kyushu. In 2016, a sea tunnel will connect the Japanese with the northern island of Hokkaido, and in 2035 a line will be built to Sapporo.
Illustration copyright Getty Image caption Magnetic levitation (maglev) train either travels or fliesBy then, the first Chuo Shinkansen line should open, connecting Tokyo and Osaka. This is a fundamentally new railway based on the principle of magnetic levitation (Maglev). The trains, literally floating in the air, will travel (fly?) from Tokyo to Osaka in just over an hour, reaching a speed of approximately 500 km/h. This is more than twice as fast as the first Shinkansen trains.
Creating a railway system with trains running at speeds of 200mph at the same intervals as the London Underground is a remarkable achievement by any standard. They are also much cleaner and more reliable than the London Underground.
Whatever the ups and downs of the Japanese economy over the past 50 years, the Shinkansen was the hallmark of the new Japan - a country that conquered the world with its cameras, radios, music systems, cars, motorcycles, films, comic books and fashion.
The mesmerizing sight of the Shinkansen bullet train rushing by at full speed against the backdrop of fields with cherry blossoms and picturesque Japanese mountains remains the same impressive sight as it was half a century ago.
About the author: Jonathan Glancy is a journalist and television producer. He has worked as an architecture and design correspondent for the Guardian and as design editor for the Independent. He writes articles for the Daily Telegraph and collaborates with the BBC on radio and television documentaries. His books include "History of Architecture", "Lost Buildings", "Biography of the Spitfire", "Nagaland and the Giants of Steam".
The word “shinkansen” has become firmly established in the Japanese language, but increasingly it is not even translated into foreign languages. Everyone understands that we are talking about Japanese high-speed railways, which have long become an integral part of the daily life of many Japanese. But the phrase shinkansen, which simply did not exist in Japanese before, literally means " new gauge line".
Every national railway system has something unique, but there is something special about Japan's roads that is not found in any other country in the world, it is unparalleled, in part because of the equipment with which it is operated.
After World War II, railroads played an important role in the revival of the nation. Japan soon embarked on a path of intensive economic development and accelerated urbanization. In this, the railways also played an important role, transporting the bulk of the population, quickly and on time. Japan's railways are now recognized throughout the world for their high level of technical equipment and management.
Japan's railway network is approximately 27,268 kilometers. Approximately 20,000 kilometers of this network are owned by six railway companies that form the JR Group (formerly Japan National Railways). The remaining tracks are private local lines. Railroad lines now link the main island of Honshu with Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kyushu. The JR Group forms the backbone of Japan's railway network.
Japan's railway system has three advantages:
1. it transports huge numbers of people safely and on schedule,
2. you can sit and enjoy the changing scenery,
3. You can enjoy a lunch box made especially for train travelers.
The backbone of JR's rail networks are the Shinkansen "bullet trains", running on five lines (or seven if you count the other two lines that accommodate them). The Tokaido and San"io Shinkansen super express lines stretch 1,175.9 km from through to Hakata (). The fastest train, Nozomi, reaches a maximum speed of 300 km/h on the San"io Shinkansen line between Shin-Osaka and Hakata. Nozomi trains, along with two others, the Hikari and Kodama, leave Tokyo at surprisingly frequent intervals - every three to seven minutes during rush hour.
Tokyo is also the starting point for the Tohoku Shinkansen line to Morioka in the north, the Joetsu Shinkansen line to Niigata on the Sea of Japan, and a new line running northwest to Nagano. Yamabiko trains on the Tohoku Shinkansen line can reach speeds of 275 km/h.
On October 9, 2003, a new platform was opened at Tokyo station for Nozomi (Desire) trains going to Osaka. Of course, this was a new convenience for many passengers living in the large growing area surrounding Shinagawa Station, so running Shinkansen trains from Shinagawa would attract new passengers to the railroad.
These five Shinkansen super express lines are built with a standard gauge of 1435 mm, the same gauge found in many other countries. Standard JR lines have a track gauge of 1067 mm. On standard narrow lines, combined with curves and steep slopes in mountainous areas, high speeds are prohibited. However, by replacing the narrow gauge track with a standard gauge track, JR can now operate Shinkansen trains on two standard lines in northern Honshu, connecting the Tohoku Shinkansen line with Yamagata and Akita. Shinkansen super express passengers no longer have to change lines when traveling from Tokyo to these cities - Tsubasa and Komachi trains reach speeds of 240 to 275 km/h on Shinkansen lines, then slow to 130 km/h on standard lines adapted to him.
The speed of the Shinkansen...
The San'io Shinkansen line and the older San'io line pass under the New Kammon Strait and the Kammon Strait, linking Honshu with Kyushu. To the north, the 53.85 km Seikan Tunnel under the Tsugaru Strait links Honshu with Hokkaido. Two signature express trains complete this final route - the Hokutosei (night special express) and the Hatsukari special express. Honshu and Shikoku are connected by the Seto Ohashi Bridge, which includes rail and road links. Take one of the train routes that cross this bridge and enjoy views of the Seto Inland Sea dotted with islands.
You can be assured of a comfortable ride and excellent service on any Shinkansen line. The same can be said for JR express trains (which are equivalent to 2nd class cars in some countries) running on regular lines. Some private local companies provide services even with greater comfort and better support.
Japan's intercity railways are complemented by city lines and subway lines in Tokyo, Osaka and other major centers. These lines will take you virtually anywhere in the city, although you may have to make a few transfers. All trains follow a precise schedule. If planes land an hour late, you won't hear about it on the news, but you will if passengers on a commuter train or Shinkansen super express are delayed even 15 minutes. This example shows how vital rail transport is in Japan.
Another advantage of traveling by train in Japan is that you can sit and enjoy the beautiful countryside. This is especially noticeable on non-Super Express Shinkansen lines - watching the scenery change as you move from the sea coast to the mountain gorge, then through a tunnel into another world. From the window of your carriage you can look through the hedges around the houses into fishing grounds and farms and observe nature in all its glory.
Even the Tokaido Shinkansen, the superfast super express train favored by businessmen, provides a stunning panoramic view. Soon after the train leaves Tokyo towards Shin-Osaka and heads west, Mount Fuji on the right side will enchant you. This will be followed by tea plantations near Shizuoka, then wetlands near Lake Hamana. Later you will cross the lower pass to Sekigahara between the prefectures and Shiga, which is covered with snow in winter.
If the main purpose of your trip is to see the countryside, choose the commuter line. The Gotenba Line (near Tokyo) runs fairly close to. From Nagoya, take a route that takes the Takayama Line through gorges into the highlands below the Japanese Alps. Further to the west, the San'in line runs along the coast of the Sea of Japan.
Japan's new Shinkansen bullet train system has attracted worldwide attention since construction began on the Tokaido Shinkansen line in 1960. The line was launched in October 1964 on the eve of the Tokyo Olympics and connected Tokyo with Osaka at a distance of 552.6 km.
Today, airliners and automobiles take people away from railroads around the world. Yet railroads may find ways to use their new strengths to regain popularity with the traveling public. One of these strengths is high mid-range speeds. Speed is the trump card of Japanese trains. Japanese trains are on time and safe. The average speed of the Shinkansen super express trains exceeds 200 km/h, however, during the entire period of operation, serious accidents have never occurred with them. They depart at intervals of 5 or 6 minutes every morning and every evening.
The Central Japan Railway Company and the RTRI (Railway Technology Institute) Foundation have been experimenting with magnetic levitation trains using the principle of superconductivity for many years. These trains use the principle of magnetic repulsion to "float on top of the tracks" and move forward at amazing speeds. Experiments reached a decisive stage in May 1997 at a new site built for research purposes, and studies over the following years will determine the viability of the system. If this dream becomes a reality, passengers will one day be able to travel from Tokyo to Osaka in just one hour through the mountainous regions of central Japan.
What is most important for a railway track? This is environmental protection and ease of use. Over the past few years, a new electrified system called Light Rail Transit has been built in Europe and the US, bringing back memories of street cars. In 1997, the city of Kumamoto on the island of Kyushu introduced a new German LRT system using low-floor cars.
Passengers boarding these carriages rise only 35 cm - this is especially convenient for the elderly, disabled people in wheelchairs and parents with baby strollers. By the way, street tram and LRT tracks can be built much cheaper than metro or surface railway tracks.
Other economic benefits are demonstrated by operating Yurikamome trains in Tokyo's new waterfront area. These trains were built by the Automated Track Rail Organization, which was working to create electric trains that ran on rubber tires without drivers or conductors. Rubber tires provide less noise and vibration, while less traction helps reduce cost. Reduced noise and vibration are also achieved using a linear induction motor rail system, which is used on special subway lines in Tokyo and Osaka.
Shinkansen development plans await better times. These plans include the construction of expressways from to, from Fukuoka via to, from Osaka via Tsuruga and Kanazawa to, from Morioka via to.
EKI-BEN
These are boxed lunches sold at all main JR stations and smaller stations. When your train arrives at the station, the middle-aged salesman may shout: "Bento, bento!" This is your opportunity to try a lunch traditional to the area.
EKI-BEN There are three types. First - maku no ichi, which comes from the days of traditional picnics under the cherry blossoms. White rice in a box is served along the edges with various additions of other products - a traditional Japanese-style omelet, pieces of salmon and beef, kamaboko (fish paste), cooked beans, vegetables, pickles and more. Second type - sushi lunch box, and it may be chirashi sushi(in small portions) or oshi-sushi(pressed and cut). As for the third type eki-ben, then they are all unique in their own way (one is better than the other).
Tokyo Station Master
Tokyo JR Station is at the heart of the country's railway network. Every day of the week 4,047 trains arrive at this station. Station Master Kozaki Seizo says that the pocket watch in his hand has been in sync with the watches of all station staff and drivers of Japan National Railways since privatization in 1987. Such watches symbolize the pride workers feel as their trains function like clockwork. , strictly on time.
Kiosk sellers 
KIOSK is the trade name (and nothing else) of the kiosks at each main JR station. These tiny retail outlets, with an area of only 10 to 15 sq.m., offer a wide selection of products - from 400 to 600 items in total. A sale in one day can bring in about two million yen. The staff remembers the prices of all items. They even know the cost of different combinations, for example, a magazine with a pack of cigarettes (and the prices vary depending on the buyer's choice). Guess the average time it takes for a customer to indicate their choice, pay for their purchase, and receive change. (Answer: 6 seconds).
Boxed lunch vending machines
In case of a long trip, you will probably want to purchase one eki-ben. All long-distance train stations must have eki-ben sales points. Thirteen types of lunch are available on the Tohoku and Joetsu Shinkansen train platforms. On average, 4,200 people buy more than 14,000 meals per day! With so many customers, the main task is to ensure that no one misses the train. Salespeople must calculate the total cost and change in a split second, so automatic handheld calculators are the best choice here.
Equipment for cleaning wagons
The Shinkansen train stops at the end of the line and all passengers get off. Immediately one, two or three cleaning units are supplied to each car and work begins. The most important thing is to get the job done properly as quickly as possible. The Shinkansen train is given 14 minutes after arrival before returning. Of this time, only 6 minutes are allocated for cleaning. Six minutes to turn chairs, collect trash, wipe floors and tables, straighten curtains and get everything looking its best.
Based on materials from the magazine NIPPONIA and Japan today.
Asia and Europe are complete opposites. It is very difficult for a European to understand how an Asian builds his life, what he thinks about, what rules he obeys. But still, eastern countries attract tourists with their beauty and originality; in addition, many Asian countries can boast of a high standard of living and new technologies introduced into the life of ordinary residents. Japan is especially interesting in this regard. Those who have had the pleasure of traveling around the Land of the Rising Sun will never be able to forget Japanese trains, covering many kilometers in literally a matter of minutes.
Japan is a country of high technology and patriarchal traditions
Japan is located in East Asia and occupies almost seven thousand islands. This geographical feature affects the entire way of life of the locals. The country's population of 127 million lives in large cities. Only less than five percent of all Japanese can afford to live outside the metropolis, and this division is very arbitrary. After all, in Japan it is difficult to find an area that would not be used for the benefit of the state. The Japanese are trying to build up every millimeter of land with various buildings; as a result, only coastal strips remain free, subject to periodic flooding.
But the Japanese have learned to deal with this problem; for many years now they have been moving deeper into the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, creating artificial islands. The severe shortage of free land forced Japan to develop a high-tech program for the settlement of water areas, which has shown itself very well over the past decades.
The peculiarities of Japanese life force the population to constantly move around the country. Every day, several thousand people travel from the suburbs to work at their offices located in Tokyo or Osaka. The Japanese high-speed train helps you avoid rush hour traffic and save time.
Shinkansen - high speed rail
For Russians, traveling by rail can hardly be called comfortable and fast. The average resident of our country, when going on vacation, tries to choose air transport. But in the Land of the Rising Sun, Japanese trains break all records for popularity and demand. This is a very special type of transport that can cover a distance of 600 kilometers in just a couple of hours.
High-speed trains and railways in Japan are called Shinkansen. Literally this name can be translated as “new main line”. Indeed, during the construction of this highway, the Japanese used a lot of new technologies and for the first time moved away from the traditional type of railway adopted in those days.
Now the Shinkansen connects almost all cities of Japan; the length of the line is more than 27 thousand kilometers. Moreover, 75 percent of the railway track belongs to the largest company in Japan - Japan Railwais Group.
Japanese bullet train: first launch
The need for new railway lines arose in Japan before the eighteenth Summer Olympics. The fact is that until that time the railway track was a narrow-gauge railway. This fact did not meet international standards and significantly slowed down the development of the industry. Therefore, in 1964, the first Shinkansen line was launched, connecting Tokyo and Osaka. The length of the railway was just over 500 kilometers.
It is unknown what the future of Japanese high-speed trains will be, but one thing is certain now - they will be the fastest and most comfortable in the world. Otherwise, in Japan they simply don’t know how.
After leaving Kyoto, we boarded a train with the goal of getting to a place called Yamanouchi, which is difficult to pronounce. To do this, we first needed to get to Kanazawa Station, and then take another train to Nagano. Holding suspicious 3 tickets in my hands instead of the prescribed two, I felt like there was some kind of catch, and so it turned out. Therefore, I will dwell in more detail on the “ambushes” that can await you when traveling on Shinkansen (Japanese high-speed trains).
So, you have decided to travel on this miracle of railway technology. It is important to know that in Japan most of the railways are narrow gauge (1067 mm), in Russia such railways are exists only on Sakhalin. A significant exception is the Shinkansen (literally "new gauge") train system, which uses the European 1435 mm gauge.
Japan is a very earthquake-prone country and all Shinkansen have been equipped with an earthquake prevention system since 1992. If earth vibrations or tremors are detected, the system itself very quickly stops this train. All trains are also equipped with a new anti-derailment system.
Passenger trains in Japan can be divided into four categories: local trains (local trains), express trains (rapid trains), long-distance trains and Shinkansen bullet trains. Long-distance trains are not popular and are few in number. The Tokaido Line Shinkansen, for example, are in turn divided into those that go with all Shinkansen stops (the so-called Kodama), those that go with almost all stops (Hikari), and those that go non-stop or almost non-stop (“Nozomi”). A ticket for Nozomi is more expensive than for "slow" super express trains, and in real life all Nozomi still make one stop - in Nagoya.
The fare ranges from $15 to $440 depending on the travel distance and class of train. A ticket for a short distance trip can be purchased in the same way as a metro ticket - in special ticket machines.
If you doubt that you can handle buying such a ticket on your own, then feel free to go to the box office where real people sit, and they will certainly sell you a ticket in the right direction.
But before that, you need to navigate the schedule. The site helped me a lothttp://www.hyperdia.com/
It’s easy to understand, the only caveat is that be sure to take into account that the time for transfers from one train to another is extremely short, because everything is aimed at the Japanese, who know where they need to go to transfer and do it with their eyes closed. We, who are faced with such problems for the first time, will need a lot more time, especially since trains stop for no more than 1.5 minutes at stations.
With the purchased ticket you need to find the sign “Shinkansen Gate» - if you are traveling by Shinkansen orJR- if by train. You need to lower the ticket along the arrow and be sure to make sure that it comes out further at the turnstile and don’t forget to pick it up from there.
Having lowered my ticket, I saw that it did not fly out at the turnstile; fortunately, an employee immediately approached me and saw that there was a problem. He asked me about my second ticket. As it turned out, due to the fact that I was traveling with a transfer, as you remember, I was given three tickets:
two tickets were for two sections of the route, but the third was a general one, which indicated the amount I paid for the entire journey, and this third ticket had to be folded together with one of the tickets needed for this section of the route and put together in the turnstile window. Who knows these rules? Thanks to the employee who explained all this to me - thus putting these tickets in my place. When you make a transfer, you need to roll both tickets at the turnstile again and at the end of the journey, when you have reached the final point of the journey, send them back to the turnstile again for good. Such are the subtleties. My husband, by the way, had problems because he somehow ignored the closed doors of the turnstile and walked through with one ticket, he left the second one somewhere and then there was a small showdown with the employee. But seeing that we were respectable and elderly people and still had some remaining tickets on hand, he still released us at the final destination. Why does he need a huge “origato”?J
So, having dealt with the turnstiles, we look for the desired path from which the train leaves. Don’t be afraid of the Japanese scoreboard, after a few seconds it always switches to English and life will become more fun...
I’ll give an example of one of my tickets with explanations so that everything is clear in detail, so:
1. direction Nagano-Tokyo
2. date - January 7
3. Departure time from Nagano 11:
15, arrival time in Tokyo 12:44
4. name of the train -KAGAYAKI 508
5. car number - 10
6. seat number in the carriage - 7E
7. cost - 8400 yen
The carriage number is always indicated in some way on the platform; in the photo you can see that I am standing right under the sign where carriage 10 should stop.
Passengers board the train, always lining up in a queue, even if this queue consists of only 2 people. The Japanese are very organized in this regard.
What else is important to know?
There are always two types of toilets in shinkansen - European and Japanese, which will be written about (“Japanese style” and “Western style”). With European (Western) everything is clear, but with Japanese it is even more clear for us - Russians, because these are public toilets with a hole in the floor, familiar to everyone since Soviet times.
I took a photo of the toilet control panel just in case for those curious.J
The leftmost button - which you don’t need to press, you just need to put your palm up and everything will work - flush. Next from left to right are the “stop” buttons, two bidet options (it’s clear in the picture for which part of the body) and the last right button is to raise the seat. It’s better not to use the lower small ones, if you don’t understand, I haven’t fully studied it myself, but there may be water pressure, seat heating buttons, etc.
On trains there are always vending machines with drinks, and waiters also walk around with carts and offer food and drinks, but everything costs many times more, so it’s better to buy food in the station shops.
Here's another note about drink machines - if you see that the price tag for a drink is red, this means that the drink will be hot, if the price tag is blue, then the drink will come out ice cold!
Now, I am sure that after my instructions no one will get lost or confused on the Japanese railways.