As of Saturday, Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, was connected to Tokyo by the newest addition to Japan's iconic Shinkansen bullet trains. The 513-mile route includes 33.4 miles in "the world's deepest operational main-line rail tunnel."
"It was last Saturday, at a precise 6.35am, that a sleek new bullet train glided out of Hakodate en route for Tokyo – marking the official launch of an extension of the nation’s famed high-speed rail network to Hokkaido island for the first time," writes The Telegraph's Japan expert, Danielle Demetriou.



Credit: Hokkaido Railway Company
Note: Travel times are for connector train going north from Hakodate, terminal for the new Hakodate-to-Tokyo Shinkansen line. "It’s another approximately 20 minutes by a connector train into Hakodate proper," writes Forbes' business travel blogger, Andrew Bender. An extension to the island's largest metropolis, Sapporo, a familiar name for beer-drinkers, is scheduled to be built by 2030.
According to The Japan Times, "(t)he train uses the undersea Seikan Tunnel linking Hokkaido with Aomori" on the main island of Honshu.
The tunnel opened in 1988 and until recently was used by overnight train services. The line through the tunnel is also shared with local trains.
"And so it was with a regional sigh of relief that the new bullet train extension finally opened last week – slashing the 539 mile Hakodate-Tokyo journey from five-and-a-half hours to four hours two minutes, at its fastest," notes Demetriou.
lt would be an understatement to write that people were excited, or that the train is a great symbol of pride for the Japanese people. "Tickets for the very first bullet train sold out in a suitably high speed 25 seconds when they went on sale last month," writes Demetriou.
According to Reuters, "Japanese media reported that over 500 people gathered to see the first Hokkaido Shinkansen leave the station early in the morning on Saturday." "The futuristic, needle-nosed 10-car trains can seat up to 731 passengers in three classes of service," notes Bender.
"Travel times would be shorter were it not for speed restrictions in the tunnel under the strait between Hokkaido and Honshu," writes Bender, restricting speed to 160 miles per hour.
While competitive with flying (about $40 cheaper), it's not as fast. Even "after allowing time for check-in, security and travel time to and from the city centers," flying is about 40 minutes faster, notes Bender.
FULL STORY: Japan's bullet train reaches Hokkaido — Mar 30

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie