<P> The Tōkaidō Shinkansen began service on 1 October 1964 , in time for the first Tokyo Olympics . The conventional Limited Express service took six hours and 40 minutes from Tokyo to Osaka , but the Shinkansen made the trip in just four hours , shortened to three hours and ten minutes by 1965 . It enabled day trips between Tokyo and Osaka , the two largest metropolises in Japan , changed the style of business and life of the Japanese people significantly , and increased new traffic demand . The service was an immediate success , reaching the 100 million passenger mark in less than three years on 13 July 1967 , and one billion passengers in 1976 . Sixteen - car trains were introduced for Expo ' 70 in Osaka . With an average of 23,000 passengers per hour in each direction in 1992 , the Tōkaidō Shinkansen is the world 's busiest high - speed rail line . </P>
<P> The Tōkaidō Shinkansen began service on 1 October 1964 , in time for the first Tokyo Olympics . The conventional Limited Express service took six hours and 40 minutes from Tokyo to Osaka , but the Shinkansen made the trip in just four hours , shortened to three hours and ten minutes by 1965 . It enabled day trips between Tokyo and Osaka , the two largest metropolises in Japan , changed the style of business and life of the Japanese people significantly , and increased new traffic demand . The service was an immediate success , reaching the 100 million passenger mark in less than three years on 13 July 1967 , and one billion passengers in 1976 . Sixteen - car trains were introduced for Expo ' 70 in Osaka . With an average of 23,000 passengers per hour in each direction in 1992 , the Tōkaidō Shinkansen is the world 's busiest high - speed rail line . </P>
when was the first bullet train in japan
when was the first bullet train in japan
1 October 1964
1 October 1964