Touted as a symbol of the "new Japan” when it opened in 1964, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen—the first bullet train, dubbed the "dream super-express"—represented the bold aspirations of a nation rebranding itself after military defeat, but also the deep problems caused by the unbridled postwar drive for economic growth. Understanding the various and often contradictory images of the bullet train shows how infrastructure operates beyond its intended use as a means of transportation, instead performing cultural and sociological functions and revealing the tug-of-war over the significance of the new line that is often hidden by commonplace stories of progress. This talk will trace contrasting meanings assigned to high-speed rail in order to find the ways in which it prompted a reimagination of identity on the levels of individual, metropolis and nation in a changing Japan.

This Japan Zoominar @ UC San Diego is organized by the Japan Forum for Innovation and Technology at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. For more information on activities, as well as recordings of previous Japan Zoominars, please visit jfit.ucsd.edu.