On October 1, 1964, Japan introduced the Shinkansen, or bullet train, which revolutionized rail travel with its high-speed service between Tokyo and Osaka, reaching speeds of 210 km/h. This innovation demonstrated that ground transportation could effectively compete with air travel for medium distances, significantly reducing travel time. The Shinkansen not only transformed the Japanese transportation landscape but also set a global standard for high-speed rail systems.

The bullet train became a symbol of Japan's post-war technological resurrection and was integrated into the imagery of contemporary Japanese poetry and fiction; internationally, it represented a distinctly non-Western modernization narrative, influencing how global poets wrote about Asia's future.