Hayabusa: Japan's new bullet train

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

This is the ultra-streamlined Hayabusa E5 and E6 series, Japan's rather striking new bullet train that was unveiled for the first time this weekend.

It will connect Tokyo with Aomori in the far-flung north of the country with high speed rail for the first time and sports a giant nose for a very good reason.

The nose of the E5 Series, at 15 metres, is a massive 9 metres longer than the previous incarnation of the bullet train (shinkansen), the E2 Series. This, according to its designers at JR East, will help eliminate the phenomena of "tunnel boom".

Japan's rail tunnels are somewhat narrower than their European counterparts, so when the shinkansen enters a tunnel at speeds above 200 kilometres per hour, the sudden increase in air pressure can cause a loud "boom" at the other end of the tunnel. In some cases, such shock waves are thought to have damaged tunnels in Japan, ripping chunks of material from tunnel ceilings.

The shape of the front car has evolved gradually to combat this danger, and the striking "Long Nose" design of the E5 Series is the result.

The new trains can manage an energetic 360 km/h, but to cut down on noise pollution when the train debuted on Saturday, the first runs were restricted to 320 km/h or less.

To woo passengers to the new service, JR East has even enlisted Ferrari sports car designer Kiyoyuki Okuyama to give the trains an additional lick of visual flair. They barely need it.

"We wanted to cultivate new fans by making trains that make people want to take a ride," said one JR manager involved in the project. "I was encouraged by the cheers of female passengers at stations when Hayabusa trains passed through on test runs."