Re:Distances you can travel on a European train in less than...
by timr on Sunday June 07, 2015 @04:22PM
(#9676238)
Even if you need to get to the other side of Tokyo, it's better to start from Tokyo station than Haneda (or far worse, Narita).
But like I said: trains don't have security checks, or the 2+ hours of boarding/taxiing/waiting that come with any commercial flight. A three-hour train ride is...three hours. A three-hour flight will take half of your day (at least), and then you have to get from the airport to your actual destination.
For a journey from Tokyo to Osaka, I'd have to be pretty cash-strapped to prefer a flight simply because it was $50 cheaper than the train.
Re:Distances you can travel on a European train in less than...
by seanmcdirmid on Sunday June 07, 2015 @04:34PM
(#9676282)
Trains in Japan you mean. When I travel bullet train in China, the station is far away (often outside the city, at least on the other side of town), there are security checks, and I get there a couple of hours early just in case. Then I am on the train for 8 hours vs. a 3 hour plane trip (but can get off at my wife's hometown directly, so we still save time).
The point is that Shinkansen never offers discounts. The price is always the same. So if you are poor or if your company asks you to travel for business on the cheap, they will save on the trips using airlines instead of trains, because there is virtually no difference between ANA and any other discount airline for such short distances.
> That said, flying takes 1h30, plus an hour on each end, give or take, and then you have to get to the city
The Shinkansen arrived either in Shinagawa or Tokyo, which may be far from where you want to go as well. Let's not assume that "in the city" is close to your actual destination. Most of the time I need to take subway/train for another 30-40 mins so I'd say it's about the same with the plane. And security checks in Japan for domestic travel is very, very fast.