Japan Scenic Trains #2: Watching Japan Go By from the Shinkansen

[PR] This page is in collaboration with East Japan Railway Company.

Traveling by Shinkansen is often associated with speed and efficiency. In this five-part series, we focus on a different perspective—traveling with GranClass, the highest seating class available on selected JR East Shinkansen services, and how it can shape the overall journey.

This series explores how GranClass transforms travel time into a calm and comfortable experience, from the moments before departure to time spent onboard. At the same time, it looks beyond the train itself, introducing destinations and travel ideas that can be reached by Shinkansen.

Through GranClass experiences and destination-based stories, we share ideas for enjoying Japan at a more relaxed pace, where the journey and the destination are closely connected by rail travel.

In this second article, we focus on the view from the window and the experience of watching Japan’s scenery unfold during a Shinkansen journey.

Window Views: Watching Japan Go By

Once the Shinkansen leaves Tokyo, something shifts.
The city slowly fades, and before you realize it, the view outside your window tells a completely different story.

From the comfort of your seat, the scenery begins to unfold—urban landscapes give way to open fields, distant mountains, and quiet towns.
This is one of the simplest pleasures of traveling by train in Japan: you don’t need to do anything. Just sit back and watch the country pass by.

In GranClass, the experience of the window view feels especially relaxed. With generous space and a calm cabin, there’s no pressure to be productive or entertained.

A small snack of Aomori apples and nuts with herbal salt, along with a simple bottle of water bearing the GranClass logo, is quietly placed at the seat.
Enjoying these while watching the scenery continue to pass by, time seems to slow down.

The changing scenery becomes the main event.
Sometimes it’s a wide stretch of countryside, other times just a fleeting moment—a river, a line of trees, a station platform flashing past.
These are views you’d never notice from a plane, and that’s what makes them memorable.

I found myself doing very little. No phone, no schedule—just looking out the window and letting the rhythm of the train set the pace.
It’s a different way to travel Japan, one that’s quieter and more reflective.

As the train pulls into the station and comes to a gentle stop, there’s a small sense of surprise: already?
That’s when you realize how much the journey itself mattered.

For anyone curious about seeing Japan beyond the destination, the view from a Shinkansen window is a beautiful place to start.

For more moments from this journey, you can also find short videos and photos on our Instagram.