Bullet train or Shinkasen as it is called in Japan, is known for its punctuality, great speed and service. It’s extremely comfortable and with good frequency of trains, it’s a great alternative to air travel. Just to give an example, Tokyo to Kyoto is about 500 km and with fastest Bullet train version Nozomi you can cover it in 135 minutes and if you go with slowest version of Bullet train Kodama then it will take around 222 minutes.
If your Japan Itinerary includes lots of travel via bullet train, then you must go for JR pass. It will provide unlimited travel by bullet for a fixed number of days based on the version of pass which you will buy. Also if you are not sure if JR pass will be cheaper or individual tickets will work then you use this calculator : https://www.japan-guide.com/railpass/
Bullet trains are extremely comfortable, they provide large amount of leg space, reclining seats. Food is generally not served in bullet trains at least was not served in trains i travelled but one can buy food at train station. At stations there are food boxes available called “Bento” and mostly it is non vegetarian food.
Bullet train seats have charging points, hooks to hang coat or small. There is space overhead to put your luggage and you can keep a medium backpack in front of you or under the seat. Thumb rule is that you can carry one big luggage and one medium backpack with you. Also i heard that from next year there will you need to make a reservation for any large luggage.
Concept of Bullet is brilliant and with so much of availability and fast speed, it can revolutionise the way we travel especially in India. And faster travels will improve productivity and can help economy as well.
If you travel to Japan then travelling in bullet train is must.