But, uh, I guess even on the countryside you can find high tech!
Say hello to the L0 Series maglev train, running on a test track at Yamanashi! 😍
Here it is going past me at over 500 km/h! 🚅⚡
This means that it needs only around *7 seconds* to cover a kilometer! 😵💫
The test track is 42 km long, marathon distance! But instead of the 5 hours it needed me to run that, the maglev needs 5 minutes!
The attached Maglev Exhibition Center does a great job explaining the technology behind it!
Here's a demonstration of superconductivity – certain materials, when cooled down, let magnetic fields flow around them, which stabilizes the disc here!
It's indistinguishable from magic! ✨
What made it click for me is to think of a maglev train-track system as a "linear motor"! Instead of producing a rotation, the system produces a forward motion!
There are superconductive magnets on the sides of the train, and acceleration coils at the sides of the track.
In addition, the lower coils are producing opposite magnetic fields, lifting the train from the ground, which reduces friction!
The opening of the full track is planned for 2027. It will first connect Tokyo and Nagoya, and, in the 2040s, Tokyo and Osaka.
This connection will take just over an hour, will be faster than a plane, and produce much less CO2.
Makes me really giddy to look forward to technological advances like this! 😊
As I left the exhibition center, it was raining heavily. A kind employee ran after me and gave me an umbrella! <3
Was super useful for making the rest of the trip to my hotel for tonight.
Let's see whether I'll be able to see Mt. Fuji tomorrow!
@jonn You build your own futon bed, using material from a shelf behind a sliding door <3