Shinkansen Shinkansen The , meaning "new trunkline," but colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, in order to aid economic growth and development. Beyond long-distance travel, some sections around the largest metropolitan areas are used as a commuter rail network. It is operated by five Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen () in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-Shinkansen lines with a maximum
What Is Life "Close to the Edge", "Mojo", December 2003, p. 82.</ref> It was while driving up to a Preston session in London from his home in Esher, Surrey, that Harrison came up with the song "What Is Life". In his autobiography, "I, Me, Mine", Harrison describes it as having been written "very quickly" and recalls that he thought it would be a perfect, "catchy pop song" for Preston to record. His lyrics, while simple, were similarly uplifting and universal: These lyrics have caused some debate among biographers and music critics, as to whether "What Is Life" should be viewed as a straightforward