13 | Christopher Hood, Shinkansen: From Bullet Train to Symbol of Modern Japan

My guest today is Christopher Hood (@HoodCP), Chris is an academic and author based at Cardiff University. He is the author of five academic books, including Shinkansen: From Bullet Train to Symbol of Modern Japan, which we focus on today. And he is also the author of three novels, including Hijacking Japan. 

In this conversation, we go deep on everything about the Shinkansen, from its early beginnings all the way through to its economic and cultural impact.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Christopher Hood.

 

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page on  https://compoundingpodcast.com/ep13 

 

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Show Notes:

[00:00:32] - [First question] - What got Christopher interested in the Shinkansen

[00:06:52] - Christopher’s favourite Shinkansen series?

[00:08:53] - Early proposals for the Shinkansen

[00:13:25] - The meaning of the word Shinkansen 

[00:14:49] - Significance behind the Shinkansen launching at the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 1964

[00:17:50] - Safety Features on the Shinkansen

[00:22:27] - Whether the driver’s roles will automate

[00:24:57] - Downstream effects of the JNR reform in 1987

[00:28:39] - How the Shinkansen combats extreme weather

[00:33:30] - How the Shinkansen has affected cities along the route

[00:37:12] - Why hasn’t exporting Shinkansen technology been successful?

[00:41:21] - If the US were to implement Shinkansen technology, what should they avoid?

[00:45:00] - Christopher’s favourite Shinkansen fun fact

[00:46:26] - Most undervalued life experience?

[00:49:30] - Influential books?

[00:51:52] - Why write a novel?

 

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Connect with Christopher:

Follow Christopher on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hoodcp 

Christopher’s Website: https://hoodcp.wordpress.com/ 

Shinkansen: From Bullet Train to Symbol of Modern Japan: http://mybook.to/ShinkansenPb 

Christopher’s novel, Hijacking Japan: http://mybook.to/HijackingJapan 

 

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