Tōhoku Shinkansen

The Shinkansen (新幹線) is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Since the initial Tōkaidō Shinkansen opened in 1964 running at 130 mph, the network (1,528 miles) has expanded to link most major cities on the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū with running speeds of up to 188 mph.

Shinkansen literally means "New Trunk Line" and hence strictly speaking refers only to the tracks, while the trains themselves are officially referred to as "Super Express" (超特急); however, this distinction is rarely made even in Japan.

Tōhoku Shinkansen (東北新幹線) is a high-speed rail line, connecting Tokyo with Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture for a total length of 593 km, Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island Honshū. It has two spur lines, Yamagata Shinkansen and Akita Shinkansen. The line is operated by East Japan Railway
Company.

Two stops south of Hachinohe, the Iwate-Ichinohe Tunnel (岩手一戸トンネル) is a 25.810 km terrestrial railway tunnel in Japan — part of the Tōhoku Shinkansen. When opened in 2002 it was the longest terrestrial (land based) tunnel in world, but was overtaken by the Lötschberg Base Tunnel in June 2007. The tunnel is located midway between Morioka and Hachinohe. Surveying commenced in 1988. In 1991 construction began, and the tunnel holed through in 2000. The tunnel became operational when the railway line opened in 2002. Maximum depth is about 200 m.

Tokyo–Hachinohe super express train is nicknamed Hayate ("Swift Wind"). The fastest train links the two cities in 2 hours 56 minutes. By changing at Hachinohe, Aomori can be reached in 3 h 59 min.