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Comment by mrunkel | Hacker News Reader

Just rode the Shinkansen last month from Kyoto to Tokyo. Very enjoyable trip, except (like everything in Japan) at my height and size (190cm/6'3") it was a tick too small. Even in the green car.

That, and the annoying foot rest which takes up most of the space in front of you whether you need it or not were the only negatives. Awesome train (although the styling of the modern noses doesn't appeal to me at all) ride. Super smooth.

If you're going to be riding, don't dawdle getting off. You're expected to be at the door ready to get off when the train stops, if you wait, you'll be encountering passengers getting on, and the train doesn't stop long at the station.

p.s. Please don't get offended that I said Japan was a tick too small for me. It doesn't have to fit me, I don't live there. I was just making an observation. :)

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I really enjoy being in Asia because finally everything is the right size for me. I'm a bit small, and I didn't notice before how everything in the west is slightly too big for me. A minor annoyance, sure, but what a relief when things finally fit!

I wonder what you really benefitted in Asia in that regard. Having more roomy space doesn't sound bad and I'm sure clothing won't have shortage of varying sizes.

Having more room doesn't look good (most cases). A closer fit will always look better.

One simple thing: Chairs are usually just a few cm too high. As a result, all the weight of my lower legs is on the part just above the knee and sitting normally is quite uncomfortable and I usually just.. don't, and cross my legs to sit fully on top of the thing. (In formal settings, this is not acceptable however.) I recently flew with China Airlines (the Taiwanese one) and lo and behold, I could finally sit in an airplane normally. Not recommended for tall people, but very much so for shorter ones.

Workspaces in the kitchen or workshop are also just a few cm too high to work comfortably. In public transport, I often cannot reach the straps to hold on to from the top without being in very very uncomfortable stretch. Of course, if they were lower, other people would hit their heads, so it can't be helped.

It's these small things that are hard to set up in any other way (one size fits all) and someone will be inconvenienced at any setup. I'm not saying we should change things here to accommodate people my size. It's just really nice when things simply.. fit.

The story of its long nose inspired by kingfisher that reduces tunnel booms. https://asknature.org/idea/shinkansen-train/

Woah what model of Shinkansen did you ride? Every trip I made on the Tokaido line had these wide rows large enough people can fit a luggage standing in front on their feet (and not in green cars). I'm 190cm too and Japan is the only country I've been able to ride trains (or highway buses) with that much room for the legs. Not every bus or train of course but otherwise it's as short as it would get in europe.

Agreed. 196 cm/6'5" here, and the only thing I found lacking was the width of the chairs on the Tokaido line (3+2 arrangement). I'm not sure what the pitch of the seats is, but I had plenty of leg room (much more than any train in the Netherlands anyway, let alone air planes).

If you ever find yourself in Japan with a rail pass, do use the free reservation option when traveling between Osaka and Kagoshima with the Sakura. That one has a 2+2 arrangement in the reserved seat cars, which makes for a more comfortable ride.

I do agree with things being quite small/low though, bumping my head at least a couple times a week.

I guess that’s the threshold then because at 188cm I found the shinkansen perfectly comfortable, even on long journeys (e.g. Tokyo to Hakodate). Maybe it’s because the foot rest folds up if you don’t want it by your feet :)

I'm about the same size as you and got pulled out of the Space Mountain line at Disneyland Tokyo and taken backstage to test if I'd fit in a carriage. Luckily I did, barely, and it was an interesting (if a little illusion-breaking) glimpse behind the curtain of the happiest place on Earth.

> (although the styling of the modern noses doesn't appeal to me at all) It isn't supposed to look good -- it just supposed to make things efficient.

> If you're going to be riding, don't dawdle getting off. Nozomi stops for 5 minutes at each station -- and at peak runs every three minutes.

Here's a short video of a train going through the station in Odawara.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qc4nlf6p9fhbdi0/IMG_1450.m4v?dl=0

> p.s. Please don't get offended that I said Japan was a tick too small for me. It doesn't have to fit me, I don't live there. I was just making an observation. :)

Why would anyone be offended? If you are 6'3", no place is accommodating for you. No train, bus, airplane, car or homes are built for you since you are not close to the average anywhere. This goes for whether you are too short or too tall or too fat or too skinny. Everything nowadays is built for the average. So you wouldn't feel comfortable anywhere.

People get offended (even here) at the drop of the hat... Just wanted to clarify that I wasn't being a western imperialist or that I expected the country to adapt to me. :)

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