The opening of the Tohoku Shinkansen in 1982, and its many subsequent extensions and branches, brought the northernmost third of Japan’s main island of Honshu immeasurably closer to Tokyo in travel terms. Since then, the line has been at the forefront of innovation in high-speed rail, with the latest being the E10 Series Shinkansen train, with livery and interiors designed by tangerine, planned to enter service in 2030.
New renderings are out, and while there is a certain artistic licence clearly visible — not least in that there is only one single track visible, yet the Tohoku Shinkansen line is all double-tracked) — they’re impressive and instructive.
A clear evolution of the 2011-era E5 Series Shinkansen, the E10 retains the iconic duckbill-nosed train design on the front cars that reduces tunnel boom. This is especially important on the heavily tunneled sections of the line north of Utsunomiya, where JR East is planning to increase the maximum speed from 320 km/h (200 mph and the E5’s current maximum operating speed) to 360 km/h (225 mph).
Intriguingly, while tangerine is continuing the green livery theme from the predecessor E5 Series on the nose, this is now matched with a dark black for most of the sides of the cars. That’s a surprising choice for this region of Japan, since while deep winter temperatures can be chilly, summer temperatures swelter for months on end, and darker liveries require a lot more air conditioning than lighter ones.
The livery is mostly black on the sides — will this mean a higher electric bill for AC? Image: Tangerine/JR East
Of note are the full-size, mostly square windows on the E10, which will be welcomed by passengers. JR East’s ALFA-X test train included cars with smaller, more airline-style rectangular windows, in order to test noise and performance, but would have meant a compromised view of Tohoku’s stunning scenery.
It’s a relief that the large windows are retained on the E10. Screenshot: Tangerine/JR East
Tangerine is presenting three classes of service in its current set of renderings, which at the premium end add a new option — with the most premium option of today missing.
From the most premium down, we start with the new Privacy Seat, a calming blue-themed cabin with a 2-2 layout, a deep blue sidewall and frosted privacy dividers between each seat.
It’s not clear (if you’ll pardon the pun) whether the privacy divider is permanently frosted or electrically activated. Screenshot: Tangerine/JR East
This is a new offering on the Shinkansen, and apart from the colour and the privacy divider these seats look otherwise functionally identical to the Green Car seats that are essentially business class on the Shinkansen.
The Privacy Seat is new to the JR East (and, in a 2-2 layout, new to the Shinkansen as a whole). Image: Tangerine/JR East
Green Car, for its part, is in what might sound like an unsurprising green, with a gradated blue-green seat moquette, plus a lighter green sidewall that pales almost to a celadon blue-green with the recessed lighting.
The gradated walls are an impressive touch within the Green Car. Screenshot: Tangerine/JR East
Each Green Car seat has an integrated headrest and shell backrest, with privacy wings that also allow for a snoozing position, and is in a 2-2 layout much like today’s Green Car.
The Green Seats feel very airline style. Image: Tangerine/JR East
Most surprising is the rendering marked “Standard Seat”, usually referred to as the “ordinary car”, which comes in a in a gradated green-to-light-green colour, with a pale blue-green sidewall.
Does it make sense for the Ordinary Car to be green? Screenshot: Tangerine/JR East
This is an interesting colour choice since the Green Car is a separate, more expensive offering, and having the ordinary car seats also be green in colour may be confusing to some passengers.
The Standard Seats are a welcome upgrade in aesthetic appeal. Image: Tangerine/JR East
Not present is Gran Class, the 1-2 layout with la-z-boy style deep-recline snoozing seats and complimentary food & beverages that is the first class equivalent in the JR East operational area.
It’s not clear whether this has been suppressed or whether it will come later.
Good news for premium passengers is that the Privacy Seat and Green Seat seem to each occupy a full car, up from one car (of ten) on the E5 Shinkansen.
It also doesn’t seem like one of the car is the half-sized front car (heading north from Tokyo) that Gran Class presently occupies, so that’s double the premium seating on the train.
Renderings do seem to suggest that the total number of cars will remain ten for the E10 Series.
The Privacy Seat seems to have its own entire car, which would double the premium capacity on the train. Screenshot: Tangerine/JR East
On that note, the naming of the E10 Series is also indicative, since it leapfrogs the E9, following 2024’s E8 Series. This would seem to suggest an E9 Series, probably to replace the E5’s contemporaneous E6 Series, which couples to the E5 between Tokyo and Morioka, before separating to continue along the Akita Shinkansen branch line, enabling a one-seat ride to Tokyo for passengers along that branch line.
Expect a partner 360km/h E9 mini-Shinkansen to be revealed in due course in order to replace the E6, whose top speed matches the E5 at 320 km/h.
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Featured image credited to Tangerine/JR East
