Shinkansen’s 7-minute miracle: Cleaning Japan’s famous bullet train in 7 minutes sharp

The Shinkansen, Japan’s world-renowned bullet train, is known for its speed, precision and incredible punctuality.

‘If you need to set your watch, watch the Shinkansen,’ it is jokingly said of the high-speed train.

But the joke isn’t too far from reality.

In 2012, the average delay of all Shinkansen trains was 36 seconds (Yep, they measures train delays in seconds).

If the train is delayed by even 5 minutes, the conductor makes an announcement, apologising to all the passengers, who are then issued a delay certificate, and at times, even a free journey.

Any delay beyond that normally makes a major newspaper headline, and the incident is often be termed a national disgrace, even if it occurs due to natural causes such as thunderstorms or earthquakes.

A train that prides itself so much on its precision and punctuality naturally needs a staff that can live up to those standards.

The Tokyo Shinkansen alone carries over 150 million passengers every single day and its cleaning crew has only 7 minutes in between trains to make it spotless.

In this video, Dateline Tokyo’s journalist Charli James attempts to reveal this incredible 7-minute ritual, which the Shinkansen staff carries out without hassle up to 20 times a day.