2016-02-08 Mon

Shinkansen is a bullet train that was first designed and developed to handle the large influx of people visiting Japan when the country hosted the 1964 Summer Olympic Games. After the successful event, Shinkansen bullet train continued operation and was also expanded to multiple train lines.

Over the past 50 years, these high speed trains have made commutation across the country extremely convenient and have in a way made Japan one of the world leaders of modern infrastructure and technological progress. Japan Mint issued five legal tender 100 Yen coins in 2015 - the first commemorative 100 yen coins in Japan’s history to celebrate 50 years of successful operation of Shinkansen.

Made of Copper-Nickel featuring helical ridges, this five coin set depicts 5 different Shinkansen train lines on the obverse: Tokaido, Sanyo, Tohoku, Joetsu, and Hokuriku. The reverse of the coin is standard, and features an image of the first Shinkansen, nicknamed the “0-series”. In addition, the details of the train on the reverse have set micro-stripes to enhance the image.