ABSTRACT
The previous chapters have looked at the shinkansen and what this tells us about the JR companies, Japan and Japanese society. In this chapter, I will change the focus by considering various significant areas of life in Japan and considering how the shinkansen responds to or reflects these. However, while the focus has altered, it will be seen how in many areas the relationship between society and the shinkansen, as with those covered in previous chapters, is not one-way and that the shinkansen may have a role to play in promoting further changes in society or even maintaining the status-quo and traditions of old.
