Which side of the Shinkansen are the landmarks on?
An unofficial tool that calculates which side of the Tokaido, Sanyo, Hokuriku and Tohoku Shinkansen landmarks such as Mount Fuji appear on, and roughly when, from terrain data and the position of the sun.
In order along the way
What the labels mean
Seen = 2+ reports from the train + line of sight by calculation / Line of sight only = line of sight by calculation, fewer than 2 reports / Needs checking = reported but no calculated line of sight, cannot be judged by calculation alone, or neither reported nor in calculated line of sight (lakes and seas labelled Seen are shown as "Seen (hidden by noise barriers in places)")
Noise barriers, buildings, trees and cuttings are not in the calculation. Low features such as lakes, rivers and the sea may be hidden by barriers.
Tunnel sections are estimated from terrain and may differ from the actual location and length.
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Each row is a stretch where the line of sight lasts (300 m or more). Breaks of up to 15 km are merged into one row marked 'hidden in places'. Brightness uses the sun's height at the passing point when the stretch begins.
Map
Columns are all the same height and do not show elevation or how easy a feature is to see. Side is shown by colour and the L/R letter. The route line (MLIT National Land Numerical Information, based on 1:25,000 maps) may be off by tens of metres; tunnels are drawn on the surface.
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With the direction of travel at the top, the left and right of the screen match the left and right inside the train. Columns only mark where landmarks are.
Seasonal calendar
Not a weather forecast. Shows whether you would pass in daylight, based on sun elevation for a representative day each month and estimated travel time. Hatched cells change within the month.
Blank = none passed in daylight
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Columns are departure times (every 15 min) and rows are months. The number is how many landmarks on your section you would pass in daylight. Each month is calculated for the 1st, the 15th and the last day; cells where those differ are hatched.