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Tohoku Shinkansen: landmarks and which side of the train
Last updated: 16 Oct 2026
This is a list of which side of the train each of the 7 landmarks we cover on the Tohoku Shinkansen (Tokyo – Shin-Aomori, 23 stations, 675.7 km of track) is calculated to appear on, for each direction of travel. For an answer that matches your own section, date and time, use the tool on the top page.
Side by landmark
Seen = 2+ independent 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)")
| Landmark | Type | toward Shin-Aomori | toward Tokyo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Tsukuba | Mountain | Line of sight only on your RIGHT (facing forward) Ueno – Nasushiobara | Line of sight only on your LEFT (facing forward) Nasushiobara – Ueno |
| Mount Nasu (Chausu-dake) | Mountain | Seen on your LEFT (facing forward) Nasushiobara – Fukushima | Line of sight only on your RIGHT (facing forward) Fukushima – Nasushiobara |
| Mount Adatara | Mountain | Seen on your LEFT (facing forward) Shin-Shirakawa – Fukushima | Line of sight only on your RIGHT (facing forward) Fukushima – Shin-Shirakawa |
| Azuma-kofuji (Azuma Mountains) | Mountain | Seen on your LEFT (facing forward) Shin-Shirakawa – Sendai | Line of sight only on your RIGHT (facing forward) Sendai – Shin-Shirakawa |
| Mount Zao (Kumano-dake) | Mountain | Seen on your LEFT (facing forward) Koriyama – Furukawa | Line of sight only on your RIGHT (facing forward) Furukawa – Koriyama |
| Mount Iwate | Mountain | Seen on your LEFT (facing forward) / on your RIGHT (facing forward) Mizusawa-Esashi – Ninohe | Line of sight only on your LEFT (facing forward) / on your RIGHT (facing forward) Ninohe – Mizusawa-Esashi |
| Mount Hakkoda (Odake) | Mountain | Seen on your LEFT (facing forward) / on your RIGHT (facing forward) Ninohe – Shin-Aomori | Line of sight only on your LEFT (facing forward) / on your RIGHT (facing forward) Shin-Aomori – Ninohe |
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.
How to read it
The same landmark switches sides between trains toward Shin-Aomori and trains toward Tokyo.
Mount Nasu, Mount Adatara, the Azuma Mountains, Zao and Mount Iwate are calculated to appear mainly on the left toward Shin-Aomori and mainly on the right toward Tokyo. Toward Shin-Aomori they are labelled "Seen" because at least two travel records apply to that direction (some records say the left side). Toward Tokyo we have not found two records that name the direction, so they are labelled "Line of sight only". Mount Iwate is calculated to appear on the right toward Shin-Aomori between Mizusawa-Esashi and Kitakami, and mainly swings to the left north of Kitakami.
Mount Tsukuba is calculated to appear on the right toward Shin-Aomori and on the left toward Tokyo. The Hakkoda Mountains are calculated to appear on the left toward Shin-Aomori for long stretches north of Ninohe, and swing to the right just before Shin-Aomori Station. Travel records also include both right and left.
Tunnels
From the difference between the height of the track and the height of the ground, we estimate 96 tunnels, about 21.3% of the track length. According to a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism document (checked 2026-10-16), tunnels make up about 29% of the Tohoku and Joetsu Shinkansen combined (not a figure for the Tohoku Shinkansen alone). Tunnel sections are estimated from terrain and may differ from the actual location and length.
Timing
Passing times are estimates that spread the fastest scheduled time between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori, 178 minutes, in proportion to distance. On trains that stop at every station the error grows. If you enter your train's arrival time in the tool, it spreads the time again between that train's departure and arrival. The details are in Methods and limits.