Mizuho (train)
JR West N700-7000 series Shinkansen, November 2019 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Shinkansen (Express) |
| Status | Operational |
| First service | 1 October 1961 (Limited express) 12 March 2011 (Shinkansen) |
| Current operator(s) | JR Kyushu JR West |
| Former operator(s) | JNR |
| Route | |
| Termini | Shin-Osaka Kagoshima-Chuo |
| Line(s) used | Kyushu Shinkansen, San'yō Shinkansen, Tokaido Shinkansen |
| On-board services | |
| Class(es) | Standard + Green |
| Catering facilities | Trolley service |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | N700-7000/8000 series |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Electrification | 25 kV AC overhead |
| Operating speed | 300 km/h (190 mph) (San'yō Shinkansen), 260 km/h (160 mph) (Kyushu Shinkansen) |
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The Mizuho (みずほ) is a limited-stop Shinkansen service operated between Shin-Osaka and Kagoshima-Chuo in Japan since 12 March 2011, following the completion of the Kyushu Shinkansen. The name was formerly used for a limited express sleeping car service operated by JNR from 1961, which ran from Tokyo to Kumamoto, and was discontinued in December 1994. The name "mizuho (瑞穂)" literally means "abundant rice" in Japanese and "harvest" in the figurative sense. It was also an ancient name of Japan.
Foreigners traveling with a Japan Rail Pass are required to purchase a special ticket to use the Mizuho service.