Shinkansen remains the pride and glory of Japan.

Byline: The Jakarta Post,

You know a company means business if they use an international movie star to pose for an outdoor advertisement, especially in Japan, where almost no ads carry the faces of people, famous or otherwise.

Yet, in almost every railway station in downtown Tokyo and other major cities in Japan, you can easily spot pictures of Ken Watanabe, folding his arms and giving you that charismatic icy glare in front of the futuristic-looking E4 Series Shinkansen bullet train. That is probably the only ad in Japan that has the picture of a famous person.

Shinkansen is serious business for Japan. Developed 35 years ago, together with the massive …