We'll just come right out and say it – Japanese trains are going to change you. Before your trip, you're a perfectly normal person who accepts that public transportation is fine, mostly on time, and occasionally smells weird. After two weeks riding the Japanese rail network, you'll return home a different person – one who audibly sighs every time your local commuter train shows up four minutes late and calls it "close enough."

Where do we even begin? Japan's rail network is one of the most extensive and well-connected on the planet, covering everything from the jaw-dropping speed of the Shinkansen bullet trains to the charming little local lines that wind through rice fields and mountain towns. Whether you're hopping between major cities or exploring somewhere off the beaten path, there's almost certainly a train that'll get you there – probably on the second.