Japan’s Doctor Yellow Shinkansen will vanish from the rails by 2027, making every sighting now a piece of history.

"High-speed rail" is admittedly one of those dry-sounding infrastructure phrases that conjures thoughts of schedules and itineraries, but footage of a bullet train in action is entirely different.

Stepping onto a Japanese bullet train feels like taking a trip into the future. The sleek, white cars with blue stripes down the side glide out of stations across the country every three minutes. The ...