Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60

Tokyo: Her white gloved, waistcoated uniform impeccable, 22 year old Hazuki Okuno boards a bullet train replica to rehearse the strict protocols behin...

Tokyo: Her white-gloved, waistcoated uniform impeccable, 22-year-old Hazuki Okuno boards a bullet train replica to rehearse the strict protocols behind the smooth operation of a Japanese institution turning 60 Tuesday.

High-speed Shinkansen trains began running between Tokyo and Osaka on October 1, 1964, heralding a new era for rail travel as Japan grew into an economic superpower after its World War II defeat.

The service remains integral to the nation's economy and way of life -- so keeping it dazzlingly clean, punctual and accident-free is a serious job.

At a 10-storey, state-of-the-art staff training centre, Okuno shouted from the window and signaled to imaginary colleagues, keeping her cool when a video screen down the platform shows a flailing passenger stuck in a door.

The live-in facility southwest of Tokyo offers what rail operator JR Central describes as an "intense education" for future conductors, drivers and other team members.