Osaka is a major terminal hub for several of Japan's most important Shinkansen (bullet train) lines, all of which arrive at Shin-Osaka Station. The most famous is the Tokaido Shinkansen, which connects Osaka to Kyoto, Nagoya, and Tokyo to the east; it is the busiest high-speed rail line in the world. To the west, the Sanyo Shinkansen begins in Osaka and travels to Hiroshima and Fukuoka (Hakata Station). From there, many trains continue directly onto the Kyushu Shinkansen line. Additionally, the Hokuriku Shinkansen was recently extended to connect Osaka with Tsuruga, providing a high-speed link to Kanazawa and eventually all the way back to Tokyo via a northern route. Because Osaka sits at the "crossroads" of these major lines, you can board a Nozomi (fastest), Hikari, or Kodama train and be in Tokyo in just 2.5 hours, or head south to Kyushu in a similar timeframe, making it the most well-connected city in Western Japan for high-speed travel.