I would definitely second the recommendation for the Nozomi Super Express. In a given hour between Tokyo and Kyoto, there might be upwards of 8 Nozomi but just 2 or 3 Hikari (second-fastest Shinkansen) and 1 or 2 Kodama (slowest Shinkansen). If you want the Shinkansen experience, you want the Nozomi. That's all there is to it. It makes juts two stops between Tokyo and Kyoto (at Shin-Yokohama and Nagoya) and you get speed up for nice long stretches, which for a train buff is the whole point. Shinkansens in general certainly qualify for Modern Marvel status, but it's the Nozomi you want if you're going to get the full effect. Yeah, you pay a premium for the Nozomi, but I wisely decided not to get cheap when it came to buying the Shinkansen tickets. Now, I didn't take the Hikari or Kodama so can't personally make a direct comparison. But when the 16-car train pulls out of Tokyo Station and the announcement comes on in well-accented Queen's English "Welcome aboard the Nozomi Super Express...." and you start gathering incredible speed while zipping through densely populated portions of Tokyo and Yokohama, there's nothing quite like it.

Last December, while on our first visit to Japan, Mr. Megatop and I wanted to take the bullet train. We took the Nozomi down to Kyoto. The point was to take the train. That we got to visit Kyoto in the bargain was a bonus. As it turned out, Kyoto was more impressive than I imagined, so it's certainly on our list for the next visit to Japan. But the Nozomi was among my favorite parts of the trip.

Now, this is obviously coming from a long-time lover of trains. If you don't care a whip about trains, take whatever train you want. Just my 2 yen on the subject.