About 40 people are crowded onto the observation deck of the Yamanashi Linear Test Line Center, holding their cameras at the ready and waiting for the world's fastest train — an experimental maglev model that's called a "linear motor car" (LMC) — to make its appearance.

On certain days, JR Tokai, which is in charge of the project, performs test runs at scheduled times, but the visitors have already been waiting a half hour for the 11:20 a.m. test. Finally, there's an announcement that the train, which can reach speeds of up to 580 kph, will pass by in a minute. Everybody points their lenses at the tunnel on the right. The train zips by in the blink of an eye, and most of the photographers end up with images of an empty track.

With its dioramas and full-scale recreations of LMC interiors, not to mention the souvenir shop selling linear motor manju (sweet buns) on the first floor, the test center doubles as a tourist attraction. It's located in a remote corner of Yamanashi Prefecture, wedged between rice fields and mountains. Though the exhibits sell the virtues of public transportation, the center itself is a 25-minute walk from the nearest train station along back roads with no signs. Most visitors drive there. The parking lot is big enough for tour buses.