EARLY ACCESS

Help us test the Android app

We are preparing an Android version of Shinkansen Window. Before Google Play lets us release it publicly, at least 12 people need to stay opted in to the test for 14 days, and we are partway there. It helps most if you actually ride the Tokaido Shinkansen, or simply enjoy the view from the window.

Shinkansen Window Android app / Google Play · test build · free

Join the test (3 steps, about 5 minutes)

SCREENS

Inside the app

Train search screen with tabs along the bottom of the app — Tabs along the bottom move between search, live guide, medals and the field guide.

Live guide screen showing window spots along the route on a map — While you ride, it predicts the next view from your position.

Journal screen showing collected window stamps — Views you catch are kept as stamps and medals.

Screens are from the test build and are shown in Japanese; the app also has an English mode. The final release may look different.

HOW TO JOIN

How to join

Join the Google Group

The tester list is managed through this group. If you are not a member, the opt-in link in the next step will not open.

groups.google.com/g/shinkansen-window-testers

Opt in to the test

Press "Become a tester". It can take a few minutes for your group membership to register. If you see an error, wait a moment and open the link again.

play.google.com/apps/testing/…

Install

Install from Google Play. The listing may not appear immediately after you opt in, so give it a little time if it does not show up.

play.google.com/store/apps/details…

WHY THE APP

How it differs from the web version

One tap from your home screen. It does not get buried in browser tabs or history, so it is there right before you board.
Everything stays in the app. Moving between train search, the field guide and the journal never throws you back into a browser.
It keeps working where the signal drops. The content it needs is stored on the device, so tunnels and mountain sections are less likely to stall it.
The GPS live guide works the same. It counts down to the next view based on where you are.

WHAT WE ASK

What we ask of you

Open the app now and then over 14 days. Every day is not necessary.
A short note about anything confusing or broken would help a lot.
Please stay opted in for the whole period (leaving partway resets the count).
There is no reward. If it is not for you, you can leave at any time.

NOTES

Before you start

You need an Android phone and a Google account. There is no iPhone version at the moment.
This is a pre-release build, so bugs and layout glitches may remain.
Location data is used only to calculate guidance and is not stored on external servers. See the privacy policy for details.
The web version stays free to use whether or not you test the app.

CONTACT

If something goes wrong

Emailsupport@michikusa-travel.com X@michikusatravel ContactFor anything else

This is an independently run project, so replies may take time. If you get stuck, please tell us which step it was.