If you went out of Tokyo, Shinkansen is a good transportation, which is JR express trains from Tokyo Station. Shinkansen has a nickname, for example, Yamagata Shinkansen is "Tsubasa" (means wing in English). You can travel around Tohoku, Joetsu, Tokai area including Sendai, Akita, Nagano, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Hakata etc.