Travellers on trains between Tokyo and Japan's southern island of Kyushu might hear a distinctly Australian accent telling them what station they will be arriving at next.
The voice is Australian actor Donna Burke, who has been living in Japan since 1996.
She has been heard over the intercom on one of the busiest routes in Japan's fast train network for 20 years.
Sometimes known as "bullet trains", the Shinkansen celebrated its 60th birthday this month.
Ms Burke also turns 60 this year.
She said she remembered getting the job after an audition that came up by chance because the previous English language "voice" was leaving Japan.
"I had to mimic the woman before who was a Canadian trying to mimic a British woman," Ms Burke told ABC Radio's Nightlife.
"Then I had to redo the whole thing in 2005 and I thought, 'They can't tell if I'm doing British'.
"So I used the same intonation but I did 'posh Aussie' and channelled my inner Cate Blanchett."
Loading...A gentle voice
Ms Burke said she had to try to sound like a gentle mother for the commuters coming back from work to the Japanese capital.
"Many businessmen, [or] salarymen, are coming back to Tokyo and we just want your voice to be like a mother's voice, gently," Ms Burke told presenter Suzanne Hill.
"I've been doing it for 20 years too. So now it's like a whole new generation is sort of grown up with me."
Ms Burke has been the voice of English language announcements on the line for 20 years. (Supplied: Donna Burke)
Japan's Shinkansen are well known for their speed.
The Tokaido line, which has Ms Burke's announcements, operates at a speed of 285 kilometres an hour.
It takes two hours and 20 minutes to connect Tokyo to Osaka.
The route has stops in major cities including Kyoto and Nagoya.
Her voice can also be heard when travelling to cities west of the Tokaido line such as Hiroshima and Fukuoka.
"I tell you about Wi-Fi, I tell you about suspicious baggage, I tell you where to put your baggage," Ms Burke said.
"I actually never shut up the whole way through."
Ms Burke moved to Japan from Perth in 1996 to teach English before finding work as a singer.
She has since performed voiceover work and music for anime shows and video games such as Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy.
She credits getting her work for Metal Gear Solid from being heard on the Shinkansen.
"The director, Hideo Kojima, said, 'Can you do the Shinkansen voice in a game,'" Ms Burke said.
"He wanted the same sort of motherly, calming thing so that the people playing the game can feel calm."
Many more Australians may have heard her voice this year as Japan became a hit with Australian tourists.
A record 252,900 Australians travelled to Japan between January and March compared to 172,896 during the same period in 2019.
'PR job' on the Australian accent
Ms Burke said she brought Anzac biscuits for Japanese railway company employees before her agent warned her not to let them know she was Australian.
She said that was 15 years ago and things had changed since, perhaps in part due to her voice's presence on the train network.
"Australian accent was not a good one because all the Japanese thought Australian accent meant you sound like Crocodile Dundee," Ms Burke said.
"So I've been doing a bit of a PR job on the Australian accent."