High-speed trains are the most modern and advanced technology for moving passengers in land transport. Their main advantage is that they achieve high speeds, usually from over 200 to 300 km/h, which significantly shortens the travel time in relation to the time needed to cover the same distance by conventional trains. The article presents the development of high-speed rail in Japan, an island country located within the ring of fire of the Pacific. The analysis of the technical condition and the stages of historical development of high-speed railways were preceded by an assessment of the economy and transport as well as a study of transport intensity. The summary of the article includes the effects and benefits of using high-speed rail, as well as methods of financing and plans for further development.

The article describes the general characteristics of logistics centres. In particular, their functions, types and characteristics of the model logistics centre were presented. The logistics centres associated in Europlatforms have been described, focusing on those countries where the number of centres is the largest, i.e. Germany, Spain, France and Italy. The factors determining the decision making regarding the selection of the optimal location of a logistics centre in Europe have been discussed, and also the places currently enjoying the greatest interest in the logistics industry have been shown. The development perspectives of Polish logistic facilities are presented and factors influencing the investment attractiveness of Poland are described.

The existing space distribution of hotel and service facilities in different places in the world is mainly the result of natural organic growth. Such facilities were built in areas of actual and/or potential demand, provided adequate financial resources and land were available. Additionally, an important factor was also the availability of technical infrastructure, including, in particular, transport. Sometimes those facilities were built without any detailed spatial analysis of their locations. It can be concluded that planning of hotel and service facilities lacked clear and accurate methods as well as analytic tools. The main reason was the lack of relevant databases. Along the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), information tools started to be used in nearly every area. It should be noted that the development of the hotel and service base can be significantly promoted while using modern ICT solutions. In their article, the authors, among others, propose to use trip planning tools backed by Big Data. A trip planner can be used to collect data that help to determine the location of hotel and service facilities (e.g. hotels, guest houses, motels, leisure, recreation and restaurant facilities). The article presents the case study from the Upper Silesia conurbation, Poland. The use of Big Data allows to select locations of investment corresponding to actual tourist travel needs, especially that every year tourism becomes an increasingly important sector of the national economy in many countries.

The article discusses logistic centres in Europe, legal changes and directions for their development in the European Union that has led to an increased cross border flow of goods and the need to continue the process. The article identifies major features of logistics centres and presents a comparison of various types of conceptual objectives for logistics centres in Europe. The analysis has been used to develop a list of features collated with the variety of concepts and current market requirements in relation to such issues as sustainable development and corporate social responsibility.

An integrated supply chain is currently a decisive factor when it comes to remaining on increasingly demanding markets. Optimal organization of the supply chain is often a serious challenge for businesses that need to function in a more efficient way, and to provide products tailored to individual customers' needs. The accuracy and precision at every stage are crucial, as well as shorter response time to changes in demand, customer tastes and economic conditions.