TOKYO STATION
Tokyo Station -
Tokyo Station Information - Tokyo Station Map - Tokyo Station Pictures
- Tokyo Station Hotels
Tokyo Station (東京駅;
-eki) is a train station located in the Marunouchi business district
of Tokyo, near the Imperial Palace
grounds and the Ginza commercial district. You
can find the exact location of Tokyo Station on our
Tokyo Map. It
is the starting point and terminus for most of
Japan's
Shinkansen lines and is also
served by many local and regional commuter lines. Unusually for a
major Japanese station it is not linked to any private (i.e. non-JR)
railway lines.
Tokyo Station
Although Tokyo Station is the main intercity rail terminal in
Tokyo,
it is only the second-largest railway station in the city:
Shinjuku
Station is larger, and both Shinjuku and Ikebukuro Station handle more
passengers. Tokyo Station does hold the distinction of being the
highest revenue-earning station in
Japan, with ¥247m ($2.13m US) in
ticket sales in 2005.
Tokyo Station
Lockers
There are lockers
at Tokyo Station where you can store your luggage. This can be very
helpful if you want to spend the day in the city or going on a day
trip before departing for another city. The
coin lockers are located
at many different points throughout the station.
Tokyo Station
Layout
Please refer to
Tokyo
Station Diagram for the location of coin lockers, booking
offices and Japan Rail Pass Exchange offices. Unfortunately the
diagram does not show the location of ATM machines that accept
international cards.
Looking for
accommodation close to Tokyo Station? See our list of
Tokyo Station
Hotels with Guaranteed Lowest Rates saving
you up to 70% off the standard rates.
Tokyo Station -
Train Lines
The following lines
pass through or terminate at Tokyo Station:
Chūō Line (中央線)
Keihin-Tōhoku Line (京浜東北線)
Keiyō Line (京葉線)
Sōbu Line (総武線)
Tōkaidō Main Line (東海道本線)
Tōkaidō Shinkansen(東海道新幹線)
-
Tōhoku Shinkansen (東北新幹線)
Yamanote Line (山手線)
Yokosuka Line (横須賀線)
The Tōkaidō Shinkansen line is
operated by the JR Tōkai group, all other lines by JR East Japan.
Narita Express
airport trains from Ikebukuro, Shinjuku and
Yokohama call at the Yokosuka
line platforms.
Additionally Tokyo Station is served by the Marunouchi underground
(subway) line. It is linked by a series of underground passageways to
the Otemachi underground (subway) station complex served by the Tōzai,
Chiyoda, Hanzomon and Mita lines.
Tokyo Station
Layout
The main station
facade on the western side of the station is brick-built and was
fashioned after Amsterdam's main station. The main station consists of
10 platforms, serving 20 tracks, raised above street level running in
a north-south direction. The main concourse runs east-west below the
platforms. The Shinkansen lines
are on the east side of the station, along with a multi-story Daimaru
department store.
Underground are the two Sōbu / Yokosuka line platforms serving four
tracks (five stories below ground level) to the west of the station;
the two Keiyō line platforms serving four tracks are four stories
below ground some hundreds of meters to the south of the main station
with moving sidewalks to serve connecting passengers. The Keiyō line
serves passengers going to Tokyo
Disneyland and Makuhari Messe.
The whole complex is linked by an extensive system of underground
passageways which merge with surrounding commercial buildings and
shopping centres.
We have some
exclusive Tokyo
Station pictures of the exterior and interior in our Japan
picture gallery.
Tokyo Station
Tokyo Station
History
Tokyo Station was
opened in 1914 with the completion of a section of line linking the
Tokaido Main Line's original terminus at Shinbashi to the Tōhoku Main
Line's terminus at Ueno. The station building was designed by
architect Tatsuno Kingo as a restrained celebration of Japan's costly
victory in the Russo-Japanese War. (Tatsuno also designed the nearby
Bank of Japan building, which is very different in appearance.)
The Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station, facing the Imperial Palace,
dates back to the original 1914 opening; the Yaesu side, facing
Nihonbashi, is more recent and primarily accommodates the Shinkansen.
In 1921, Prime Minister Hara Takashi was assassinated in Tokyo
Station.
Much of the station was destroyed during the firebombings of 1945,
including an impressive dome that had also been patterned after
Amsterdam's central station. The station was significantly expanded in
the 1960's to handle the new
Shinkansen services and has been partially rebuilt several times
since, most recently to accommodate the
Shinkansen extension from
Ueno.
The station complex is currently being redeveloped. The Marunouchi
side will be restored and the surrounding area converted into a broad
plaza extending into a walkway toward the
Imperial Palace, with space
for bus and taxi ranks: this construction is scheduled for completion
in 2010. On the Yaesu side, the current multi-story exterior will be
replaced by a much lower structure with a large canopy covering
outdoor waiting and loading areas, and twin high-rise towers at each
end. This project will be completed in 2007.
There are also less definite plans to build a spur from the nearby
Toei Asakusa Line, which would provide Tokyo Station a second direct
connection to the subway network, and also possibly provide faster
connections from the station to Tokyo's
airports, Haneda and
Narita.
(Article
based on
Wikipedia article and used under the
GNU Free Documentation License)
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