is a major railway station in

Kanazawa, Ishikawa is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 466,029 in 203,271 households, and a population density of 990 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Overview Cityscape ...

, Japan, operated by

West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

(JR West), the

private railway A private railway is a railroad run by a private business entity (usually a corporation but not need be), as opposed to a railroad run by a public sector. Japan In Japan, , commonly simply ''private railway'', refers to a public transit railway o ...

operator

Hokuriku Railroad The is a transportation company in Kanazawa, Japan. The company or its lines are commonly known as . The company was founded in 1943, when all the private railway and bus operators in Ishikawa Prefecture were merged into one. Some of its lin ...

, and the third-sector operator

IR Ishikawa Railway The is a Japanese third-sector railway company established in 2012 to operate passenger railway services on the section of the JR West Hokuriku Main Line within Ishikawa Prefecture. The main line was separated from the JR West network on 14 M ...

. Beneath a square in front of the JR station is Hokutetsu-Kanazawa Station, the terminal of the

Hokuriku Railroad Asanogawa Line The is a Japanese railway line which connects Kanazawa Station in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture with Uchinada Station in Uchinada, Ishikawa Prefecture. It is owned and operated by Hokuriku Railroad. Due to its history as the former Asanogawa E ...

Lines

(JR West): **

Hokuriku Shinkansen The is a high-speed Shinkansen railway line jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West), connecting Tokyo with in the Hokuriku region of Japan. The first section, between and in Nagano Pr ...

Hokuriku Main Line The Hokuriku Main Line ( ja, 北陸本線, ) is a 176.6 kilometer railway line owned by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) connecting the Maibara Station in Maibara, Shiga, with the Naoetsu Station in Joetsu, Niigata. The section betwee ...

Nanao Line The is a railway line in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and the Noto Railway. It runs between Tsubata Station in Tsubata and Anamizu Station in Anamizu. JR West operates the section between Tsu ...

(This line formally starts from

Tsubata Station is a railway station in the town of Tsubata, Kahoku District, Ishikawa, Japan, jointly operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and the third-sector railway operator IR Ishikawa Railway. Lines Tsubata Station is served by the 17.8&nb ...

, but all the trains run straight into Kanazawa Station) *

(Hokutetsu): ** Asanogawa Line (Hokutetsu-Kanazawa Station) *

IR Ishikawa Railway Line The is a Japanese third-sector railway company established in 2012 to operate passenger railway services on the section of the JR West Hokuriku Main Line within Ishikawa Prefecture. The main line was separated from the JR West network on 14 ...

Station layout

JR platforms

JR Kanazawa Station is elevated above street level, featuring three

island platform An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...

s with one cut-out platform (for Track 4) on the Up (Toyama) side of the middle island platform, serving seven tracks in total. A large roof covers the station building, in order to prevent train stoppages due to accumulated snow within the station. The

platforms are adjacent to the east exit, between the Motenashi Dome and the conventional tracks. The shinkansen station has two island platforms serving four tracks. At the time of its opening, it will be the terminus of the line, although, long-term plans call for the route to be extended first to , and eventually to . The

departure melody A train melody is a succession of musically expressive tones played when a train is arriving at or about to depart from a train station. As part of train passenger operations, a train melody includes a parade of single notes organized to follow e ...

used on the

platforms was composed by songwriter and producer

Yasutaka Nakata is a Japanese DJ and music producer. He formed the band Capsule in 1997 with vocalist Toshiko Koshijima and himself as composer and record producer when both were 17. The band debuted in 2001 with the song "Sakura". He is known for being the ...

, who was born in Kanazawa.

Hokutetsu platforms

The platforms for the Hokutetsu Asanogawa Line are located underground, below the JR West platforms.

Adjacent stations

History

The station opened on 1 April 1898. With the

privatization Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...

JNR The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pre ...

on 1 April 1987, the station came under the control of JR West. From 14 March 2015, with the opening of the

extension from , local passenger operations over sections of the Hokuriku Main Line running roughly parallel to the new shinkansen line were reassigned to different third-sector railway operating companies. From this date, Kanazawa Station will become the western terminus of the

of Ishikawa Prefecture.

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2016, the JR West portion of the station was used by an average of 22,668 passengers daily (boarding passengers only).

Surrounding area

East exit

*Kanazawa Station Bus Terminal *Kanazawa Miyako Hotel *Hotel Nikko Kanazawa *Kanazawa Art Hall *ANA Crowne Plaza Kanazawa *

Ishikawa Ongakudō is a concert hall in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. It opened in 2001 and has two principal performances spaces: the shoebox-style Concert Hall, which seats 1,560; and the Hōgaku Hall, with a capacity of 720, for traditional Japanese ...

West exit

*JR Kanazawa Station West Building **Via Inn Kanazawa *Kanazawa Manten Hotel *Kanazawa Water and Energy Center

Bus services

East Exit

Gate 1

* Hokutetsu bus

Express bus service Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable. History of buses Origins While there are indications ...

for

Noto Noto ( scn, Notu; la, Netum) is a city and in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily, Italy. It is southwest of the city of Syracuse at the foot of the Iblean Mountains. It lends its name to the surrounding area Val di Noto. In 2002 Noto and i ...

Gate 2

* Hokutetsu Highway Bus (Services are operated by Hokutetsu Bus and local companies from the destination areas.) ** For Tokyo (operated by Hokutetsu Bus and

Nishi Tokyo Bus is a bus-operating company in western Tama Area, mainly in Hachioji and Akiruno, Tokyo, Japan. It has in a subsidiary which once took charge of bus routes in western Hachioji area and Ome area, and expressway bus routes. Although it now belongs ...

) **For Yokohama and Fujisawa (operated by Hokutetsu Bus and Enoden Bus) **For Nagoya (operated by Hokutetsu Bus and

Meitetsu Bus is a bus company in the Meitetsu Group. Bus Lines Highway Buses *Chuo Highway Bus **Meitetsu BC - Shinjuku **Meitetsu BC - Iida **Meitetsu BC - Ina, Komagane, Minowa **Meitetsu BC - Matsumoto **Meitetsu BC - Nagano **Meitetsu BC - Niig ...

, JR Tokai Bus, and West JR Bus) **For Osaka (operated by Hokutetsu Bus and Hankyu bus) **For Sendai (operated by Hokutetsu Bus and Miyagi Kotsu) **For Niigata (operated by Hokutetsu Bus and Niigata Kotsu) **For Toyama (operated by Hokutetsu Bus and

Toyama Chihō Railway The is a transportation company in Toyama, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. The company is commonly known as . This private company operates railway, tram, and bus services in the eastern part of the prefecture. It also operates as the agency of Al ...

) *Nippon Chuo Bus **For Tokyo

Gate 3

* Hokutetsu bus for

Kanazawa Gakuin University is a private university in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of J ...

and

Hokuriku University , abbreviated as is a private university in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. The university is locally nicknamed ''Hokudai'', though typically the term is used nationwide to refer to Hokkaido University. History Founded in 1975, it was founded as a ...

Gate 4

*JR Bus for Fukumitsu Station and

Tonami Station is a railway station on the Jōhana Line in the city of Tonami, Toyama, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Tonami Station is a station on the Jōhana Line, and is located 13.3 kilometers from the end of the line at . ...

Gate 5

*Machi Bus for Central Kanazawa (operated by West JR Bus) *West JR Highway Bus (Some buses are operated by other operators) **''Dream Kanazawa'' for Tokyo (operated with JR Bus Kanto ) **''Kanazawa Express'' for Tokyo (operated with JR Bus Kanto and Seibu Bus) **For Nagoya (daytime) (operated with JR Tokai Bus) **''Hokuriku Dream Nagoya'' for Nagoya (night-time) (operated with JR Tokai Bus) **For Osaka (daytime) **For Osaka (via Fukui Station) **For Osaka (night-time) **For Toyama

Gate 6

* Hokutetsu Bus for Mount Utatsu and

Kanazawa University Kanazawa University ( ja, 金沢大学, Kanazawa Daigaku, abbreviated to ja, 金大, Kindai) is a Japanese national university in the city of Kanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture. Founded in 1862, it was chartered as a university in 194 ...

Gate 7

* Hokutetsu Bus for Kanazawa University High School (Route 20)

Gate 8

* Hokutetsu Bus for

Kanazawa Institute of Technology is an institution of higher learning in Nonoichi City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. It is often called KIT, or for short. It is known for its unique educational policy that attaches importance to initiative of students. One of the examples is ...

Gate 9

* Hokutetsu Bus for

Kinjo University is a private university in Hakusan, Ishikawa, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan ...

, Nonoichi City Hall, and Nonoichi Station

Gate 10

* Hokutetsu Bus for

Gate 11

* Hokutetsu Bus for Nishi-Kanazawa Station

West Exit

Gate 1

Keifuku Bus is a bus transportation company based in Fukui Prefecture, Japan in operation since June 1941. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Keifuku Electric Railroad is a railroad company based in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan (but with offices in Fukui Pre ...

for Awara-Yunomachi Station (Seasonal)

Gate 2

* Hokutetsu Bus Routes 52 and 57

Gate 3

* Hokutetsu Bus Komatsu Airport BusHokutetsu Timetable
/ref>

Gate 4

* Hokutetsu Bus for Unoke Station

Gate 5

* Hokutetsu Bus for Nomachi Station,

, and Kanazawa Seiryo University

Gate 6

* Hokutetsu Bus

Gate 7

*West JR Bus

Gate 8

*West JR Bus

References

External links

Kanazawa Station (JR West official page)
{{Hokuriku Railroad Asanogawa Line Stations of West Japan Railway Company Railway stations in Ishikawa Prefecture Buildings and structures in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Railway stations in Japan opened in 1898 Hokuriku Main Line IR Ishikawa Railway Line Hokuriku Railroad Asanogawa Line