is a railway station in the

Takadanobaba Takadanobaba (Japanese: 高田馬場 ''Takada-no-baba'') is a neighborhood in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. History Originally, the area's name was read ''Takatanobaba'' and many Tokyo residents in their 50s or older pronounce it as such. However, you ...

area of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

Shinjuku is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration ...

ward, situated between the commercial districts of

Ikebukuro is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits. It is considered the second larges ...

and Shinjuku. The station is a major commuting hub, linking the

Seibu Shinjuku Line The is a Japanese railway line owned by the private railway operator Seibu Railway, connecting Seibu Shinjuku Station in Shinjuku, Tokyo with Hon-Kawagoe Station in Kawagoe, Saitama. The Shinjuku Line is one of two main lines of the Seibu Ra ...

Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line The is a rapid transit line in Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, Japan, owned and operated by Tokyo Metro. Its name translates to "''East-West Line"''. The line runs between Nakano in Nakano-ku, Tokyo and Nishi-Funabashi in Funabashi, Chiba Pr ...

and

Yamanote Line The Yamanote Line ( ja, 山手線, Yamanote-sen) is a loop service in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban c ...

. It also serves the surrounding

area, known as a popular student district, and is linked by bus to nearby

Waseda University , mottoeng = Independence of scholarship , established = 21 October 1882 , type = Private , endowment = , president = Aiji Tanaka , city = Shinjuku , state = Tokyo , country = Japan , students = 47,959 , undergrad = 39,382 , postgrad ...

. It is the busiest station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line, and the second-busiest in the Seibu Railway network after

Ikebukuro Station Ikebukuro Station ( ja, 池袋駅, ) is a major railway station located in the Ikebukuro district of Toshima, Tokyo, Japan, shared by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Tokyo subway operator Tokyo Metro, and the two private railway operato ...

. It is the ninth-busiest station in the

Tokyo Metro The is a major rapid transit system in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo Metro Co. With an average daily ridership of 6.84 million passengers, the Tokyo Metro is the larger of the two subway operators in the city; the other being the Toe ...

network and the eleventh-busiest station in the JR East network.

Lines

Takadanobaba Station is served by the following lines: * East Japan Railway Company (JR East) **

Seibu Railway is a conglomerate based in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan, with principal business areas in railways, tourism, and real estate. Seibu Railway's operations are concentrated in northwest Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture; the name "Seibu" is an abbrevi ...

Station layout

Platforms

Yamanote and Seibu Shinjuku Line

The Yamanote Line

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 ...

and two Seibu Shinjuku Line platforms are located parallel to each other, and are connected by an overhead transfer concourse, as well as transfer gates at ground level by the main Waseda exit. The theme music from ''

Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 '' tankōbon'' ...

'' is played prior to each train departure from the Yamanote Line platform, a homage to the series being set in the Takadanobaba area. Chest-high

platform edge doors Platform screen doors (PSDs), also known as platform edge doors (PEDs), are used at some train, rapid transit and people mover stations to separate the platform from train tracks, as well as on some bus rapid transit, tram and light rail sys ...

were brought into use on the Yamanote Line platform on 21 December 2013. The Yamanote Freight Line tracks (used by

Saikyo Line Saikyo may refer to: *Saikyō Line, a Japanese railway line in the Tokyo metropolitan area *''Saikyō Maru'', a Japanese ship involved in the Battle of the Yalu River (1894) *Western Capital (disambiguation) Western Capital may refer to: China ...

and Shonan-Shinjuku Line services) pass Takadanobaba running between the Yamanote Line and Seibu Shinjuku Line tracks. File:Takadanobaba Station JR Yamanote line March 30 2016.jpg, Yamanote line platforms, 2016 File:Takadanobaba Station Seibu platforms 20160323.JPG, Seibu platform 5 with platform 3/4 on the left in March 2016

Tozai Line

Tozai line - Takadanobaba Station platforms - oct 3 2020 various.jpeg, The Tozai Line subway platforms in October 2020

History

The Yamanote Line station opened on 15 September 1910. Seibu Railway opened a temporary station perpendicular to the Yamanote Line in April 1927, followed by a permanent station parallel to the Yamanote Line in April 1928. The original station buildings were burned to the ground during the

bombing of Tokyo The was a series of firebombing air raids by the United States Army Air Force during the Pacific campaigns of World War II. Operation Meetinghouse, which was conducted on the night of 9–10 March 1945, is the single most destructive bombin ...

in April 1945. Takadanobaba was the Tokyo terminal of the Seibu Railway Murayama Line (now Seibu Shinjuku Line) until it was extended to

Seibu-Shinjuku Station is a railway station in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Seibu Railway. It is the terminus of the 47.5 km (30 mile) Seibu Shinjuku Line, which extends to in Saitama Prefecture. The station is located appr ...

in 1952. The Tozai Line began service to Takadanobaba in December 1964 under the auspices of the

Teito Rapid Transit Authority The is a major rapid transit system in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo Metro Co. With an average daily ridership of 6.84 million passengers, the Tokyo Metro is the larger of the two subway operators in the city; the other being the Toei ...

. Takadanobaba was the western terminus of the Tozai Line until the connection to Nakano Station and the Chuo Main Line opened in March 1966. The station facilities of the Tozai Line were inherited by Tokyo Metro after the privatization of the Teito Rapid Transit Authority (TRTA) in 2004. Station numbering was introduced on all Seibu Railway lines during fiscal 2012, with Takadanobaba Station becoming "SS02". Seibu line - Takadanobaba Station Jan 24 2021 various 09 42 49 727000

Seibu line - Takadanobaba Station Jan 24 2021 various 09 42 49 727000

Surrounding area

The surrounding area of

is often referred to as "Baba". It lacks the history of nearby Waseda and Mejiro, often conjuring up images of a student spot with its many cheap bars and

izakaya An () is a type of informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and snacks. are casual places for after-work drinking, similar to a pub, a Spanish tapas bar, or an American saloon or tavern. Etymology The word entered the English l ...

serving the needs of students at nearby Waseda and Gakushuin universities. Numerous prep and vocational schools reinforce this image in the eyes of many Japanese. The symbol of Takadanobaba is the monolithic and appropriately named Big Box building next to the station. Big Box houses a sports gym, swimming pool, Uniqlo clothing store, cafe, bowling alley, arcade, and a fast food restaurant. It has recently been reopened after an extensive renovation.

Passenger statistics

Daily average passenger figures for each operator are as shown below. * Note that JR East figures account for boarding passengers only.

References

External links

JR East station information

Seibu station information

{{Coord, 35, 42, 46, N, 139, 42, 14, E, display=title Yamanote Line Tokyo Metro Tozai Line Seibu Shinjuku Line Stations of East Japan Railway Company Stations of Tokyo Metro Stations of Seibu Railway Railway stations in Tokyo Railway stations in Japan opened in 1910