Tōkyō Station (, ) is a major railway station in

Chiyoda, Tokyo , known as Chiyoda City in English,
." ''City of Chiyoda''. Retrieved on December 28, 2008. is a S ...

, Japan. The original station is located in Chiyoda's

Marunouchi Marunouchi () is an area in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, located between Tokyo Station and the Kokyo, Imperial Palace. The name, meaning "inside the circle", derives from its location within the palace's outer moat. Marunouchi is the core ...

business district near the Imperial Palace grounds. The newer Eastern extension is not far from the

Ginza Ginza ( ; ) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, Tokyo, Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is a popular upscale shopping area of Tokyo ...

commercial district. Due to the large area covered by the station, it is divided into the Marunouchi (west) and Yaesu (east) sides in its directional signage. The station opened in 1914 as an integrated terminus for the present-day

Tōkaidō Line Tōkaidō may refer to: * Taiheiyō Belt (also Tōkaidō corridor), the megalopolis in Japan extending from Ibaraki Prefecture to Fukuoka Prefecture * Tokaido (company), a Japanese company that manufactures karate uniforms, belts, and related pro ...

, Tōhoku Line, and later the Chūō Line, which previously had separate termini in Tokyo. Since then, it has served as the main terminus for inter-city trains departing Tokyo westwards. The station was badly damaged during the

Bombing of Tokyo The was a series of air raids on Japan by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), primarily launched during the closing campaigns of the Pacific War, Pacific Theatre of World War II in 1944–1945, prior to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima ...

on 25 May 1945 but soon resumed service. The

Tōkaidō Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the San'yō Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opening in 19 ...

, the world’s first dedicated high-speed rail system, opened between the station and Osaka in 1964. With the extension of northbound Shinkansen lines from

Ueno is a district in Taitō, Tokyo. The area extending from Ueno to Asakusa is part of the historical Shitamachi (literally "low city") district of Tokyo, which is often associated with working-class traditions and culture as well as their dist ...

in 1991, the station also became a gateway to northeast Japan. Served by the

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is ...

lines of the

Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. It was initially built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond lon ...

network, Tōkyō Station is the main

inter-city rail Inter-city rail services are Express train, express trains that run services that connect cities over longer distances than Commuter rail, commuter or Regional rail, regional trains. They include rail services that are neither short-distance co ...

terminal in Tokyo. It is the busiest station in Japan in terms of scheduled trains, with more than 4,000 trains arriving and departing daily, and the fifth-busiest in eastern Japan in terms of passenger throughput; on average, more than 500,000 people use Tōkyō Station every day. The station is also served by many regional commuter lines of

Japan Railways The Japan Railways Group, commonly known as the or simply JR, is a network of railway companies in Japan formed after the division and privatization of the government-owned Japanese National Railways (JNR) on April 1, 1987. The group comprise ...

, as well as the

Tokyo Metro The Tokyo Metro () is a major rapid transit system in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the #Organization, Tokyo Metro Co. With an average daily ridership of 6.52 million passengers (as of 2023), the Tokyo Metro is the larger of the Tokyo subway, two s ...

network.

History

Planning and construction, 1872–1914

In 1889, a Tokyo municipal committee drew up plans for an elevated railway line connecting the

Tōkaidō Main Line The Tōkaidō Main Line () is one of the most important railway corridors in Japan, connecting the major cities of Tokyo and Kobe via Shizuoka (city), Shizuoka, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka. The line, with termini at Tokyo Station, Tokyo and Kōbe St ...

terminal at

Shinbashi , sometimes transliterated Shimbashi, is a district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Name Read literally, the characters in Shinbashi mean "new bridge". History The area was the site of a bridge built across the Shiodome River in 1604. The river was l ...

to the Nippon Railway (now

Tōhoku Main Line The Tōhoku Main Line () is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and passes through such cities as Saitama, Saitama, Saitama, Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Uts ...

) terminal at

. The Imperial Diet resolved in 1896 to construct a new station on this line called , located directly in front of the gardens of the Imperial Palace. Construction was delayed by the outbreak of the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...

and

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

, but finally commenced in 1908. The three-story station building was designed by architect

Tatsuno Kingo was a Japanese architect born in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, Kyushu. He was a Doctor of Engineering; conferred as Jusanmi (従三位, Junior Third Rank) and Kunsanto (勲三等, Order of Third Class); and served as dean of Architecture Departm ...

(who also designed

Manseibashi Station can refer to two closed railway stations all in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. One was a railway station on the Japanese Government Railways Chūō Main Line and the other was a subway station in the Tokyo Subway network. Both stations were closed by ...

and the nearby

Bank of Japan The is the central bank of Japan.Louis Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric. (2005). "Nihon Ginkō" in The bank is often called for short. It is headquartered in Nihonbashi, Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The said bank is a corporate entity ...

building) as a restrained celebration of Japan's costly victory in the Russo-Japanese War. The building is often mentioned in guidebooks to be fashioned after

Amsterdam Centraal station Amsterdam Centraal station ( ; Railway stations in the Netherlands, abbreviation: Asd) is the largest railway station in Amsterdam, North Holland, the Netherlands. A major international Rail transport, railway hub, it is used by 192,000 passeng ...

in the Netherlands. This is in dispute, as it has a similarity to a family of other railway station buildings built at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Terunobu Fujimori is a Japanese architect and architectural historian. During the 1970s and 1980s he made studies of the city about early Western buildings and unusual occurrences, and did not turn to architecture until he was in his forties. His work is consid ...

, a scholar of Western architecture, also refutes the rumor, having studied Tatsuno's styles as well as the building itself.

Early days, 1914–1941

Tokyo Station opened on December 20, 1914 with four platforms; two serving electric trains (current Yamanote/Keihin–Tōhoku Line platforms) and two serving non-electric trains (current Tōkaidō Line platforms). With the opening of Tokyo Station, the old Shinbashi Station, which had served as the Tokyo-side terminus of the Tōkaidō Line since 1872, was closed as a passenger station. After the final train departed from the old Shinbashi Station at 12:23 AM on the opening day, a special train transported staff and equipment to Tokyo Station. Using the transferred staff and equipment, the first train departed from Tokyo Station at 5:23 AM. The opening ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister, the Mayor of Tokyo, the Minister of Railways, and the war hero Mitsuomi Kamio, 1st Baron, who had defeated the Germans in the

Siege of Tsingtao The siege of Tsingtao (; ; zh, s=青岛战役, t=青島戰役) was the attack on the German port of Qingdao (Tsingtao) from Jiaozhou Bay during World War I by Empire of Japan, Japan and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United K ...

a month earlier. Kamio arrived at the station from Osaka by train. Tokyo elevated railway 1931

The Tokyo Station Hotel opened in the Marunouchi-side building on November 2, 1915. The

Chūō Main Line The , commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the major trunk railway lines in Japan. It connects Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest direct railway connection between the two cities; the coastal Tōkaidō Main Line is slightly faste ...

extension to the station was completed in 1919 and originally stopped at the platform now used by northbound Yamanote/Keihin–Tōhoku trains. During this early era, the station only had gates on the Marunouchi side, with the north side serving as an exit and the south side serving as an entrance. The central gate was exclusively for members of the

Imperial Family A royal family is the immediate family of monarch, monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or emperor, empress, and the term papal family describes the family of ...

. On November 4, 1921, Prime Minister

Hara Takashi was a Japanese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1918 until his assassination. Hara held several minor ambassadorial roles before rising through the ranks of the Rikken Seiyūkai and being elected to the House of Repr ...

was stabbed to death by a 18-year-old right-wing railway

switchman A switchman (North America) also known as pointsman (British Isles) or yardman (Commonwealth) is a rail transport worker whose original job was to operate various railway switches or points on a railroad. It also refers to a person who assist ...

in front of the south wing as he arrived to board a train for Kyoto. The

Great Kantō Earthquake Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...

struck Tokyo on September 1, 1923, causing immense damage to the city. However, the station sustained little damage. By September 3, 7,925 evacuees had taken shelter at the station. The Yaesu side of the station opened in 1929. In October 1930, the ''superexpress'' '' Tsubame'' began service, connecting Tokyo Station and Kobe Station. The nickname ''superexpress'' was given because it reduced travel time between the two stations by over two hours. Although the

was electrified between Tokyo and Kōzu, Class C51 steam locomotives were used for the entire route to avoid engine changes. On November 14, 1930, Osachi Hamaguchi was shot by a member of the Aikokusha ultra-nationalist secret society. He survived the attack but died of his wounds in August the following year. By 1935, it became clear that passenger demand had exceeded the station's capacity. For instance, the

Yamanote and are traditional names for two areas of Tokyo, Japan. Yamanote refers to the affluent, upper-class areas of Tokyo west of the Imperial Palace.Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version While citizens once considered it as ...

and Keihin Tohoku line services operated at intervals of just one minute and forty seconds. As a result, it was decided to relocate the railway yard to

Shinagawa is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The Ward refers to itself as Shinagawa City in English. The Ward is home to ten embassies. , the Ward had an estimated population of 380,293 and a population density of 16,510 persons per ...

, while the freight terminus there would be moved to Shintsurumi to make room. Two new platforms were then built on the former railway yard site.

War damage and reconstruction, 1942–1950

Much of the station was destroyed in a

B-29 The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined Propeller (aeronautics), propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to ...

firebombing raid on May 25, 1945. The bombing destroyed the rooftop domes, as well as most of the third floor of the building and much of the interior. The brick walls and concrete floors mostly survived. The state of the structure was evaluated by

Tokyo University The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...

professor Kiyoshi Muto, and after consulting with the

Ministry of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

, it was decided to demolish much of the top floor to reduce the weight on the structure. Reconstruction of the building finished by 1947, but the restored building had only two stories instead of three, and simple angular roofs were built in place of the original domes. Those involved in the reconstruction work stated that the added structures were intended to be makeshift, so they did not mind covering all the ornaments on the platform-side walls of the building with a thick layer of mortar. These postwar alterations were blamed for creating the mistaken impression that the building was based on the Centraal station in Amsterdam. Plans in the 1980s to demolish the building and replace it with a larger structure were derailed by a preservation movement.Watanabe, Hiroshi (2001). The architecture of Tokyo. Axel Menges, Stuttgart/London. pp. 83–84. .

Postwar, 1950–2011

On 15 September 1949, the ''Heiwa'' express train began operations between Tokyo and Osaka as the first post-war limited express service. Renamed '' Tsubame'' on 1 January 1950, it was later joined by the ''Hato''. To eliminate locomotive, the 80 series EMUs were introduced between Tokyo and

Numazu is a city located in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 189,486 in 91,986 households, and a population density of 1,014 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Numazu is at the n ...

from 1 March 1950. Meanwhile, the ''Yankee Limited'', a north-bound train for Allied forces, started in 1946 and transitioned to public use post-1952, later renamed

Towada is a city in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 58,905 in 28031 households, and a population density of 81 persons per km2 The total area of the city is .Towada is home to the national and prefectural agencies t ...

in 1954. The Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines were separated as a solution to overcrowding, when additional tracks between Tokyo and Tamachi completed on 19 November 1956. The station's Yaesu exit, rebuilt after a 1949 fire, saw the construction of a modern station building completed in 1954 with Daimaru department store as the main tennant. Electrification of the Tokaido Line was completed in 1956, and through trains to Osaka such as the ''Tsubame'' and ''Hato'' began to be hauled by EF58 electric locomotives for the entire length of the route. Night services to

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...

, including the Asakaze, resumed, followed by the debut of the '' Kodama'' electric train service by 151 series EMUs in 1958. Steam locomotives ceased operations to Tokyo Station in 1961, when the Joban Line's electrification reached Katsuta. The

Marunouchi Line The is a Rapid transit, subway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by Tokyo Metro. The line runs in a U-shape between Ogikubo Station in Suginami, Tokyo, Suginami and Ikebukuro Station in Toshima, Tokyo, Toshima, with a branch line between Nakano-Sa ...

reached Tokyo Station in 1956 and was extended to

in 1957. The

Tokaido Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the San'yō Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opening in 19 ...

's construction began in 1959. There were concerns about increased congestion at Tokyo Station, but due to its central location in Tokyo and connectivity, Tokyo Station was selected as the line's Tokyo-side terminus. On 1 October 1964, the Tokaido Shinkansen opened, with Platforms 17–19 built for its operation. Later, one more platform was added when the Shinkansen extension to

Hakata is a ward of the city of Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Many of Fukuoka Prefecture and Fukuoka City's principal government, commercial, retail and entertainment establishments are located in the district. Hakata-ku is also the location o ...

was completed in 1975. The Sobu Line was connected to the newly built underground platforms at Tokyo Station in July 1972. Then, the

Yokosuka Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The Yokosuka Line connects Tokyo Station with in Yokosuka, Kanagawa. Officially, the name Yokosuka Line is assigned to the segment between and Kurihama sta ...

was separated from the Tokaido Line and switched to an underground route that also leads to the underground platforms of the station in 1975. Since then, these lines have operated as one. From July 1987, the station hosted a series of regular free public concerts referred to as "Tokyo Eki Kon" (Tokyo Station Concerts). These were first held as a celebration of the launch of

Japan Railways Group The Japan Railways Group, commonly known as the or simply JR, is a network of railway companies in Japan formed after the Corporate spin-off, division and privatization of the government-owned Japanese National Railways (JNR) on April 1, 1987. ...

as the privatized successor to the state-owned

Japanese National Railways 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 ...

. Altogether 246 concerts were performed, but the event was discontinued when its popularity waned and the last concert took place in November 2000. The event returned in 2004 as the "Aka Renga (Red Brick) Concerts" but it was again suspended, after 19 concerts, when redevelopment of the station started in earnest. In 2012, as the reconstruction was nearing completion, there were calls for the concerts to resume. In March 1990, the

Keiyo Line :''Keiyo may also refer to Keiyo, a district in Kenya, '' Keiyo Line'', a railway line in Japan, or Elgeyo escarpment.'' The Elgeyo (also known as Keiyo) are an ethnic group who are part of the larger Kalenjin ethnic group of Nilotic origin. T ...

was extended to Tokyo Station. To accommodate this new line, underground platforms were built under the Tokyo International Forum, which is 350 metres south of the station's main building. In June 1991, the northbound Shinkansen lines, which had initially terminated at Ōmiya in 1982 and extended to

in 1985, reached Tokyo Station. That extension made Tokyo Station the Tokyo-side terminus for Tōhoku and

Jōetsu Shinkansen The is a high-speed shinkansen railway line connecting Tokyo and Niigata, Japan, via the Tōhoku Shinkansen, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Despite its name, the line does not pass through the city of Jōetsu or the ...

services.

When the first phase of the

Hokuriku Shinkansen The Hokuriku Shinkansen () is a high-speed Shinkansen railway line connecting Tokyo with Tsuruga, Fukui, Tsuruga in the Hokuriku region of Japan. It is jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR ...

(then known as the Nagano Shinkansen) to Nagano was planned, it was decided to build additional Shinkansen platforms at Tokyo Station. To create space, all conventional train lines at Tokyo Station were shifted closer to the Marunouchi building by two tracks. New Chūō Line platforms were built above the tracks for the Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku Lines in 1995. The Hokuriku Shinkansen section to Nagano opened on 1 October 1997, in time for the

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 (), were a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Nagano, Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, with some events ...

held in Nagano. The station facilities of the

were inherited by

after the privatization of the Teito Rapid Transit Authority (TRTA) in 2004.

Recent history, 2012–present

Tokyo Station restoration center-south Nov 09

The Tokyo Station complex has undergone extensive development, including major improvements to the Marunouchi (west) and Yaesu (east) sides of the station. The Marunouchi side underwent an extensive five-year renovation, completed in October 2012, in which the historic 98-year-old façade on this side of the station was restored to its pre-war condition. The restoration work included recreating the two domes according to their original design. The surrounding area was converted into a broad plaza (

Marunouchi Central Plaza Marunouchi Central Plaza, or Tokyo Marunouchi Station Plaza, is a plaza on the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station, in Tokyo, Japan. Construction on the plaza began in August 2014. It was unveiled in December 2017. The 6,500 square meter plaza is p ...

) extending into a walkway toward the Imperial Palace, with space for bus and taxi ranks. In contrast, the Yaesu side of the station is very urban in appearance. The North and South

GranTokyo The is a skyscraper located in Marunouchi, Tokyo, Japan. Construction of the 205-metre tower was finished in 2007. The first fourteen floors of the building are occupied by a Daimaru is a Japanese department store chain, principally locate ...

towers are connected to the terminal by the GranRoof, a new commercial facility with a large canopy representing a "sail of light" which covers the outdoor areas. The high-rise towers include multi-story shopping areas and the offices of a number of leading companies and universities. This part of the project was completed in 2013.

Station numbering Station numbering is a sign system which assigns station codes consisting of a few letters and numbers to train stations. It aims to facilitate navigation for foreign travelers not familiar with the local language by using globally understood c ...

was introduced to the JR East commuter platforms in 2016 with Tokyo being assigned station numbers JT01 for the Tokaido Line, JU01 for the Utsunomiya/Takasaki lines, JK26 for the Keihin-Tōhoku line, JY01 for the Yamanote line, JC01 for the Chūō line rapid service, JO19 for both the Sōbu line rapid service as well as the adjoining Yokosuka line, and JE01 for the Keiyō line. At the same time, JR East assigned a three-letter code to their major interchange station; Tokyo was assigned the three-letter code "TYO".

Lines

Trains on the following lines are available at Tōkyō Station: * **

Tōhoku Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line that runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island, Honshu. Operated by the East Japan Railway Company, it links Tokyo in the south to Aomori in the north, with ...

Yamagata Shinkansen The is a Mini-shinkansen route in Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It provides service between Tokyo and Shinjō in Yamagata Prefecture over the tracks of the Tohoku Shinkansen and the Ōu Main Line. The term Yamagata ...

Akita Shinkansen The is a Mini-shinkansen rail line in Japan. Serving the Kantō and Tōhoku Regions of the country, it links Tokyo and Akita in Akita prefecture. From Tokyo to Morioka in Iwate prefecture, it operates on the Tōhoku Shinkansen tracks. From ...

Hokkaido Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line that links up with the Tōhoku Shinkansen in northern Aomori Prefecture in Honshu and continues on into the interior of Hokkaido through the undersea Seikan Tunnel. Construction started in May ...

Ueno–Tokyo Line The Ueno–Tokyo Line (), formerly known as the Tōhoku Through Line () is a railway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), linking Ueno Station and Tokyo Station, extending the services of the Utsunomiya Lin ...

Keihin–Tōhoku Line The is a railway line in Japan which connects the cities of Saitama, Saitama, Saitama, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Kawaguchi, Tokyo, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Kawasaki, and Yokohama. It is part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) network. The line's n ...

Yamanote Line The Yamanote Line () is a railway Circle route, 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 centres ...

(including

Chūō Line (Rapid) The is the name given to rapid services on the eastern section of the Chūō Main Line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) between and stations. Some services continue to Otsuki. Basic data *Operator: East Japan Railway Co ...

) **

Sōbu Main Line The is a Japanese railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. It connects Tokyo with the east coast of Chiba Prefecture, passing through the cities of Funabashi, Chiba, and Chōshi. Its name derives from the ...

(including

Sōbu Line (Rapid) The Sōbu Line (Rapid) () is a railway service on the Sōbu Main Line in Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Tokyo Station in Chūō, Tokyo with Chiba Station in Chūō-ku, Chiba via ...

, Limited Express ''

Narita Express The , abbreviated as N'EX, is a limited express train service operated in Japan since 1991 by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), serving Narita International Airport from various Greater Tokyo Area stations. Services run approximately hal ...

'', ''

Shiosai The is a limited express train service in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It runs from and to on the Bōsō Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture. Station stops ''Shiosai'' services operate over the Sōbu Main Line, stoppi ...

'') **

(including Limited Express ''Narita Express'') **

Keiyō Line The is a railway line connecting Tokyo and Chiba in Japan, paralleling the edge of Tokyo Bay. It is operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line forms part of what JR East refers to as the around Tokyo, consisting of the Ke ...

* ** (through services to/from

San'yō Shinkansen The is a line of the Japanese Shinkansen high-speed rail network, connecting Shin-Osaka in Osaka with Hakata Station in Fukuoka, the two largest cities in western Japan. Operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West), it is a westward co ...

operated by

JR West , 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, ...

) *

The station is linked by underground passageways to the

Ōtemachi is a district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is located north of Tokyo Station and Marunouchi, east of the Imperial Palace, west of Nihonbashi and south of Kanda. It is the location of the former site of the village of Shibazaki, the most an ...

underground (subway) station complex served by the Tōzai, Chiyoda, Hanzōmon, and Mita subway lines. It is also possible to walk to the Nijūbashimae,

Hibiya is a colloquial name for a neighborhood of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda Ward in Tokyo. The area along Hibiya Street (Japan National Route 1, National Route 1) from Yūrakuchō to Uchisaiwaichō is generally considered Hibiya district. Administrati ...

Yūrakuchō is a business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, situated in between the Ginza and Hibiya Park, southeast of the Tokyo Imperial Palace. The district takes its name from Oda Nagamasu (1547–1622), who was also known as Yūraku (有楽). Oda Naga ...

, and Higashi-ginza Stations completely underground (the last a distance of over ), but these stations can usually be reached more quickly by train. Tokyo Station is also a major intercity bus terminal, with regular midday service to several cities in the

Kantō region The is a geography, geographical region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures of Japan, prefectures: Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefe ...

and overnight service to the

Kansai The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropoli ...

and

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, , or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku retains ...

s. The furthest overnight bus service goes to

Izumo-Taisha , officially Izumo Ōyashiro, is one of the most ancient and important Shinto shrines in Japan. No record gives the date of establishment. Located in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, it is home to two major festivals. It is dedicated to the god , fa ...

, over away.

Station layout

The main station facade on the Marunouchi side is made primarily of bricks, and partly dates back to the station's opening in 1914. The main station consists of ten

island platform An island platform (also center platform (American English) or centre platform (British English)) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway inte ...

s serving twenty tracks, raised above street level and running in a north–south direction. The main concourse runs east–west below the platforms. The Shinkansen lines are on the Yaesu side of the station, along with a multi-storey

Daimaru is a Japanese department store chain, principally located in the Kansai region of Japan. The chain is operated by Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores, a subsidiary of J. Front Retailing. At one time Daimaru was an independent company, , hea ...

department store. The entrances nearest to the Shinkansen lines are named Yaesu, and those at the extreme east of the station are named

Nihonbashi is a business district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan, which sprung up around the bridge of the same name that has linked two sides of the Nihonbashi River at this site since the 17th century. The first wooden bridge was completed in 1603. The curre ...

. On the far west side is the Marunouchi entrances, which are closest to the two underground Sōbu/Yokosuka line platforms serving four tracks (five stories below ground level). The Narita Express to Narita International Airport (NRT) uses these platforms. 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 walkways to serve connecting passengers. The whole complex is linked by an extensive system of underground passageways that merge with surrounding commercial buildings and shopping centers. 東京駅全景（2021年3月）.jpg, Tokyo station seen from the sky in 2021 Tokyo-Station-Night.jpg, Tokyo Station night view in 2020 Tokyo Station-5.jpg, Tokyo Station Marunouchi Station Square in 2019 JR-East-Tokyo-STA Marunouchi-north-Gate.jpg, Marunouchi North Exit ticket gate in 2021 JR-East-Tokyo-STA Yaesu-south-Gate.jpg, Yaesu South Exit ticket gate in 2021 JR-East-Tokyo-STA Concourse.jpg, Concourse of JR East in 2021

JR

Main-level platforms

(listed in order from west to east)

=JR East

Yokosuka/Sōbu Line platforms

Keiyo Line platforms

JRE-Tokyo-STA Home1-2.jpg, Chūō Main Line platform in 2021 JR-East-Tokyo-STA Home3-4.jpg, Yamanote and Keihin-Tōhoku Line platform in 2021 JRE-Tokyo-STA Home7-8.jpg, Tōkaidō Main Line platform in 2021 JR-East-Tokyo-STA Home20-21.jpg, Tōhoku Shinkansen platform in 2021 JRE-Tokyo-STA Home-Under1-2.jpg, Yokosuka and Sōbu Main Line platform in 2021 JRE-Tokyo-STA Keiyo-home 3-4.jpg, Keiyō Line platform in 2021

=JR Central

= Originally, platforms 3 to 10 were numbered as platforms 1 to 8 and additional platforms were numbered sequentially from west to east through the opening of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964. Platforms 9 to 13 were used for the Tōkaidō Main Line and Yokosuka Line but were removed in 1988, and platforms 12 and 13 were then used for the new Tōhoku Shinkansen from 1991 to 1997. The current Chūō Main Line platform opened in 1995 as platforms 1 and 2, and other platforms were renumbered accordingly, leaving platforms 10 and 11 unused. The current platform numbering became effective in 1997 when one of the Tōkaidō Main Line platforms was repurposed for the Jōetsu Shinkansen as platforms 20 and 21. The existing Tōhoku Shinkansen platforms were simultaneously renumbered as 22 and 23. JR-Central-Tokyo-STA Yaesu-central-north-Gate.jpg, Yaesu North Exit ticket gate in 2021 JR-Central-Tokyo-STA Nihonbashi-Gate.jpg, Nihombashi Exit ticket gate in 2021 JR-Central-East-Tokyo-STA Shinkansen-transfer-Gate.jpg, JR East Shinkansen transfer ticket gate in 2021 JR-Central-Tokyo-STA Central-transfer-Gate.jpg, JR East Conventional line transfer ticket gate in 2021 JR-Central-Tokyo-STA Home16-17.jpg, Tōkaidō Shinkansen platform in 2021 JR-Central-Tokyo-STA Shinkansen-concourse Digital-Signage.jpg, Departure information board in 2021

Tokyo Metro

Tokyo-Metro Tokyo-STA Gate.jpg, Marunouchi Line ticket gate in 2022

Proposed developments

There was a proposal to build a spur to Tokyo Station from the nearby

Toei Asakusa Line The is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the municipal subway operator Toei Subway. The line runs between in Ōta, Tokyo, Ōta and in Sumida, Tokyo, Sumida. The line is named after the Asakusa district, a cultural center of Tokyo, un ...

, which would provide another connection to the subway network, and also possibly provide faster connections from the station to Tokyo's airports,

Haneda , also known as and sometimes abbreviated to ''Tokyo-Haneda'', is the busier of the two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primary domestic base of J ...

and Narita. The plan has yet to be formally adopted as authorities were re-considering a similar plan as part of the infrastructure improvements for the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

; the proposed line would cut travel time to Haneda from 30 minutes to 18 minutes, and to Narita from 55 minutes to 36 minutes, at a total cost of around 400 billion yen. The Haneda Airport Access Line, which is scheduled to open in 2031, will enable trains running on the Tokaido Line via Tokyo Station to also run to Haneda Airport. There are also plans to extend the

Tsukuba Express The , or TX, is a Japanese railway line operated by the Third-sector railway, third-sector company Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company, which links Akihabara Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and Tsukuba Station in Tsukuba, Ibaraki. The route was ...

from Akihabara to Tokyo. In September 2013, a number of municipalities along the Tsukuba Express line in

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,828,086 (1 July 2023) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

submitted a proposal to complete the extension at the same time as the new airport-to-airport line.

is also planning Tokyo as the terminus for their future line that could connect

Odaiba is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo), Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. Odaiba was initially built for defensive purposes in the 1850s. The land was dramatically expanded during the late 20th centur ...

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2018, the JR East station was used by an average of 467,165 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), making it the third busiest station on the JR East network. Over the same fiscal year, the Tokyo Metro station was used by an average of 218,275 passengers daily (both exiting and entering passengers), making it the ninth-busiest Tokyo Metro station. The passenger figures (boarding passengers only) for the JR East (formerly JNR) station in previous years are as shown below.

Surrounding area

Districts

Yaesu is a district in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan, located north of Ginza, west of Nihonbashi and Kyōbashi, and adjacent to the east side of Tokyo Station. The Yaesu exit of this station, which faces Nihonbashi, is a recent addition and primarily provide ...

Buildings

* Tokyo Midtown Yaesu Yaesu Central Tower *

Marunouchi Building The is a skyscraper located in Marunouchi, Tokyo, Japan. Construction of the 180-metre, 37-story skyscraper was finished in 2002. History A nine-storey building with the same name was built on the site in 1923. The building survived both th ...

Shin-Marunouchi Building The , or ''New Inner Circle Building'', is a 198 m (650 ft) high-rise building in Chiyoda ward in Tokyo. The building was completed on April 19, 2007, and opened to the public on April 27, 2007. It is often called "Shin Maru Biru" for short. Ov ...

JP Tower The is a 195.7 m (642 ft) building with integrated retail and restaurant facilities located in front of the Marunouchi Exit of Tokyo Station in Chiyoda ward, Tokyo. The building was completed in May 2012 and was opened to the public on March 2 ...

Tokyo International Forum The is a multi-purpose exhibition center in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. The complex is generally considered to be in the Yūrakuchō business district, being adjacent to Yūrakuchō Station, but it is administratively in the Marunouchi district. Toky ...

Tokyo Imperial Palace is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in the Chiyoda, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda district of the Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda ward of Tokyo and contains several buildings including the where the Emperor h ...

* Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo

Hotels

* Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo

Stations

Other stations within walking distance of Tokyo station include the following. * Ōtemachi Station (

Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line The is a Rapid transit, subway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by Tokyo Metro. The line runs in a U-shape between Ogikubo Station in Suginami, Tokyo, Suginami and Ikebukuro Station in Toshima, Tokyo, Toshima, with a branch line between Nakano-Sa ...

Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line The is a subway line owned and operated by Tokyo Metro in Tokyo, Japan. On average, the line carries 1,447,730 passengers daily (2017), the second highest of the Tokyo Metro network, behind the Tozai Line (1,642,378).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 Pre ...

Tokyo Metro Hanzōmon Line The is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by Tokyo Metro. Overview The line serves the wards of Shibuya, Minato, Chiyoda, Chūō, Kōtō, and Sumida. Despite being shorter in length than nearly all other Tokyo subway lines, ...

Toei Mita Line The is a rapid transit, subway line of the municipal Toei Subway network in Tokyo, Japan. The line runs between Nishi-Takashimadaira Station, Nishi-Takashimadaira in Itabashi, Tokyo, Itabashi and Meguro Station, Meguro in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Shi ...

) * Hatchōbori Station (

Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line The is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by Tokyo Metro. The line was named after the Hibiya area in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda's Yurakucho district, under which it passes. On maps, diagrams and signboards, the line is shown using t ...

) *

Nihombashi Station is a subway station in the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo, Japan, jointly operated by Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei) and Tokyo Metro. Lines Nihombashi Station is served by the following lines. Station layout The Ginza Lin ...

(

Tokyo Metro Ginza Line The is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by Tokyo Metro. The official name is . It is long and serves the wards of Shibuya, Minato, Tokyo, Minato, Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, and Taitō, Tokyo, Taitō. It is the old ...

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 Pre ...

) *

Mitsukoshimae Station is a subway station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line and Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line, in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan, operated by Tokyo Metro. Lines Mitsukoshimae Station is served by the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line (station number G-12) and the Tokyo Metro Ha ...

(

) *

Shin-Nihombashi Station is a railway station in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Shin-Nihombashi Station is served by the Sōbu Line (Rapid). Passengers can transfer to the nearby Mitsukoshimae Station on the Tokyo Metro G ...

( Sōbu Line Rapid) *

Nijūbashimae Station , also known as is an underground railway station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, operated by Tokyo Metro. It is close to Nijubashi Bridge and the Tokyo Imperial Palace (though not as close as Sakuradamon Station). T ...

(

Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line The is a subway line owned and operated by Tokyo Metro in Tokyo, Japan. On average, the line carries 1,447,730 passengers daily (2017), the second highest of the Tokyo Metro network, behind the Tozai Line (1,642,378).Hibiya Station is a Tokyo subway station in the Yūrakuchō district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, operated by Tokyo Metro and Toei. The area around the station is generally called Hibiya, which is the southwestern corner of the Yūrakuchō district. Hibiya is T ...

(

Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line The is a subway line owned and operated by Tokyo Metro in Tokyo, Japan. On average, the line carries 1,447,730 passengers daily (2017), the second highest of the Tokyo Metro network, behind the Tozai Line (1,642,378).Toei Mita Line The is a rapid transit, subway line of the municipal Toei Subway network in Tokyo, Japan. The line runs between Nishi-Takashimadaira Station, Nishi-Takashimadaira in Itabashi, Tokyo, Itabashi and Meguro Station, Meguro in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Shi ...

) *

Yūrakuchō Station is a railway station in the Yūrakuchō district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and the Tokyo subway operator Tokyo Metro. It is Tokyo Metro's fifteenth busiest station in 2016. Lines Yūrakuchō is ...

(

, Keihin-Tōhoku Line,

Tokyo Metro Yūrakuchō Line The is a rapid transit, subway line in Japan owned and operated by Tokyo Metro. The line connects Wakōshi Station in Wakō, Saitama and Shin-Kiba Station in Kōtō, Tokyo. On maps, diagrams and signboards, the line is shown using the color "go ...

) * Ginza-itchōme Station (

) * Kyōbashi Station (

) * Takarachō Station (

)

Bus terminal

* Yaesu South Exit Highway Bus Terminal

Sister stations

Tokyo Station has "sister station" agreements with

in the Netherlands,

Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal station, terminal located at 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York Ci ...

in New York, USA,

Beijing railway station Beijing railway station, or simply Beijing station, is a passenger railway station in Dongcheng District, Beijing. The station is located just southeast of the city centre inside the Second Ring Road with Beijing Station Street to the north an ...

in China, Hsinchu Station in Taiwan, and

Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof, also called Frankfurt Central Station and Frankfurt Main Station, is the busiest train station in the German state of Hesse. Due to its location near the middle of Germany and usage as a transport hub for long an ...

in Germany.

References

External links

JR East map of Tokyo Station

Tokyo Station (JR East)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tokyo Station Railway stations in Japan opened in 1914 Buildings and structures in Chiyoda, Tokyo Buildings and structures in Japan destroyed during World War II Hokuriku Shinkansen Jōetsu Shinkansen Keihin-Tōhoku Line Keiyō Line Marunouchi Rebuilt buildings and structures in Japan Sōbu Main Line Stations of Tokyo Metro Tōkaidō Main Line Tōkaidō Shinkansen Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line Yamanote Line Railway stations in Tokyo