(Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
The JR Yamanote Line is arguably one of Tokyo’s most important train lines. On Nov. 1, the green line that circles the heart of the city turns 100.
Stopping at 30 stations including Tokyo, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro, Ueno and Shinagawa, the Yamanote transports an estimated 970,000 passengers daily.
You can hit virtually all of the capital city’s main attractions via the Yamanote Line and it is a guiding post if you get lost as it operates clockwise and counterclockwise, stopping at each station within minutes of the last.
History of the Yamanote
Back in 1885, the Yamanote Line was originally constructed as a single line between Shinagawa and Akabane Stations in 1885. With repeated extensions and evolutions, the line finally became a 34.5-kilometer-long rail loop when an elevated railroad connected the Ueno-Tokyo section on Nov. 1, 1925.
Today, a line train on the rail loop, either clockwise (sotomawari) or counterclockwise (uchimawarai), completes the 34.5-kilometer-long course in one hour.
Centennial celebration
To mark the special occasion, rail company JR East is running “Tsunagaru Yamanotesen Fes” or “Let’s get connected with Yamanote Line” Festival.
Through Nov. 3, two Yamanote trains will be wrapped to look like previous 103 (ran from 1963 to 88) and 205-series (ran from 1985 to 2005) Yamanote trains of the past.
The two wrapped trains have a 100th anniversary logo installed on the front and run along the loop less than 10 times a day, according to a JR East official. (Run times of these special trains vary by day and time).
A stamp rally at Tokyo, Ueno, Sugamo, Shinjuku, Harajuku and Takanawa Gateway is also ongoing throughout the period. Check out the JR East website for more information about the festival.
Why not hop on a Tokyo green train this autumn to celebrate the centennial anniversary of Tokyo’s signature rail line loop?
Learn more about the Yamanote Line and its 30 stations at Stripes Japan article https://japan.stripes.com/travel/getting-around-tokyo-on-the-yamanote-line.html
(Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
Tsunagaru Yamanote Line Fes (Let’s get connected with Yamanote Line Festival)
https://www.jreast.co.jp/tokyomovinground/exhibition/yamafes/
AloJapan.com