Sannomiya Station (JR West)
Encyclopedia
is a train station located in Nunobiki-chō, Chūō Ward
, Kobe
, Hyōgo Prefecture
, and is operated by the West Japan Railway Company
. The station is on the JR Kobe Line
which runs between Osaka Station
and Himeji Station
; part of the Tōkaidō Main Line
. As a part of the JR West Urban Network, the following cards are accepted: J-Thru Card, ICOCA
, Suica
, PiTaPa
, TOICA
, and SUGOCA
.
Sannomiya Station is the main terminal for Kobe. Just to the east is where Kobe Station was established. At the beginning of the Meiji period
, the heart of downtown was in that area. However, after Kobe opened a port for foreign trade, and continuing with the post World War II reconstruction and expansion of commercial areas, as well as moving Kobe City Hall to the Sannomiya area
, the district soon became the new city center.
Even at the present time, Kobe Station is still the representative station of Kobe. For example, in relation to the calculation of Shinkansen
fares, Sannomiya Station isn't the closest of the old network train stations. On the other hand, the number of passengers using Sannomiya Station is greater than that of Kobe Station. Also, the Kobe Terminal for highway buses is in front of Sannomiya Station, not Kobe Station. Likewise, there are more Limited Express Trains, including overnight trains, which stop at Sannomiya Station than at Kobe Station.
, Sannomiya Station is of the island type, with two above-ground platforms which service four tracks. The inner tracks, Nos. 2 and 3, are for Local and Rapid service trains. On the outside tracks, Nos. 1 and 4, Rapid Service, Special Rapid Service and other Limited Express trains stop. Freight trains also pass on these tracks.
Track Nos. 1 and 4 are capable of accommodating a maximum fifteen car train, while Track Nos. 2 and 3 are limited to twelve cars.
The distance to the adjacent Motomachi Station
is the shortest anywhere on the JR Kobe Line.
, Hanshin Sannomiya Station (阪神三宮駅)
and Kōbe Municipal Subway Sannomiya Station (神戸市営地下鉄三宮駅)
.
Rapid Service trains arriving at and departing from Track 4 in the evening do not stop at three stations: , and .
All of the lines below, and their representative stations, are adjacent to JR Sannomiya Station, or are in adjoining buildings, or can be accessed by the underground shopping center, Santica (さんちか).
.
Chuo-ku, Kobe
is one of 9 wards of Kobe City in Japan. It has an area of 28.37 km², and a population of 119,768 .The Consulate-General of Panama in Kobe is located on the eighth floor of the Moriyama Building in Chūō-ku.-Related matters:*Port of Kobe*Port Island...
, Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, Hyōgo Prefecture
Hyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
, and is operated by the West Japan Railway Company
West Japan Railway Company
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group companies and operates in western Honshū. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka.-History:...
. The station is on the JR Kobe Line
JR Kobe Line
The is the nickname of portions of the Tōkaidō Main Line and the Sanyō Main Line, between Osaka Station in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture and Himeji Station in Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture...
which runs between Osaka Station
Osaka Station
is a station on the West Japan Railway Company located in the Umeda district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan. It is the city's main rail terminal in the north....
and Himeji Station
Himeji Station
on the West Japan Railway Company is located in the heart of Himeji, Japan. Himeji is a major stop on the Sanyō Main Line, and the western end of the JR Kobe Line...
; part of the Tōkaidō Main Line
Tokaido Main Line
The is the busiest trunk line of the Japan Railways Group , connecting Tōkyō and Kōbe stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities...
. As a part of the JR West Urban Network, the following cards are accepted: J-Thru Card, ICOCA
ICOCA
The card is a rechargeable contactless smart card used on JR West rail network in Japan. The card was launched on November 1, 2003 for usage on the Urban Network, which encompasses the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe...
, Suica
Suica
is a rechargeable contactless smart card used as a fare card on train lines in Japan. Launched in November 2001, the card is usable currently in the Kantō region, at JR East stations near Sendai and Niigata...
, PiTaPa
PiTaPa
is a contactless smart card ticketing and electronic money system used in the Kansai region of Japan. The name PiTaPa is an acronym of "Postpay IC for Touch and Pay"...
, TOICA
TOICA
is a rechargeable contactless smart card ticketing system for JR Central railway network which was introduced in the Chūkyō Area of Japan on November 25, 2006.The name is an acronym for Tōkai IC Card...
, and SUGOCA
SUGOCA
is a Japanese rechargeable contactless smart card ticketing system for public transport in Fukuoka Prefecture and environs. The Kyūshū Railway Company introduced the system on 1 March 2009...
.
Sannomiya Station is the main terminal for Kobe. Just to the east is where Kobe Station was established. At the beginning of the Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
, the heart of downtown was in that area. However, after Kobe opened a port for foreign trade, and continuing with the post World War II reconstruction and expansion of commercial areas, as well as moving Kobe City Hall to the Sannomiya area
Sannomiya
is a district of Chūō-ku, Kobe, Japan. Today, it is the biggest downtown area in the city.Before the 1920s, Sannomiya was just an edge of the city. The major downtowns were Motomachi and Shinkaichi, which are west of Sannomiya...
, the district soon became the new city center.
Even at the present time, Kobe Station is still the representative station of Kobe. For example, in relation to the calculation of Shinkansen
Shinkansen
The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
fares, Sannomiya Station isn't the closest of the old network train stations. On the other hand, the number of passengers using Sannomiya Station is greater than that of Kobe Station. Also, the Kobe Terminal for highway buses is in front of Sannomiya Station, not Kobe Station. Likewise, there are more Limited Express Trains, including overnight trains, which stop at Sannomiya Station than at Kobe Station.
Station Placement
Most of the JR Kōbe Line runs on , meaning that there are two tracks for each direction. Similar to other stations such as Nishinomiya StationNishinomiya Station (JR West)
is a train station located in Ikeda-chō , Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, Japan operated by the West Japan Railway Company . The station is on the JR Kobe Line which runs between Osaka Station and Himeji Station; part of the main Tōkaidō Line...
, Sannomiya Station is of the island type, with two above-ground platforms which service four tracks. The inner tracks, Nos. 2 and 3, are for Local and Rapid service trains. On the outside tracks, Nos. 1 and 4, Rapid Service, Special Rapid Service and other Limited Express trains stop. Freight trains also pass on these tracks.
Track Nos. 1 and 4 are capable of accommodating a maximum fifteen car train, while Track Nos. 2 and 3 are limited to twelve cars.
The distance to the adjacent Motomachi Station
Motomachi Station (Hyogo)
is a railway station in Motomachi, Chūō-ku, Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.It is one of the main stations serving the central business district of Kobe...
is the shortest anywhere on the JR Kobe Line.
Gates
The station has a total of three ticket gates. Access is via the East, Central and West entrances. The West exit provides direct access to Hankyū Sannomiya Station (阪急三宮駅)Sannomiya Station
is located in the heart of Kobe, Japan. This station is the main railway terminal of Kobe.- Lines :*Hanshin Electric Railway *Hankyu Railway *Kobe Municipal Subway...
, Hanshin Sannomiya Station (阪神三宮駅)
Sannomiya Station
is located in the heart of Kobe, Japan. This station is the main railway terminal of Kobe.- Lines :*Hanshin Electric Railway *Hankyu Railway *Kobe Municipal Subway...
and Kōbe Municipal Subway Sannomiya Station (神戸市営地下鉄三宮駅)
Sannomiya Station
is located in the heart of Kobe, Japan. This station is the main railway terminal of Kobe.- Lines :*Hanshin Electric Railway *Hankyu Railway *Kobe Municipal Subway...
.
Ticket Office
Sannomiya Station has a Midori-no-Madoguchi (みどりの窓口), which is the JR ticket office. It is open everyday from the first train until 23:00.Train Platforms
| 1 | ■JR Kōbe Line | Rapid/Special Rapid Service for , and ■Overnight Limited Express "Sunrise Seto/Izumo" Sunrise Izumo/Sunrise Seto The and are two overnight train services that connect Tokyo and cities in the western part of Japan. They are operated jointly by Central Japan Railway Company and West Japan Railway Company .-Operation:... for and ■Limited Express "Super Hakuto", "Hamakaze" for Osaka and Kyōto |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | ■JR Kōbe Line | Local/Rapid Service for , and Local for |
| 3 | ■JR Kōbe Line | Local/Rapid Service for and |
| 4 | ■JR Kōbe Line | Rapid/Special Rapid Service for and ■Chizu Express Chizu Express The ' is a Japanese third-sector semi-public railway that connects Hyōgo, Okayama and Tottori prefectures. The Chizu Line is not electrified, but is a high-grade railroad, and runs a total of 56.1 kilometers... Chizu Line Limited Express "Super Hakuto" for and ■Bantan Line Bantan Line The is a railway line that runs between Himeji and Asago in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The line is operated by the West Japan Railway Company and serves as a connector between the Sanyo Main Line and the Sanin Main Line... Limited Express "Hamakaze" for , and |
Rapid Service trains arriving at and departing from Track 4 in the evening do not stop at three stations: , and .
Adjacent stations
Transfer To
- JR WestWest Japan Railway Company, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group companies and operates in western Honshū. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka.-History:...
- Sanyō ShinkansenSanyō ShinkansenThe is a line of the Japanese Shinkansen high-speed rail network, connecting Shin-Ōsaka in Osaka with Hakata Station in Fukuoka, the two largest cities in western Japan...
- Access to the Shin-Kobe StationShin-Kobe Stationis a train station located on the Sanyō Shinkansen line serving the city of Kobe, Japan and the surrounding area. It is located to the north of Kobe city centre, at the foot of Mount Rokkō. The Shinkansen trains mostly run inside tunnels under the mountains in this area...
is via Kobe Municipal Subway Seishin-Yamate Line. After arriving at Sannomiya Station, transfer to the subway line and get off at Shin-Kobe Station. An addition fare is required. - Many passengers find it easier to board the Shinkansen at Shin-ŌsakaShin-Osaka Stationis a train station in Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, Japan. It is the western terminus of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, and the eastern terminus of the Sanyō Shinkansen. The lines are physically joined, and many trains offer through service....
because all passenger lines are accessible in one station.
All of the lines below, and their representative stations, are adjacent to JR Sannomiya Station, or are in adjoining buildings, or can be accessed by the underground shopping center, Santica (さんちか).
- Hankyū RailwayHankyu Railwayis a Japanese private railway that provides commuter and interurban service to the northern Kansai region and is one of major businesses operated by Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc. The railway's main terminal is at Umeda Station in Osaka...
- Hankyū Kōbe LineHankyu Kobe LineThe of Hankyu Railway is one of the three major commuter heavy rail line in the Keihanshin conurbation of Japan. It links the urban centres of Osaka and Kobe by connecting the major stations of Umeda in Osaka and Sannomiya in Kobe....
- Hanshin Electric RailwayHanshin Electric Railwayis a Japanese private railway company of Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group that links Osaka and Kobe. It also owns the Hanshin Tigers baseball team.The second character for Osaka and the first character for Kobe combine to form the company name, 阪神, which can be read Han-shin.IC cards are accepted when...
- Hanshin Main Line
- Kobe Rapid Transit Railway
- Tōzai LineTozai Line (Kobe)The Tōzai Line is one of two lines of Kobe Rapid Transit Railway, and operated by Hanshin Railway and Hankyu Railway. Trains from Hanshin, Hankyu and Sanyo railways enter this line....
- Kobe New TransitKobe New Transitis the third-sector semipublic company that runs Port Island Line and Rokkō Island Line automated guideway transit systems in Kobe, Japan...
- Port Liner
- Kobe Municipal SubwayKobe Municipal Subwayis the subway of Kobe. It has two lines.-Lines:- External links :****...
- Seishin-Yamate LineSeishin-Yamate LineThe is one of two lines of Kobe Municipal Subway that links the central district and suburbs of Kobe. It is sometimes called U-Line after its shape on maps.-Stations on the Seishin-Yamate Line:- Rolling stock :* 1000 series...
- Kaigan LineKaigan LineThe is one of two lines of Kobe Municipal Subway . Trains of the line are propelled by linear motors.-Stations on the Kaigan Line:- Rolling stock :* 5000 series All trains are based at Misaki-Kōen Depot....
(Sannomiya-Hanadokeimae StationSannomiya-Hanadokeimae Stationis one of the termini on the Kobe Municipal Subway Kaigan Line in Chūō-ku, Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.-Connections:Sannomiya Station *JR West Tokaido Line Sannomiya Station *Hanshin Railway Main Line...
)
Area Around the Station
The area around Sannomiya Station is the largest business and shopping district in Kōbe City.- Kobe Shimbun Kaikan (M-INT Kōbe)
- Sannomiya Bus Terminal (M1 - M11)
- JR Sannomiya Terminal Hotel
- bus stops (M12 - M14)
- Kobe Central Post Office Sannomiya Station Branch (Postal Services Only)
- Yūcho ATM (Post Office ATM)
- Shinki Bus Sannomiya Bus Terminal (M15)
- DaieiDaiei, based in Kobe, is one of the largest supermarket chains in Japan. In 1957, Isao Nakauchi founded the chain in Osaka near Sembayashi Station on the Keihan train line. Daiei is now under a restructuring process supported by Marubeni Corporation and ÆON Co., Ltd., another Japanese supermarket chain....
Sannomiya Ekimae - SogoSogoSogo Co., Ltd. is a department store chain that operates an extensive network of branches in Japan. It once owned stores in locations as diverse as Beijing in China, Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, Taipei in Taiwan, Jakarta, Medan, Bandung & Surabaya in Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Singapore,...
Kōbe- bus stops (Y1 - Y5)
- transit bus southbound stops (Hanshin-mae) (Y6, Y7)
- Sannomiya Chikagai (Santica)
- Kōbe Kōtsū Center Building
- Minato Bank Sannomiya Branch
- airport limousine for Osaka International AirportOsaka International Airportor Osaka-Itami International Airport is the primary domestic airport for the Kansai region of Japan, including the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It is classified as a first class airport....
and Kansai International AirportKansai International Airportis an international airport located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay, southwest of Ōsaka Station, located within three municipalities, including Izumisano , Sennan , and Tajiri , in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The airport is off the Honshu shore. The airport serves as an...
(S1) - transit bus stop (Sannomiyacho Itchome) (S2)
- Kōbe Marui
- Tokyu HandsTokyu HandsNote: Tokyu Department Store is a different department store run by the same company Tokyu Group.Tokyu Hands Inc., known as , is a Japanese department store. Tokyu Hands is part of the Tokyu Group, its first store opened in Shibuya, Tokyo in 1976...
Sannomiya - Ikuta ShrineIkuta Shrine' is a Shinto shrine in the Chūō Ward of Kobe, Japan, and is possibly among the oldest shrines in the country.According to Nihon Shoki, it was founded by the Empress Jingū at the beginning of the 3rd century AD to enshrine the kami Wakahirume, and was used as the base for a festival welcoming...
- Sannomiya OPA
- Kōbe City Hall
- Mizuho BankMizuho Bankis the core retail banking unit of Mizuho Financial Group, which is the second-largest financial services company in Japan and one of the three so-called Japanese "megabanks"...
Kōbe Branch・Kōbe Central Branch - Sumitomo Mitsui Banking CorporationSumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporationis a Japanese bank based in Yurakucho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is a member of the Sumitomo Group and Mitsui Group. As of the year 2009, SMBC was the second largest bank in Japan in terms of assets.-History:...
Sannomiya Branch - The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJThe Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJis the largest bank in Japan, which was established on January 1, 2006, with the merger of the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Ltd. and UFJ Bank Ltd. The bank serves as the core retail and commercial banking arm of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group....
Sannomiya Branch - Sannomiya Center Gai
- transit bus northbound stops (Hanshin-mae) (S3 - S6)
- Japan National Route 2
- Hyōgo Prefectural Route 21
- Flower Road / Hyōgo Prefectural Route 30
- transit bus northbound stops (Subway Sannomiya) (N1 - N3)
- transit bus southbound stops (Subway Sannomiya) (N4 - N8)
Ridership
On the first day of fiscal year 2005, 115,115 people boarded trains at Sannomiya Station, ranking fourth among JR West stations.History
- May 11, 1874: Passenger service begins between Ōsaka Station and Kōbe Station. At the same time, Sannomiya Station opens for passenger service.
- May 1, 1918: Freight and cargo services moved to Kōbekō Station, and were no longer handled at Sannomiya Station.
- October 10, 1931: During the change from ground level platforms to overhead platforms, Sannomiya Station was moved from where the current Motomachi Station is to where the station is now.
- Sogo and other large businesses were moving to the area around the current Sannomiya Station. That area was being developed to be the new center of the city, so it was decided that a new station would be built in that area. The new station built was given the name Sannomiya Station. After the relocation, the former station was reopened in 1934 as Motomachi Station.
- April 1, 1987 - With the breaking up of Japanese National RailwaysJapanese National Railways, abbreviated or "JNR", was the national railway network of Japan from 1949 to 1987.-History:The term Kokuyū Tetsudō "state-owned railway" originally referred to a network of railway lines operated by nationalized companies under the control of the Railway Institute following the nationalization...
into separate individual business units, Sannomiya Station began operating under the West Japan Railway Company. - January 17, 1995: Due to the Great Hanshin earthquakeGreat Hanshin earthquakeThe Great Hanshin earthquake, or Kobe earthquake, was an earthquake that occurred on Tuesday, January 17, 1995, at 05:46 JST in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It measured 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale , and Mj7.3 on JMA magnitude scale. The tremors lasted for approximately 20...
, all traffic ceased. - February 20, 1995: Service between Nada StationNada Stationis a railway station on the JR Kōbe Line in Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, between Sannomiya Station and Rokkōmichi Station...
and Kobe Station resumed. At that point, part of the platform directly above Flower Road remained removed, so passengers were able to use only the Central and East Entrances. The West Entrance reopened at the end of June.
- The name of the area, as well as the station's name, originates from Sannomiya Shrine. Until 1931, Sannomiya Station occupied the place where the modern day Motomachi Station has been established. Motomachi Station is now the closest station to Sannomiya Jinja, however, when the new Sannomiya Station was built, the name went with it.
- All of the other transportation facilities in Sannomiya are written in Japanese as 三宮, without the KatakanaKatakanais a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin alphabet . The word katakana means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana scripts are derived from components of more complex kanji. Each kana represents one mora...
character "ノNo (kana)の, in hiragana, or ノ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. In the gojūon system of ordering of Japanese syllables, it occupies the 25th position, between ね and は . It occupies the 26th position in the iroha ordering...
". Only JR includes it in the name, written as 三ノ宮駅. It is thought the reason it was included was to prevent people traveling from other parts of the country from misreading the name. The characters of the station's name can be read many different ways. Now, the difference in the name has actually become helpful to travelers. In similar fashion, when Nishinomiya Station opened on the same day, the character "ノ" was also displayed in that station's name. However, for many years, the city of NishinomiyaNishinomiya, Hyogois a city located in Hyōgo, Japan, between the cities of Ōsaka and Kōbe. On April 1, 2005, the city of Nishinomiya celebrated its 80th anniversary. It is best known as the home of Kōshien Stadium, where the Hanshin Tigers baseball team plays home games and where Japan's annual high school baseball...
requested the name be changed to match the city's name. On March 18, 2007, in coordination with the opening of Sakura Shukugawa StationSakura Shukugawa Stationis a train station located in Kagura-chō , Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, and is operated by the West Japan Railway Company. The station is on the JR Kobe Line which runs between Osaka Station and Himeji Station; part of the Tōkaidō Main Line. The station was built between two existing JR...
, the name was changed. However, in the case of Sannomiya Station, while the cost of changing all of the signage in the city would certainly be costly, it remains that there has been no request or demand for the name to be changed. - In the past, Blue Trains (overnight trains with non-sleeper passenger cars) leaving Tokyo StationTokyo Stationis a train station located in the Marunouchi business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, near the Imperial Palace grounds and the Ginza commercial district....
would stop at Sannomiya Station. However, the last of the Blue Trains that stopped, the FujiFuji (train)The was a sleeper train operating between Tokyo and Ōita in Japan. Operated by the Kyushu Railway Company and classified as a limited express service, it was discontinued from the start of the revised timetable on 14 March 2009.-Route:...
, was merged with the HayabusaHayabusa (train)The is a new high-speed Shinkansen service operated by East Japan Railway Company between Tokyo and in Japan since 5 March 2011. The name was formerly used for a limited express sleeping car service operated by JR Kyushu, which ran from Tokyo to , and was discontinued in March 2009.-Service...
in the route/time-table revision on March 1, 2005, and no longer stops. During the time that the Fuji did stop at Sannomiya Station, the next stop was (present day Shin-Yamaguchi StationShin-Yamaguchi Stationis a station operated by West Japan Railway Company in Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi, and is a stopping point for the Sanyō Shinkansen and the Sanyō Main Line, and serves as termini of Yamaguchi Line and Ube Line...
).
Golden Bell Plaza
Near the Central Ticket Gate, is a place with golden bells suspended from the ceiling. This area is called the Golden Bell Plaza. Similar to the Silver Bell Meeting Area at Tōkyō Station, the Golden Bell Plaza is intended to be a familiar place to everyone and a convenient place to meet. The bells were a donation from the Kōbe Central Lions ClubLions Clubs International
Lions Clubs International is a secular service organization with over 44,500 clubs and more than 1,368,683 members in 191 countries around the world founded by Melvin Jones Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States, the organization aims to meet the needs of communities on a local and...
.
Other information
- During the fourth and final year of the railway event "Selection of One Hundred Kinki Stations (近畿の駅百選)," a four year event held to commemorate Railway Day (October 14), JR Sannomiya Station was selected as one of the stations to be honored as a station that represents the Kinki Area.
- In the story, Grave of the FirefliesGrave of the Firefliesis a 1988 Japanese animated war tragedy film written and directed by Isao Takahata. This is the first film produced by Shinchosha, who hired Studio Ghibli to do the animation production work...
, the protagonist, Seita, dies at Sannomiya Station.