Shinjuku Station
Encyclopedia
is a train station
located in Shinjuku
and Shibuya
wards in Tokyo
, Japan
.
Serving as the main connecting hub for rail traffic between central Tokyo and its western suburbs on inter-city rail
, commuter rail and metro
lines, the station was used by an average of 3.64 million people per day in 2007, making it the busiest train station in the world in terms of number of passengers. (For the exact number, see the discussion below.) It is registered with Guinness World Records
. Including an underground arcade, there are well over 200 exits.
The station is centered around facilities servicing the East Japan Railway Company
(JR East) lines. These consist of 7 ground level island platform
s (14 tracks) on a north-south axis, connected by two overhead and two underground concourses. Most JR services here are urban and suburban mass transit lines, although JR's long-distance express services to Kōfu and Matsumoto
on the Chūō Main Line
, Narita Express
to Narita Airport, and joint operations with Tobu Railway
to Nikkō and Kinugawa Onsen also use this station.
The JR section alone handles an average of 1.5 million passengers a day.
city to the west.
subway line and the Keiō New Line consist of 2 platforms stretching east-west 5 floors beneath Kōshū Kaidō avenue to the southwest of the JR section. The concourse is managed by Keio Electric Railway but is in a separate location to the main Keiō platforms. Further south (and deeper underground) are the 2 north-to-south Toei Ōedo subway line platforms.
's two Marunouchi Line underground platforms stretch east-west to the north of the JR and Odakyu facilities, directly below the Metro Promenade underground mall.
Many department stores and shopping malls are built directly into the station. These include
In addition to the above, the Metro Promenade, which is an underground mall owned by Tokyo Metro, extends eastwards from the station beneath Shinjuku-dori avenue, all the way to the adjacent Shinjuku-sanchōme station with 60 exits along the way. The Metro Promenade in turn connects to Shinjuku Subnade, another underground shopping mall, which leads onto Seibu Railway
's Seibu-Shinjuku station.
Shinjuku Station is connected by underground passageways and shopping malls to:
Nearby non-connected stations (within 500 meters of an underground passageway or station) include:
). Shinjuku was still a quiet community at the time and the station was not heavily trafficked at first. The opening of the Chūō Line (1889), Keiō Line (1915) and Odakyū Line (1923) led to increasing traffic through the station. Subway service began in 1959.
In August 1967, a freight train carrying jet fuel
bound for the U.S. air base in Tachikawa
derailed and caught fire on the Chūō Rapid tracks.
The station was a major site for student protests in 1968 and 1969, the height of civil unrest in postwar Japan. On October 21, 1968, 290,000 marchers participated in International Anti-War Day taking over Shinjuku station and forcing trains to stop.
There have been plans at various points in history to connect Shinjuku into the Shinkansen
network, and the 1973 Shinkansen Basic Plan, still in force, specifies that the station should be the southern terminus of the Jōetsu Shinkansen
line to Niigata
. While construction of the Ōmiya
-Shinjuku link never started and the Jōetsu line presently terminates in Tokyo Station
, the right of way, including an area underneath the station, remains reserved.
On May 5, 1995, the Aum Shinrikyo
doomsday cult
attempted a chemical terrorist attack by setting off a cyanide gas device in a toilet in the underground concourse, barely a month after the gas attack on the Tokyo subway
which killed 12 and injured thousands. This time the attack was thwarted by staff who extinguished the burning device.
(presently JR) station. The terminal was first named and was on the street near the Isetan
department store. In 1927, the station was moved from the street to a newly-built terminal adjacent to the original station. The station building housed a department store. The station name was changed to in 1930 and again to in 1937.
The tracks from the terminal were on the Kōshū Kaidō
highway, which crosses the Yamanote Line and the Chūō Line in front of the south entrance of Shinjuku Station by a bridge. The Keiō Line had a station for the access to Shinjuku Station, named and renamed in 1937 .
In July 1945, the terminal of the Keiō Line was relocated to the present location, though on the ground level, on the west side of Shinjuku Station. Keiō Shinjuku Station and Shōsen Shinjuku Ekimae Station were closed. This was because the trains faced difficulty in climbing up the slopes of the bridge over the governmental railway after one of the nearby transformer substations was destroyed by an air raid
. The site of Keiō Shinjuku Station near Shinjuku-Sanchōme subway station
is now occupied by two buildings owned by Keiō: Keiō Shinjuku Sanchōme Building and Keiō Shinjuku Oiwake Building.
!colspan=5|East Japan Railway Company
|-
!colspan=5|Odakyu Electric Railway
|-
!colspan=5|Keio Corporation
|-
!colspan=5|Subway lines
(*1)Only Chūō Special Rapid starting Shinjuku
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
located in Shinjuku
Shinjuku, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the government of Tokyo.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population...
and Shibuya
Shibuya, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008, it has an estimated population of 208,371 and a population density of 13,540 persons per km². The total area is 15.11 km²....
wards in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Serving as the main connecting hub for rail traffic between central Tokyo and its western suburbs on inter-city rail
Inter-city rail
Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that cover longer distances than commuter or regional trains.There is no precise definition of inter-city rail. Its meaning may vary from country to country...
, commuter rail and metro
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
lines, the station was used by an average of 3.64 million people per day in 2007, making it the busiest train station in the world in terms of number of passengers. (For the exact number, see the discussion below.) It is registered with Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
. Including an underground arcade, there are well over 200 exits.
Lines
Shinjuku is served by the following railway systems:- JR-EastEast Japan Railway Companyis the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
:- Yamanote LineYamanote LineThe is commuter rail loop line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company . It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban centres, including the Yūrakuchō/Ginza area, Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro, with all but two of its...
- Chūō Main LineChuo Main LineThe , commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the major trunk railway lines in Japan. It runs between Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest direct railway connection between the two cities; the coastal Tōkaidō Main Line is slightly faster, while the Tōkaidō Shinkansen is the fastest rail...
(Limited Express) - Chūō Rapid Line
- Chūō-Sōbu LineChuo-Sobu LineThe is a railway line located in Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company network, it runs on separate tracks along the right-of-way of the Chūō Main Line and Sōbu Main Line , providing service between Mitaka Station in the cities of Mitaka and Musashino and...
- Shōnan-Shinjuku LineShonan-Shinjuku LineThe is a passenger railway service in Japan which commenced in December 2001. The line has no dedicated track as services run through shared sections along the Ryōmō Line, Takasaki Line, Utsunomiya Line, Yamanote Freight Line, Yokosuka Line, and Tōkaidō Main Line...
- Saikyō LineSaikyo LineThe is a railway line between Ōsaki Station in Shinagawa, Tokyo, and Ōmiya Station in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It is a part of the East Japan Railway Company network...
- Yamanote Line
- Odakyu Electric RailwayOdakyu Electric Railway, or OER, is a major railway company based in Tokyo, Japan best known for its Romancecar series of limited express trains from Tokyo to Odawara, Enoshima, Tama New Town, and Hakone....
:
- Keio Corporation:
- Keiō Line
- Keiō New LineKeio New LineThe is a 3.6 km link which connects Keio Corporation's Keiō Line from Sasazuka Station in Shibuya to Shinjuku Station with through service on to the Shinjuku Line of the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation.-Synopsis:...
- Tokyo MetroTokyo Metrois one of two rapid transit systems making up the Tokyo subway system, the other being Toei. It is the most used subway system in the world in terms of annual passenger rides.-Organization:...
:
- Toei SubwayTokyo Metropolitan Bureau of TransportationThe is Tokyo's public transportation authority. Its subway lines are commonly described as 都営 Toei, meaning "operated by the metropolitan government ." It is one of two rapid transit systems making up the Tokyo subway system, the other being Tokyo Metro.-Toei Subway:The lines were originally...
:- Toei Shinjuku LineToei Shinjuku LineThe is a subway line in Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation . The line runs between Motoyawata Station in Ichikawa, Chiba in the east and Shinjuku Station in the west...
- Toei Ōedo LineToei Oedo LineThe is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation . It commenced full operations on December 12, 2000; using the Japanese calendar this reads "12/12/12" as the year 2000 equals Heisei 12...
- Toei Shinjuku Line
JR
East Japan Railway Company
is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
(JR East) lines. These consist of 7 ground level island platform
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
s (14 tracks) on a north-south axis, connected by two overhead and two underground concourses. Most JR services here are urban and suburban mass transit lines, although JR's long-distance express services to Kōfu and Matsumoto
Matsumoto
Matsumoto is the 16th most common Japanese surname and the name of a city in Nagano Prefecture.-People:* Chizuo Matsumoto, a.k.a...
on the Chūō Main Line
Chuo Main Line
The , commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the major trunk railway lines in Japan. It runs between Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest direct railway connection between the two cities; the coastal Tōkaidō Main Line is slightly faster, while the Tōkaidō Shinkansen is the fastest rail...
, Narita Express
Narita Express
, abbreviated as N'EX, is a limited express train service operated since 1991 by East Japan Railway Company , serving Narita International Airport from various Greater Tokyo Area stations. Services are approximately half-hourly in the mornings and evenings, and hourly through the middle of the day...
to Narita Airport, and joint operations with Tobu Railway
Tobu Railway
is a Japanese commuter railway company in the Greater Tokyo Area as well as an intercity and regional operator in the Kantō region. It operates in Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Tochigi, and Gunma Prefectures...
to Nikkō and Kinugawa Onsen also use this station.
The JR section alone handles an average of 1.5 million passengers a day.
Odakyū
The terminus for the private Odakyu Odawara Line is parallel to the JR platforms on the west side, and handles an average of 490,000 passengers daily. This is a major commuter route stretching southwest through the suburbs and out towards the coastal city of Odawara and the mountains of Hakone. The 10 platforms are built on two levels beneath the Odakyu department store; 3 express service tracks (6 platforms) on the ground level and 2 tracks (4 platforms) on the level below. Each track has platforms on both sides in order to completely separate boarding and alighting passengers.Ground level
Underground level
Keio
The Keiō Line's concourse is located to the west of the Odakyū line concourse, two floors below ground level under Keiō department store. It now consists of 3 platforms stretching north to south. Approximately 720,000 passengers use this section daily, which makes it the busiest amongst the privately owned (i.e. non-JR) railways of Japan. This suburban commuter line links Shinjuku to HachiōjiHachioji, Tokyo
is a city located in Tokyo, Japan, about 40 kilometers west of the center of the special wards of Tokyo.As of January 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 551,901 and a population density of 2,962.27/km². The total area is 186.31 km². It is the eighth largest city in the...
city to the west.
Toei Subway
The shared facilities for the Toei ShinjukuTokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation
The is Tokyo's public transportation authority. Its subway lines are commonly described as 都営 Toei, meaning "operated by the metropolitan government ." It is one of two rapid transit systems making up the Tokyo subway system, the other being Tokyo Metro.-Toei Subway:The lines were originally...
subway line and the Keiō New Line consist of 2 platforms stretching east-west 5 floors beneath Kōshū Kaidō avenue to the southwest of the JR section. The concourse is managed by Keio Electric Railway but is in a separate location to the main Keiō platforms. Further south (and deeper underground) are the 2 north-to-south Toei Ōedo subway line platforms.
Toei Shinjuku Line & Keiō New Line
Toei Ōedo Line
Tokyo Metro
Tokyo MetroTokyo Metro
is one of two rapid transit systems making up the Tokyo subway system, the other being Toei. It is the most used subway system in the world in terms of annual passenger rides.-Organization:...
's two Marunouchi Line underground platforms stretch east-west to the north of the JR and Odakyu facilities, directly below the Metro Promenade underground mall.
Commercial facilities
- Lumine Est - above JR's east exit
- Odakyu department store - above the Odakyu line concourse
- Odakyu Mylord - above the southern end of Odakyu line concourse
- LUMINE 1 shopping mall - above the Keiō Line concourse
- LUMINE 2 shopping mall - above JR's south and Lumine exits
- Keio Department store - above the Keiō Line concourse
- Keio Mall - underground mall to the southwest of the Keiō Line concourse
- Odakyu Ace - underground malls beneath the bus terminal by the west exit.
In addition to the above, the Metro Promenade, which is an underground mall owned by Tokyo Metro, extends eastwards from the station beneath Shinjuku-dori avenue, all the way to the adjacent Shinjuku-sanchōme station with 60 exits along the way. The Metro Promenade in turn connects to Shinjuku Subnade, another underground shopping mall, which leads onto Seibu Railway
Seibu Railway
is a conglomerate based in Tokorozawa, 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 abbreviation of "west Musashi," referring to the historic name for this area...
's Seibu-Shinjuku station.
Shinjuku Station is connected by underground passageways and shopping malls to:
- Nishi-Shinjuku StationNishi-Shinjuku Stationis a Tokyo Metro station in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. This underground station which became available in 1992 has an alternate name of .- Station layout :2 side platforms and 2 tracks.- Surroundings :* Tokyo Medical University Hospital...
(Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line) - Seibu Shinjuku StationSeibu Shinjuku Stationthumb|Platforms is a train station of the Seibu Railway Company located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.-Lines:The station is served by the following line:*Seibu Railway Company**Shinjuku Line -Surrounding area:...
(Seibu Shinjuku Line) - Shinjuku-nishiguchi StationShinjuku-Nishiguchi Stationis a train station on the Toei Ōedo Line, a subway line in Tokyo, Japan. It is operated by the Toei.-Station surroundings:Shinjuku Nishiguchi Station is essentially a satellite station to Shinjuku. Its location is at the North-West area of Shinjuku Station. The name "Nishiguchi" is translated...
(Toei Ōedo Line) - Shinjuku-sanchōme StationShinjuku-sanchome Stationis a metro station in Shinjuku 3-chōme, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its station numbers are M-09 , S-02 , and F-13 . It is connected to Shinjuku Station by a pedestrian underground passage above the Marunouchi Line, called the Metro Promenade...
(Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line, Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line, and Toei Shinjuku Line) - Tochōmae StationTochomae Stationis located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.This is a connected station for a toroidal part and the radiant section of the Toei Oedo Line, and trains from Iidabashi terminate at this station.-History:* December 19, 1997 Opened....
(Toei Ōedo Line)
Nearby non-connected stations (within 500 meters of an underground passageway or station) include:
- Shinjuku-gyoemmae StationShinjuku-gyoemmae Stationis a train station in Shinjuku, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan. Its station number is M-10. The station opened on 15 March 1959, and consists of two side platforms.-Adjacent stations:...
- Yoyogi stationYoyogi Stationis a railway station located in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, several hundred meters south of Shinjuku Station. It is station E-26 under Toei's numbering system.-JR East:...
- Higashi-Shinjuku StationHigashi-Shinjuku Stationis a subway station in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. This station is served by the Toei Ōedo Line, and also the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line from 14 June 2008...
- Okubo StationOkubo Station (Tokyo)is a railway station on the Chūō-Sōbu Line operated by East Japan Railway Company in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.-Location and area attractions:...
- Shin-Okubo StationShin-Okubo Stationis a railway station located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Opened on November 15, 1914, it is close to the large local Korea Town. Shin-Ōkubo station has only one exit....
- Minami-Shinjuku StationMinami-Shinjuku Stationis a stop on the Odawara Line by Odakyu Electric Railway and is located in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.-Station layout:There are two side platforms serving two tracks.-Adjacent stations:-History:Station opened on April 1, 1927 as ....
Bus terminals
There is a bus terminal at the west exit servicing both local and long-distance buses, and a JR Highway Bus terminal at the New South Gates.Daily entries/exits
The average number of entries and exits per day for the various companies operating at Shinjuku Station is 3,398,006 people. This is the most of any station in the world. The figures below are the official number of passengers entering and exiting each day released by each train operator. In these figures, passengers who transfer between lines of different operators are counted twice, but conversely, passengers who change between trains of the same operator, or who change between operators whose lines are not separated by barriers (such as between Keio and Toei subway), will not be counted at all.| Operator | Number | Fiscal year | Source | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JR | 1,532,040 | 2008 | 766,020 entries. http://www.jreast.co.jp/passenger/index.html | The busiest station in Japan | |
| Odakyū | 491,631 | 2008 | http://www.odakyu.jp/company/about/jyokou.html | The busiest station of Odakyū lines | |
| Keiō | 748,803 | 2008 | http://www.keio.co.jp/group/traffic/railroading/passengers/index.html | The busiest station of Japanese private (i.e. non-JR) railways. | |
| Tokyo Metro Tokyo Metro is one of two rapid transit systems making up the Tokyo subway system, the other being Toei. It is the most used subway system in the world in terms of annual passenger rides.-Organization:... |
232,044 | 2008 | http://www.tokyometro.jp/corporate/data/jinin/index.html | The 5th busiest station of Tokyo Metro. | |
| Toei Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation The is Tokyo's public transportation authority. Its subway lines are commonly described as 都営 Toei, meaning "operated by the metropolitan government ." It is one of two rapid transit systems making up the Tokyo subway system, the other being Tokyo Metro.-Toei Subway:The lines were originally... |
Shinjuku Line Toei Shinjuku Line The is a subway line in Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation . The line runs between Motoyawata Station in Ichikawa, Chiba in the east and Shinjuku Station in the west... |
262,688 | 2008 | 135,366 entries and 132,111 exits. http://www.kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp/subway/kanren/passengers.html#c | The busiest station of Toei subways. |
| Ōedo Line | 130,800 | 2008 | 63,682 entries and 66,446 exits. http://www.kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp/subway/kanren/passengers.html#d | ||
| Shinjuku Totals | 3,398,006 | 2008 | |||
| Seibu Shinjuku Line | 184,118 | 2008 | http://www.seibu-group.co.jp/railways/kouhou/joukou/img/19joukou.pdf | Connected by Underground city Underground city An Underground city is a series of linked subterranean spaces that may provide a defensive refuge; a place for living, working or shopping; a transit system; mausolea; wine or storage cellars; cisterns or drainage channels; or several of these. The term may also refer to a network of tunnels that... |
|
| Shinjuku-nishiguchi Station Shinjuku-Nishiguchi Station is a train station on the Toei Ōedo Line, a subway line in Tokyo, Japan. It is operated by the Toei.-Station surroundings:Shinjuku Nishiguchi Station is essentially a satellite station to Shinjuku. Its location is at the North-West area of Shinjuku Station. The name "Nishiguchi" is translated... |
Toei Ōedo Line Toei Oedo Line The is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation . It commenced full operations on December 12, 2000; using the Japanese calendar this reads "12/12/12" as the year 2000 equals Heisei 12... |
52,889 | 2008 | 27,285 entries, 25,604 exits http://www.kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp/subway/kanren/passengers.html#c | Connected by Underground city Underground city An Underground city is a series of linked subterranean spaces that may provide a defensive refuge; a place for living, working or shopping; a transit system; mausolea; wine or storage cellars; cisterns or drainage channels; or several of these. The term may also refer to a network of tunnels that... |
| Tocho-mae Station | Toei Ōedo Line Toei Oedo Line The is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation . It commenced full operations on December 12, 2000; using the Japanese calendar this reads "12/12/12" as the year 2000 equals Heisei 12... |
38,074 | 2008 | 17,668 entries, 20,406 exits http://www.kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp/subway/kanren/passengers.html#c | Connected by open air underground street and Moving walkway Moving walkway A moving walkway or moving sidewalk is a slow moving conveyor mechanism that transports people, across a horizontal... . |
| Shinjuku-sanchome Station Shinjuku-sanchome Station is a metro station in Shinjuku 3-chōme, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its station numbers are M-09 , S-02 , and F-13 . It is connected to Shinjuku Station by a pedestrian underground passage above the Marunouchi Line, called the Metro Promenade... |
Toei Shinjuku Line Toei Shinjuku Line The is a subway line in Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation . The line runs between Motoyawata Station in Ichikawa, Chiba in the east and Shinjuku Station in the west... |
47,842 | 2008 | 23,064 entries, 24,778 exits http://www.tokyometro.jp/corporate/data/jinin/index.html | Connected by Underground city Underground city An Underground city is a series of linked subterranean spaces that may provide a defensive refuge; a place for living, working or shopping; a transit system; mausolea; wine or storage cellars; cisterns or drainage channels; or several of these. The term may also refer to a network of tunnels that... |
| Tokyo Metro Tokyo Metro is one of two rapid transit systems making up the Tokyo subway system, the other being Toei. It is the most used subway system in the world in terms of annual passenger rides.-Organization:... Marunouchi Line, Fukutoshin Line |
92,492 | 2008 | http://www.kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp/subway/kanren/passengers.html#c | ||
| Nishi-Shinjuku Station Nishi-Shinjuku Station is a Tokyo Metro station in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. This underground station which became available in 1992 has an alternate name of .- Station layout :2 side platforms and 2 tracks.- Surroundings :* Tokyo Medical University Hospital... |
Tokyo Metro Tokyo Metro is one of two rapid transit systems making up the Tokyo subway system, the other being Toei. It is the most used subway system in the world in terms of annual passenger rides.-Organization:... Marunouchi Line |
45,670 | 2008 | http://www.tokyometro.jp/corporate/data/jinin/index.html | |
| Shinjuku and connected stations totals | 3,859,091 | 2008 | |||
History
Shinjuku Station opened in 1885 as a stop on Japan Railway's Akabane-Shinagawa line (now part of the Yamanote LineYamanote Line
The is commuter rail loop line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company . It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban centres, including the Yūrakuchō/Ginza area, Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro, with all but two of its...
). Shinjuku was still a quiet community at the time and the station was not heavily trafficked at first. The opening of the Chūō Line (1889), Keiō Line (1915) and Odakyū Line (1923) led to increasing traffic through the station. Subway service began in 1959.
In August 1967, a freight train carrying jet fuel
Jet fuel
Jet fuel is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is clear to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial aviation are Jet A and Jet A-1 which are produced to a standardized international specification...
bound for the U.S. air base in Tachikawa
Tachikawa, Tokyo
is a city located in western Tokyo, Japan.As of February 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 178,064 and the density of 7,303.69 people per km². The total area is 24.38 km²...
derailed and caught fire on the Chūō Rapid tracks.
The station was a major site for student protests in 1968 and 1969, the height of civil unrest in postwar Japan. On October 21, 1968, 290,000 marchers participated in International Anti-War Day taking over Shinjuku station and forcing trains to stop.
There have been plans at various points in history to connect Shinjuku into the 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...
network, and the 1973 Shinkansen Basic Plan, still in force, specifies that the station should be the southern terminus of the Jōetsu Shinkansen
Joetsu Shinkansen
The is a high-speed railway line connecting Tokyo and Niigata, Japan, via the Tōhoku Shinkansen, operated by the East Japan Railway Company .-History:The program was initiated in 1971 by Niigata-born prime minister Tanaka Kakuei...
line to Niigata
Niigata, Niigata
is the capital and the most populous city of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island....
. While construction of the Ōmiya
Omiya Station (Saitama)
is a railway station in Ōmiya-ku, Saitama, Japan. It is a major interchange station for the East Japan Railway Company .-JR East:* Tōhoku Shinkansen* Akita Shinkansen* Yamagata Shinkansen* Jōetsu Shinkansen* Nagano Shinkansen...
-Shinjuku link never started and the Jōetsu line presently terminates in Tokyo Station
Tokyo Station
is a train station located in the Marunouchi business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, near the Imperial Palace grounds and the Ginza commercial district....
, the right of way, including an area underneath the station, remains reserved.
On May 5, 1995, the Aum Shinrikyo
Aum Shinrikyo
Aum Shinrikyo was a Japanese new religious movement. The group was founded by Shoko Asahara in 1984. The group gained international notoriety in 1995, when it carried out the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway....
doomsday cult
Doomsday cult
Doomsday cult is an expression used to describe groups who believe in Apocalypticism and Millenarianism, and can refer both to groups that prophesy catastrophe and destruction, and to those that attempt to bring it about...
attempted a chemical terrorist attack by setting off a cyanide gas device in a toilet in the underground concourse, barely a month after the gas attack on the Tokyo subway
Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway
The Sarin attack on the Tokyo subway, usually referred to in the Japanese media as the , was an act of domestic terrorism perpetrated by members of Aum Shinrikyo on March 20, 1995....
which killed 12 and injured thousands. This time the attack was thwarted by staff who extinguished the burning device.
Keiō Shinjuku Station
When the Keiō Line extended to Shinjuku in 1915, its terminal was located several blocks east of the government railwayJapanese Government Railways
The Japanese Government Railways was the national railway system directly operated by the central government of Japan until 1949. It is a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the Japan Railways Group.- Name :...
(presently JR) station. The terminal was first named and was on the street near the Isetan
Isetan
is a Japanese department store. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Isetan has branches throughout Japan and East Asia, including Bangkok, Jinan, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Singapore and Tianjin and formerly in Hong Kong, London and Vienna....
department store. In 1927, the station was moved from the street to a newly-built terminal adjacent to the original station. The station building housed a department store. The station name was changed to in 1930 and again to in 1937.
The tracks from the terminal were on the Kōshū Kaidō
Koshu Kaido
The was one of the five routes of the Edo period and it was built to connect Edo with Kai Province in modern-day Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. The route continues from there to connect with the Nakasendō's Shimosuwa-shuku in Nagano Prefecture...
highway, which crosses the Yamanote Line and the Chūō Line in front of the south entrance of Shinjuku Station by a bridge. The Keiō Line had a station for the access to Shinjuku Station, named and renamed in 1937 .
In July 1945, the terminal of the Keiō Line was relocated to the present location, though on the ground level, on the west side of Shinjuku Station. Keiō Shinjuku Station and Shōsen Shinjuku Ekimae Station were closed. This was because the trains faced difficulty in climbing up the slopes of the bridge over the governmental railway after one of the nearby transformer substations was destroyed by an air raid
Bombing of Tokyo in World War II
The bombing of Tokyo, often referred to as a "firebombing", was conducted by the United States Army Air Forces during the Pacific campaigns of World War II. The U.S. mounted a small-scale raid on Tokyo in April 1942, with large morale effects...
. The site of Keiō Shinjuku Station near Shinjuku-Sanchōme subway station
Shinjuku-sanchome Station
is a metro station in Shinjuku 3-chōme, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its station numbers are M-09 , S-02 , and F-13 . It is connected to Shinjuku Station by a pedestrian underground passage above the Marunouchi Line, called the Metro Promenade...
is now occupied by two buildings owned by Keiō: Keiō Shinjuku Sanchōme Building and Keiō Shinjuku Oiwake Building.
Adjacent stations
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(*1)Only Chūō Special Rapid starting Shinjuku
