Japan Train Travel: Tokyo JR Yamanote Line

Yamanote Line 山手線

Yamanote Line History| Yamanote Line Capacity | Yamanote Line Frequency
Yamanote Line Directions | Yamanote Line Connections and Attractions

Tokyo Travel: Yamanote Line

JR Yamanote Line 山手線

JR Yamanote Line Tokyo. The Yamanote Line is the above-ground loop line that circles central Tokyo.

The Yamanote Line is run by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The JR Yamanote Line carries millions of passengers everyday and is famous for its packed trains in the Tokyo rush hours.

The Japan Rail Pass is valid for journeys on the JR Yamanote Line.

The Yamanote Line connects Tokyo Station with such major Tokyo stations as Hamamatsucho (for Haneda Airport), Shinagawa, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Nishi-Nippori, Nippori, Ueno, Akihabara and Kanda stations.

The Yamanote Line effectively demarcates inner Tokyo. The price of land - and therefore rent - inside the Yamanote Line is generally higher than outside of it.

Yamanote Line trains are color-coded light green.

JR Yamanote Line Tokyo map.

Yamanote Line map showing all the stations and interchanges

JR Yamanote Line train, Tokyo, Japan.

The Yamanote Line in Tokyo is the major circle line in the city

Yamanote Line History

JR Yamanote Line train, Tokyo. The first part of the Yamanote Line opened in 1885 between Shinagawa Station and Akabane Station. The Yamanote Line was completed as a full loop in 1925.

Yamanote Line Capacity

The Yamanote Line carries on average 3.55 million people daily and connects many of Tokyo's main rail stations and entertainment and shopping areas.

Yamanote Line Frequency

Yamanote Line trains run from 4.20am to approximately 1.20 am with trains about every 2-3 minutes at peak periods. A complete loop of the Yamanote Line takes about an hour.

Yamanote Line Directions

Trains run in both clockwise (外回り, sotomawari) and anti-clockwise (内回り, uchimawari) directions around the loop.

JR tickets from departure points outside Tokyo remain valid to any destination on the Yamanote Line. For example, when changing from the shinkansen to the Yamanote Line, you do not need to buy another ticket; your shinkansen ticket will be good for the Yamanote Line, and for any other JR line. However, you may not exit the station between trains.

JR Yamanote Line train, Tokyo, Japan.

A packed Yamanote Line train in Tokyo


Hamamatsucho and Harajuku Stations, Yamanote Line, Tokyo

Yamanote Line Connections and Attractions

What's on now in Tokyo

There are 29 stations on the Yamanote Line, only 2 of which (Shin-Okubo and Mejiro) do not connect to other lines.

The following is a list of Yamanote line connections in a clockwise (sotomawari) direction and, beneath each station, nearby Yamanote line attractions

Tokyo Station (→ Keihin-Tohoku Line, Chuo Main Line, Keihin-Tohoku Line, Keiyo Line, Marunouchi Subway Line, Shinkansen [all major lines from Tokyo], Sobu Main Line, Tokaido Main Line, Yokosuka Line)
Attractions near Tokyo Station: Imperial Palace & Marunouchi shopping district.

Yurakucho (→ Keihin-Tohoku Line, Yurakucho Subway Line)
Attractions near Yurakucho Station: Ginza, Ginza shopping, Imperial Palace

Shimbashi (→ Ginza Subway Line, Keihin-Tohoku Line, Toei Asakusa Line, Yurikamome)
Attractions near Shimbashi Station: Tsukiji Fish Market

Hamamatsucho (→ Keihin-Tohoku Line, Toei Asakusa Line, Toei Oedo Line, Tokyo Monorail)
Attractions near Hamamatsucho Station: Tokyo Tower, Zojoji Temple, Kyu Shiba Rikyu Gardens

Tamachi (→ Keihin-Tohoku Line)

Shinagawa (→ Keihin-Tohoku Line, Keikyu Main Line, Tokaido Main Line, Tokaido Shinkansen, Yokosuka Line)
Attractions near Shinagawa Station: Shinagawa Kumin Park

Osaki (→ Rinkai Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line [southbound])

Gotanda (→ Toei Asakusa Line)
Attractions near Gotanda Station: Mundo Latino Minimart

Meguro (→ Namboku Subway Line, Toei Mita Line, Tokyu Meguro Line)

Ebisu (→ Hibiya Subway Line)
Attractions near Ebisu Station: Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography

Shibuya (→ Ginza Subway Line, Hanzomon Subway Line, Keio Inokashira Line, Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line, Tokyu Toyoko Line)
Attractions near Shibuya Station: Shibuya and Shibuya shopping.

Harajuku (→ Chiyoda Subway Line)
Attractions near Harajuku Station: Harajuku and Omotesando fashion districts, Yoyogi Park, and Meiji Jingu Shrine

Yoyogi (→ Chuo-Sobu Line (eastbound), Toei Oedo Line)
Attractions near Yoyogi Station: Shinjuku Gyoen Park

Shinjuku (→ Chuo Main Line, Chuo-Sobu Line [westbound], Keio Line, Marunouchi Subway Line, Odakyu Line, Odawara Line, Seibu Shinjuku Line, Toei Oedo Line, Toei Shinjuku Line)
Attractions near Shinjuku Station: Shinjuku and Shinjuku shopping and Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building - Tocho

Shin-Okubo

Takadanobaba (→ Seibu Shinjuku Line, Tozai Subway Line)

Mejiro

Ikebukuro (→ Marunouchi Subway Line, Saikyo Line (northbound), Seibu Ikebukuro Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line [northbound], Tobu Tojo Main Line, Yurakucho Subway Line, Yurakucho New Subway Line)
Attractions near Ikebukuro Station: Ikebukuro

Otsuka (→ Toden Arakawa Line)

Sugamo (→ Toei Mita Line)

Komagome (→ Namboku Subway Line)
Attractions near Komagome Station: Rikugien Gardens

Tabata (→ Keihin-Tohoku Line)

Nishi-Nippori (→ Chiyoda Subway Line, Keihin-Tohoku Line)

Nippori (→ Joban Line, Keihin-Tohoku Line, Keisei Main Line)
Attractions near Nippori Station: Nippori Fabric Town, Yanaka historical area, Shimogoinden Train Museum.

Uguisudani (→ Keihin-Tohoku Line)
Attractions near Uguisudani Station: Ueno Zoo and Ueno Park

Ueno (→ Ginza Subway Line, Hibiya Subway Line, Joban Line, Keihin-Tohoku Line, Tohoku Shinkansen [northbound])
Attractions near Ueno Station: Ueno Park and Ueno Zoo

Okachimachi (→ Keihin-Tohoku Line)
Attractions near Okachimachi Station: Ameyoko Market Street

Akihabara (→ Chuo-Sobu Line, Hibiya Subway Line, Keihin-Tohoku Line, Tsukuba Express)
Attractions near Akihabara Station: Akihabara electronics and pop culture area and Akihabara shopping

Kanda (→ Chuo Main Line, Ginza Subway Line)
Attractions near Kanda Station: Ochanomizu, Kanda, Yushima historical district

Osaka JR Loop Line 大阪の環状線

Incidentally, Osaka, the biggest city in western Japan, has a JR Loop Line comparable to Tokyo's Yamanote Line: the orange-colored Osaka Loop Line (Osaka Kanjo-Sen) with 19 stations, and trains running in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions. The line connects such major stations as Osaka, Kyobashi, Tennoji, Tsuruhashi and Shin-Imamiya.

Listen to an English announcement on the Yamanote Line