Breakthrough in Japanese Railways 5Japan’s Rail Stations
Keiichiro Ando

Introduction

military power by industrial modernization. Construction ofConstruction of new railway lines in Japan progressed

was an urgent issue.

railways forming a key transport infrastructure for industry

rapidly from the late 1800s due to competition between theJapan’s first railway (28.9 km) was opened in 1872,

government and private railways, but most private lines were

47 years after the first steam railways in Great Britain. It

nationalized by 1908 to become part of the government

was built by British engineers and ran between Shimbashi

network. Some 40 years later in 1949, the government

and Yokohama with a journey time of 53 minutes stopping

railways were again restructured into the public corporation

at six stations. To Japan at the time, building a nation

called Japanese National Railways (JNR). Almost 40 years

that could stand on an equal footing with the rest of thelater again, the 1987 JNR privatization and division split theworld meant westernizing, and architectural styles werebusiness into six private regional passenger operators (theostensibly Western.
The terminal stations at Shimbashi and Yokohama wereJRs) and one freight operator.
Today, passenger railways in Japan consist of 20,000

designed by Bridgens, an American architect. Although they

km of tracks belonging to the six JRs and 3250 km

were different in scale, both exteriors resembled the Gare debelonging to 22 non-JR private railways; some 550 km

l’Est in Paris. Each had ticket windows, waiting rooms, left

belong to public railways.

Modernization of Japan
Japan’s first major contact with the west was the introductionof firearms in 1540 by shipwrecked Portuguese sailors notlong after Europe entered the Age of Exploration. Firearms
changed conventional battles using archery and swords
between the regional warlords who were fighting forhegemony in Japan. Christianity introduced at the same time
did not fit Japan’s feudal politics and was outlawed in 1612
by Ieyasu Tokugawa (1542–1616). Japanese were prohibitedfrom overseas travel in 1635 and the only contact with the

Shimbashi Station (1872)
(The Photographic History of 100 Years ofJapanese National Railways, the Railway Associations)Western world was limited trade with the Netherlands at theDejima settlement in Nagasaki.
This isolation ended in 18 5 4 with the arrival of
American Commodore Perry in the Black Ships, but theWest’s advance into Asia would have a profound impact
on Japan. The political regime changed in 1868 from themilitary Tokugawa Shogunate to the Meiji government with
the Meiji Emperor as head of state, which focused on rapid
modernization to catch up with the West.

Stations of Early Railways
The new government aimed to secure a footing as amodern nation using a policy of increasing wealth andJapan Railway & Transport Review No. 56 • Dec 2010

Paris Gare de l’Est (opened 1851)

26(Author)Breakthrough in Japanese Railways 5

luggage offices, and toilets–they were the first chance for

Yurakucho Station opened in 1910 was Japan’s first under-

ordinary people to experience Western culture freely.

the-elevated tracks station.

Japanese railways were built by the government andTokyo Station was completed in 1914 as the central

private entrepreneurs competing for routes mainly in andstation for Japan. It was designed by Kingo Tatsuno (1854–

around Tokyo and Osaka. At the turn of 1900, private

1919) but the floor plan layout is said to have been proposed

railways had nearly twice the track length of the government

by Franz Balzer (1857–1927). It had an entrance on the south

railways. However, the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese Warside and an exit on the north side, as well as a gate for the(1904–05) resulted in nationalization of most key private lines

Imperial household at the centre. Trains running towards thisfor military reasons, instantly reversing the position to somestation were (and still are) described as going ‘up’ and those

7200 km of government lines and 700 km of private lines.

running away were going ‘down.’

A key feature of early Japanese railways was that they

The third floor was destroyed in an air raid during WWII,

were constructed mainly to carry passengers, so manyand the station has been used with a two-storey ‘temporary’early stations were simple single-storey wooden structures

restoration for 65 years until recently. Construction to restore

because transport volumes were inconsistent. In 1898,

the station to its original three-storey form with cupolas at the

the Railway Bureau presented standard design drawings

north and south ends is ongoing, with completion scheduled

dividing stations into five classes. Many stations were

for spring 2011 (see pp. 6 to 13 in this JRTR issue).
With steady exports during W WI (1914 –18), many

probably built based on these drawings.

second-generation and later stations were beautiful blends of

Design of New Stations

Japanese wooden and Western architecture. Unfortunately,Construction of elevated and electrified urban railways

survive today. The major facilities at those times were ticket

started in the 1900s. The industrialization at that time createdwindows, waiting rooms, and left luggage offices for long-significant increases in numbers of urban rail commuters,

distance travellers. The average life-span of those stations

requiring stations compatible with the new railway facilities.

was thought to be about 50 years.

most were lost to later station upgrades and only a few

Virtualization of restored Tokyo Station (opened 1914)

Old Sapporo Station (Third generation, opened 1908)
BOOK, Hokkaido Railway Company)(JR TOWER PHOTO(1700 Profiles, JR East Design Corporation)

Current Mojiko Station (Second generation, opened 1914)
Architecture News, Association of Railway Architects)

27(Railway

Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 56 • Dec 2010

An architectural section was first created in 1920
in the Ministry of Railways Construction Department.

Figure 1 Ochanomizu Station (Second generation, 1937)

It dealt primarily with building design andmanagement. The first design standards for stations
were established, along with sizes for waiting rooms
Road

The 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake caused

Platform

TicketingTicket Gate

tremendous damage across the Kanto region. As a

Concourse

and passageways.

Platform

result, stations were changed from wood or stone
and brick structures to reinforced concrete and steel
with aseismic designs.
Ochanomizu Station was rebuilt to a new design
after the earthquake. It was completely different fromprevious station structures because it was only forcommuters. Flows with passengers moving without
stopping by exiting directly to the street formed thedesign foundation for later urban commuter stations.
Development of urban railways increased fromthe 1920s. Elevated stations with concourses where
people pass freely under the tracks were built toseparate road traffic from railways. Kobe, San’nomiya,and Hyogo stations in the Kansai region (around
Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe) had the main part of thestation outside the elevated track. However, wide outerconcourses (outside the ticket gates) were createdunder the elevation, and passengers passed throughTobu Asakusa Station Building (opened 1913)
Railways, Tobu Railway Co., Ltd.)(The 100-year History of the Tobu

the ticket gate to reach the platform. The broad outerconcourses had free passages to come and go underthe elevated track. Such a design allowed free access

Diversification of Station Upgrade Methods

and was easy to understand, so it was often seen in
Japanese under-the-tracks stations. Nagoya Station
built in 1937 is a typical example.

Japan’s W WII defeat in 19 4 5 marked the star t ofreconstruction of bombed and worn-out facilities. The

Birth of Station Building

government railways were reorganized as JNR with the sole

Station buildings intended to increase passenger

such as tracks, took priority and there was little budget for

convenience with restaurants and shops while increasing

station restoration.

purpose of running railways. Restoration of key facilities,

railway operator income started appearing at the same

The pace of urban reconstruction was astounding,time. The first station building in Japan was a five-storey

and demand from communities for station renovation wasbuilding with 11,000 m2 of floor area built in 1920 at Umeda

strong because stations formed the town ‘face.’ In these

Station in the Kansai region by the private Hankyu Railway.

tight circumstances, private capital was used to fund station

The ground floor was let to a department store; there werereconstruction. Specific methods were local government

restaurants on the first floor, and higher floors were usedtaking over JNR debt, constructing station buildings using

for offices. This was followed in 1925 by the Tenjinbashi

private capital (‘general public’ stations), and petitioning for

Station Building added by the private Shinkeihan Railway

station construction using 100% private capital.

to an elevated station; it featured restaurants and shops. In

Petitioned stations were those where the community

the Kanto region, Tobu Railway’s station building in Asakusa

requested that JNR construct new stations. The community

in 1931 was the largest of its day with a department store

provided all funding, but completed facilities becameas the tenant. It had eight floors (one underground) with

JNR property. In many instances, stations were built at

an area of 35,000 m 2. Trains arrived at the second-floor

the expense of the developer, especially where there wasplatform, which was connected to the ground floor bytrackside community development.

an escalator.

Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 56 • Dec 201028

Breakthrough in Japanese Railways 5

Figure 2 Over-The-Track Station Evolution and Free Passageway

New Stationfront Plaza

Passageway
Over-the-track
Station

Passageway

Over-the-track
StationPlatform

Overbridge

Platform

New Stationfront Plaza

Ground Level
StationPlatform

Platform

Station Building

Stationfront Plaza

Stationfront Plaza‘General Public’ Stations

to solve this inconvenience and to renovate stations

So-called ‘General Public’ stations were constructed mainly

passage between the station sides.

was building stations over the tracks and creating a freeby using private capital where commercial facilities and the

JNR’s first over-the-tracks station was built in 1954. Many

station merged into a station building and construction costs

stations thereafter were built in three concurrent parts: over-were recovered by income-earning facilities. Expenses forthe-track construction, passage construction, and station

facilities intrinsic to stations, such as ticket offices, werebuilding construction.

covered by JNR, while costs for waiting rooms, concourses

The process started with a plan to construct a free

and toilets were split between JNR and the private developer;

passage above the tracks to rejoin the community split

costs for restaurants and shops were covered by the privateby the station. Since the existing station interferes with

developer who retained the station facility management

construction of the free passage, the over-the-track stationrights. Toyohashi Station in central Japan opened in 1949

was constructed at the same time. Then the space freed up

as the first general public station with the ground andby relocating the ground-level station was used to construct

underground floors housing station facilities as JNR assets

the station building. The community bore most of the cost forand the first and higher floors as private assets where fees

the free passage and over-the-track station construction.

for property use were paid to JNR.

Under-the-tracks Stations

Many stations nationwide underwent renovation using
this general public station method. They are similar tothe station buildings built independently by JNR. JNR’s

From one viewpoint, urban railways are an inconvenience

previously government-regulated business scope was

because the tracks divide the city. Track elevation at roadrelaxed in 1971 as debts worsened to allow JNR to constructcrossings is often required to make cross-track road transport

its own profitable station buildings. By the 1987 privatization

more efficient in densely populated urban areas. However,and division, JNR had converted about 50 stations into

track elevation is very expensive and JNR asked the Ministry

station buildings. Naturally, private railways also activelyof Transport responsible for roads to bear some costs.
In the 1940s, JNR and the Ministry bore the costs equallydeveloped station buildings with commercial facilities.

but JNR’s burden was cut to 33% in 1956 and again to 10%

Over-the-tracks Stationsin 1969, while the share borne by private operators was 7%.

Japanese stations tend to be on one side of the tracks andeven today, elevation is used to create many new under-the-passengers pass through the ticket gate to access the

tracks stations.

Projects were implemented as part of urban planning, andplatform. As a result, station users from the opposite sideof the tracks must cross to get to the station. A method

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Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 56 • Dec 2010

Station Revitalization

event facilities such as public halls and meeting places,

The 1964 start of the Tokaido Shinkansen and subsequentbaths, agricultural cooperatives, and food and gift shops.

spread of the shinkansen high-speed rail network gave

Those used on a daily basis by local residents still remain

the impression of well-managed railways but JNR was stillvital and viable.

citizens’ services such as libraries and galleries, hot-spring

sustaining continued heavy losses year after year from

Hotto-Yuda Station on the Kitakami Line with hot-spring

1964 as passenger numbers continued dropping. Out ofbaths serves just under 200 passengers a day, but the hot

JNR’s 22,000 km of track, 40% were rural lines with small

spring had 500,000 customers in 4 years! The village

populations; the rapid spread of private car ownership in thelibrary with park-and-ride functions at Etchu-Funahashi

1970s and decreases in railway passengers left income from

Station on the Toyama Chiho Railway Line loans the mostthe fare box unable to meet the costs of renovating stations,books per citizen of any library in Japan.

especially in rural areas. A countermeasure was needed.

Factors behind Station Changes

Some stations playing a central role in the community butthat could never be commercially viable were downsized. In
these cases, the local government built a small complex of

Early railway stations were for long-distance passengers,

other public facilities at the station, securing a presence forso the main facilities were waiting rooms and left luggage

the station.

offices. However, the increase in commuters using passes

The first JNR station to be reconstructed on this basischanged the station floor plan from a waiting style to a

was Uzen-Mukaimachi Station (now Mogami Station) on

more fluid form. Station functions and features also evolved

the East Rikuu Line. It was rebuilt in 1983 in combinationaccording to customer character, railway company policy,

with a public hall. Many similar measures were used toequipment advances, and social demands.

develop stations with less than 5000 passengers a day

The biggest change involves the ticket gate. Seatand to revitalize towns. A variety of stations have emerged

reservation systems started appearing with the spread ofwith tourist information offices, shops selling local products,

computers in 1964. Ticketing facilities underwent a changewith concurrent advances in automatic ticket vending
machines and automatic ticket gates. Recent changes fromcardboard tickets to pre-paid IC cards have made routechanges and transfers easier. However, although mobile

Figure 3 Hotto-Yuda Station Floor Plan at Opening

phones and the Internet allow reservations to be madeeasily outside the station, there is still some demand forconventional cardboard tickets, hindering major changes inSecond Floor
Loungestation layouts.
Left luggage handling has also undergone a majorchange. Railways no longer handle luggage transport; inTicketGate

Hall

Convenience
Store

Concourse

Changing RoomBathStation
OfficeFigure 4 Etchu-Funahashi Station Floor Plan
Parking Lot

Hot Spring Facility

StationStationTicketGate

Platform

Hall
Village Library (Railway Architecture News, Association of Railway Architects)

Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 56 • Dec 201030

Breakthrough in Japanese Railways 5Japan at least, private delivery companies have taken on

efforts to rejuvenate the community using station renovation.

that role. Temporary luggage storage has also shifted to

Stations can be classified mainly as: metropolitan

coin lockers.

stations where commercial facilities are viable; hollowed-

The greatest factor that has changed stations in recent

out major urban area stations; regional city stations in theyears is the legal requirement to become barrier free. In

process of deterioration; commuter stations in residential

2009, approx. 23% of Japan’s population was age 65

areas; and mostly unmanned stations. For hollowed-out

years or older, a figure unmatched elsewhere in the world.

major urban area stations, it is important to first stimulate

Installation of elevators and escalators in stations handlingthe community. Existing city areas are important assets,

5000 or more passengers a day became mandatory with aand there is a movement to make use of that existing

completion target of 2010. Now, there is a demand to install

infrastructure and change it into an urban structure meetingelevators in stations with less than 5000 passengers. For

the needs of the aging population. This has already been

this reason, installation of people movers by modifying thestarted in Toyama and Aomori cities by forming a compact

concourse in a way that does not interfere with passenger

city concentrating urban functions within walking distance offlow is underway. Many major station renovations have beenstations and transport hubs.

made in conjunction with such construction work.

For regional city stations in the process of deterioration,

Another issue that has plagued railways for a long time

the station itself is often made into a local tourist destination

is providing passenger information. Methods including

in addition to the aforementioned revitalization. Fortunately,

monitors displaying information about train delays havesome railways have a firm railfan base, and stations in small

been tried. Today, the Internet is a convenient source of theto mid-size cities have been made into distinctive sceneryshortest routes and quickest transfers, but effective in-station

using local subject matter and images as measures going

methods have yet to be achieved. The information has proved

beyond revitalization. Recent typical examples are Kochi

particularly difficult for users to understand in stations with

Station on the Dosan Line covered with a large wooden

commercial facilities due to crowding, displays mixed withshed in 2008, Ryuo Station on the Chuo main line in a motif

commercial advertisements, and high noise levels.

of local crystal, and Iwamizawa Station constructed withused rails in 2009.

Recent Stations
As Japan faces a greying society, economic growth isalso stagnant. Primary industries in particular are declining
due to a lack of successors, and population continues toconcentrate in urban areas, causing rural depopulation.
Regional urban areas are also seeing a hollowing out of thecity centre with the development of large-scale suburban
commercial facilities. This has resulted in a remarkabledecline in the number of station users and poor businessconditions for station buildings. There have been various

Ryuo Station

(1700 Profiles, JR East Design Corporation)

Figure 5 Kochi Station and Cross Section

Large Roof

Platform (Railway Architecture News, Association of Railway Architects)

Concourse

31Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 56 • Dec 2010

Above-station Developmentknow-how in that industry so now the JRs are using railway

Excluding freight, Japanese railways are structured so that

income. A notable example is the intensive use of the space

everything from infrastructure maintenance to train operation

above stations.

assets connected directly to stations to secure non-railway

is managed by the same company. The business mainstays

As mentioned above, private railways pioneered

are commuters using passes in urban areas and inter-city

station buildings, and JNR followed with general public

high-speed shinkansen. These profitable sectors support

stations. JNR initially carried out intensive use of ground-regional transport.

level stations, but expanded to the space above tracks in

As Japanese society becomes more aged, commuter

1962 with Tennoji Station. Development is also needed fortransport is expected to decline, and there is no telling what

existing built-up areas in cities, and stations became multi-

will happen to railway operations. After the JNR privatization,

purpose in the 1980s with urban development projects by

the JRs tried their hand at non-railway related real estate

the national government.
Shin-Yokohama Station building opened in 2008 is a

development. It proved difficult to make profits due to lack ofrecent example of reconstruction of station
plazas along with intensive use of the railwayowned part of those plazas not previously zoned

Figure 6 Development of Over-the-Tracks Space at Shinjuku Station
Buildings in space over track

for use.

ctio
n)Multi-purpose Stations

con

major stations in metropolitan areas are being(Un

purpose use with multi-functional facilities at

der

stru

Intensive land use and conversion to multi-

conducted actively by both private railways andthe JRs to the extent that they are forming towns
within towns. Underground space is being used
too. An example of a large commercial spaceon two underground levels under elevatedtracks is Hankyu Railway’s Umeda Station

(1700 Profiles, JR East Design Corporation)

Kyoto Station

Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 56 • Dec 2010

completed in 1969.

(Author)32

Breakthrough in Japanese Railways 5

Kyoto Station concourse(Author)

JR West’s 238,000-m2 Kyoto Station building
completed in 1997 is a typical multi-purpose
station, featuring a department store, hotel,
restaurants, theatre, museum, and government
facilities. It sports a grand open ceiling space in thecentre, a station concourse with an aerial hallway,
and various commercial facilities that share a large
open space. JR Hokkaido’s 274,000-m2 Sapporo
Station building also houses a department store,
hotel, offices, cinema, and more. It changed theface of the commercial district in Sapporo, a citywith a population of 1.89 million.

Shops in inner concourse (ekinaka) of Tokyo Station

(Author)There are many other large multi-purpose
terminal stations owned by both the JRs andprivate railways in cities with populations

Recently, there has been an increase in stations featuring

exceeding 1.5 million, such as Tokyo, Nagoya,large shops, restaurants, and commercial areas selling

Osaka, and Fukuoka.

things such as authentic sweets and prepared foods in the
inner concourse. Such areas are called ekinaka (literally

Ekinaka‘in the station’). Ekinaka have been developed especiallyJapanese stations are commonly separated into an outertransfer. They cannot fit into the conventional concourse, so

concourse that anyone can pass through, and an innerthey have been built in conjunction with station barrier-freeconcourse where only passengers with tickets can enter.

renovations, etc. However, the ekinaka concept has been

The border is the ticket gate. Traditionally, the innercriticized by some local shopkeepers because the railway

concourse has cafes along with small kiosk shops selling

operator retains shoppers who would otherwise use shops

things passengers use on trains, such as magazines,

around the station.

in stations with multiple lines where many passengers

snacks, drinks, and sundries.

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Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 56 • Dec 2010

Shinkansen Stations

crew uniforms and carriage design to design of stations,shops, and guidance.

Japan’s shinkansen network is based on elevated tracks

Japan’s greying pensioners are also avid railway

with no level crossings, so most stations are under-the-travellers who can be targeted by railway operators offering

tracks. Shinkansen are constructed with public funds, so

travel packages that satisfy their curiosity. As a result, there

only the minimum land needed for railway operation isare various planned travel products and railway membershipbought and the boundary of the stations must be within the

programmes with premiums, such as discount tickets.
Station planning is changing alongside changes in travel

viaduct walls. As a result, it is difficult to design shinkansen

structure and social awareness. Women often select facilities

stations with individuality.
Since the JNR privatization, shinkansen infrastructure

based on the availability of clean toilets. Thus toilets in city-

other than rolling stock is financed from the public purse andcentre stations have been greatly improved and it is notthen leased to the railway operator. As a result, the station

unusual for them to have powder rooms. While most toilets

construction and environmental improvement, including thein Japanese stations are free, they are mostly in the ekinaka

station plaza, is up to the local government. New shinkansen

inner concourse.

stations often have memorable entrances, facilities to

Eliminating level differences between the platform andpromote local tourism, and public facilities attached totrain is a natural safety measure. Other changes to thethe station when the local government sets up the station
plaza. This demonstrates how the community has strong
expectations that the shinkansen station will help stimulate
the region.

Future of Railways and Stations
Railways remain in tough competition with other transportmodes and railway operators are working to improve theircorporate image and the image of the lines by deploying
PR strategies to develop trackside tourism with the goal ofincreasing passenger numbers and income. This is a unified
image strategy encompassing diverse items ranging from
Powder room in ladies’ toilet at Ikebukuro Station

Ninohe Shinkansen Station and city tourism/produce centre and observation deck

Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 56 • Dec 201034

(Author)(Author)Breakthrough in Japanese Railways 5

platform include gradual restoration of waiting rooms that

High-rise Architecture

were once on the decline and the installation of platform

In 1960, there was a plan to reconstruct Tokyo Station as

doors on crowded platforms. Greening and use of naturala high-rise building. JNR conducted research for 3 years

materials is also on the rise with today’s increased ecologicalon the required aseismic design, because the height ofawareness. Efforts to conserve in-station energy and improve

Japanese buildings at that time was still restricted to 31 m.

the thermal environment, which were originally left to nature,

The research focused on switching from rigid structures tohave started with partial cooling by mist being tried.

flexible structures that absorb seismic energy.

Another issue for the future is use of IC chips as

Thankfully, Tokyo Station was not converted to a high-tickets. Mobile phones with prepaid IC chips are alreadyrise structure, but Japan’s Building Standards Act wasavailable, and the border between travel and consumption

revised in 1964 based on the results of JNR’s research. The

is becoming vague as passengers’ behaviour changes as

31-m height restriction was removed, and Japan’s first high-features such as curated information, cashless purchase,rise building was born as the 147-m Kasumigaseki Building

online reservations, etc., become commonplace. Fromin 1968.

the railway’s viewpoint, it is easier to collect information
on customers, and there will probably be advances incustomized service provision.

Technical Developments
Passenger flow simulation
Stations must assure the safety of passengers so smooth
flow is important, especially during rush hours. However,
it is difficult to accurately judge the level at a given time incrowded stations with heavy flows.
Research on how to plan Japanese stations, and how tolocate facilities appropriately and calculate the scale has been
conducted by the Railway Technology Research Institutefrom the 1930s. Acceptable passenger densities, how todeal with emergencies, and the required strength of station
handrails and other facilities are all examples of experience
gained from past accidents caused by overcrowding.
Passenger flow simulation using computers was
successfully achieved in 1978 to visualize flows secondby second, and it is still used today to determine the needfor station improvement, especially for crowded rush hour
stations with little space.

Figure 7 Passenger Flow Simulation

Ticket Gate

Keiichiro Ando

Ticket Gate

Mr Ando is President of Koken Architects, Inc. Prior to joining thecompany in 2002, he was employed at JNR and the Railway TechnicalResearch Institute.

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Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 56 • Dec 2010