Shinagawa

  

Shinagawa Station is located in Minato Ward of Tokyo and not in Shinagawa as the name suggests. It is the first major interchange for trains south of Tokyo Station, and is served by the JR East Yamanote, Yokosuka, Keihin-Tohoku, and Tokaido Main Lines; the JR Central Tokaido Shinkansen Line; and the Keikyu Main Line. Some Keikyu trains terminate at Shinagawa, while others continue and join Toei Asakusa Line at Sengakuji. Other trains going to Miura Peninsula, Izu Peninsula, and the Tokai region in Honshu also pass through Shinagawa Station. It is also the proposed terminal for JR Central's Chuo Shinkansen Maglev Line scheduled to begin service to Nagoya in 2025.

 

The JR platforms run in the east-west direction below the main JR station concourse. The Keikyu Main Line platforms are on the western side of the station at a higher level than the JR platforms, and the Shinkansen platforms are on the east side.

 

Shinagawa is one of the oldest stations in Japan and the first active station in the Tokyo area. It was opened in 1872 with the opening of service between Shinagawa and Yokohama. Not long after, it became the southern hub of all trains coming in from the south. Today, Shinagawa Station is a vital link in the nationwide network of railway lines.

 

The area around Shinagawa Station is one of the fastest growing business districts of Tokyo. It is also the only area in Tokyo that is more “Western” in style, with more English signs than Japanese. The restaurants here are also more American and European. Although all the area around the station is highly developed, the two sides of it are very different from each other. On the west side is Takanawa, an upmarket residential district, and the east of the station is all commercial and business with high rise buildings and skyscrapers, rivaling only those in Shinjuku. Some major Japanese companies have their headquarters here – among them Sony, Panasonic, Canon, Japanese Airlines, and Mitsubishi. The area in between the east and west of the station is what is known as the hotel zone, with some of the best hotels of Tokyo located here.