is a railway station in

Shibuya Shibuya (wikt:渋谷, 渋谷wikt:区, 区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The station takes its name from the area on its eastern side,

Harajuku is a district in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Harajuku is the common name given to a geographic area spreading from Harajuku Station to Omotesando, corresponding on official maps of Shibuya ward as Jingūmae 1 chōme to 4 chōme. In popular refere ...

Lines

This station is served by the circular

Yamanote Line The Yamanote Line ( ja, 山手線, Yamanote-sen) is a loop service in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban c ...

. It is also adjacent to

Meiji-Jingumae Station is a subway station located in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It is a part of the Tokyo Metro subway network, and is served by the Chiyoda Line and the Fukutoshin Line. Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line is immediately adjacent to Meiji-jingumae ...

on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda and Fukutoshin Lines, and is marked as an interchange on most route maps, although there is no physical connection between the two stations.

Station layout

The station consists of a two side platforms serving two tracks. The station was initially an island platform with an additional temporary platform for the Shinjuku direction during major events only. The temporary platform was made permanent during the 2020 renovations, and the two platforms now serve different directions. The main entrance is at the southern end of the station. A smaller entrance leading to the centre of the platform is convenient for

Takeshita Street is a pedestrian shopping street lined with fashion boutiques, cafes and restaurants in Harajuku in Tokyo, Japan. Stores on Takeshita Street include major chains such as The Body Shop, McDonald's, and 7-Eleven, but most of the businesses are s ...

, a famous area in Harajuku. Harajuku-Kyutei-Platform

To the north of the station there is a separate platform serving a loop on the east side of the freight line for use by the

Imperial train A royal train is a set of railway carriages dedicated for the use of the monarch or other members of a royal family. Most monarchies with a railway system employ a set of royal carriages. Australia The various government railway operators of A ...

. The platform has not been used since 2001, in part because the opening of the Shonan-Shinjuku Line has made it more difficult to schedule special charters on the Yamanote Line corridor (the most recent use of the official Imperial train, in 2008, was to and from

Ueno Station is a major railway station in Tokyo's Taitō ward. It is the station used to reach the Ueno district and Ueno Park—which contains Tokyo National Museum, The National Museum of Western Art, Ueno Zoo, Tokyo University of the Arts and other ...

). The points, signals and rails incidental to the platform are in disrepair, making it impossible to use the platform without some refurbishment.

Platforms

History

The station opened on October 30, 1906.

Platform edge doors Platform screen doors (PSDs), also known as platform edge doors (PEDs), are used at some train, rapid transit and people mover stations to separate the platform from train tracks, as well as on some bus rapid transit, tram and light rail sys ...

were installed on the platforms in November 2014, and brought into operation from December.

2020 renovations

In June 2016, JR East announced plans to rebuild the station ahead of the 2020 Olympics in order to alleviate overcrowding. A new station building was to be built by JR East at the station's Meiji-Jingu entrance. A temporary platform used during busy periods will become the permanent platform for trains heading north through the station. The new station building and platform opened on 21 March 2020, in time for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. JR East decided in November 2019 to demolish the old station building at the Takeshita entrance on safety grounds after the Paralympics, and replace it with a safer structure constructed in a similar style.

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2013, the station was used by an average of 70,866 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), making it the sixtieth-busiest station operated by JR East. The daily average passenger figures (boarding passengers only) in previous years are as shown below.

Surrounding area

Meiji Shrine , is a Shinto shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo, that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. The shrine does not contain the emperor's grave, which is located at Fushimi-momoyama, south of Kyoto. History A ...

Yoyogi Park is a park in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It is located adjacent to Harajuku Station and Meiji Shrine in Yoyogikamizonochō. The park is a popular Tokyo destination, especially on Sundays when it is used as a gathering place for Japanese rock music ...

References

External links

* {{Yamanote Line Railway stations in Japan opened in 1906 Harajuku Railway stations in Tokyo Stations of East Japan Railway Company Yamanote Line