The JR Ueno-Tokyo Line for Tokyo, Shinagawa, Yokohama, Odawara, and Atami

The Ueno-Tokyo Line is a railway line operated by JR East that provides a direct link between JR Ueno Station and Tokyo Station. The line opened in March 2015 and provides an extension for services that previously stopped at the Ueno or Tokyo stations. Through services running south to Ueno on the Utsunomiya Line, the Takasaki Line, and the Joban Line can now continue on to Tokyo and then further south to destinations on the Tokaido Main Line such as Shinagawa and Yokohama. In the same way Tokaido Main Line services running north to Tokyo station can now continue on to Ueno.

Ueno-Tokyo Line services running from JR Ueno Station are all southbound. At JR Ueno Station these services depart from platforms 7, 8, and 9. As this is a JR line it is covered by the Japan Rail Pass.

Key Destinations from Ueno

Strictly speaking the Ueno-Tokyo Line runs between just two stations: Ueno and Tokyo. However, because services from Ueno continue beyond Tokyo Station, this line actually provides a connection between JR Ueno Station and destinations on the Tokaido Main Line as far south as Atami. Local services bound for Atami will stop at all of the following Tokaido Main Line stations.

Tokyo – Shimbashi – Shinagawa – Kawasaki – Yokohama – Totsuka – Ofuna – Fujisawa – Tsujido – Chigasaki – Hiratsuka – Oiso – Ninomiya – Kozu – Kamonomiya – Odawara – Hayakawa – Nebukawa – Manazuru – Yugawara – Atami

The key destinations of Tokyo, Shinagawa, Yokohama, Odawara, and Atami are listed below with fares and example local train times given from JR Ueno Station.

Tokyo Station

Tokyo Station is convenient for the Imperial Palace, some gardens of which are accessible to the public. The nearby Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum exhibits 19th century European art in a Queen Anne style building dating from 1894. The Marunouchi district on the west side of the station is a commercial district with many high rise buildings packed with shops, cafes, and restaurants.

Tokyo Station has two main exits: the Marunouchi Exit on its west side and the Yaesu Exit on its east side. The station’s original red brick façade which dates from 1914 is visible on the Marunouchi side. The Yaesu side is more contemporary and opens onto the shopping and dining facilities of Tokyo Station City. Highway bus terminals are on the Yaesu side of the station.

The Tokyo Station Hotel is an iconic, luxurious establishment seamlessly integrated into the historic Tokyo Station building, offering convenient access to transportation and a blend of classic elegance with modern amenities.

Transfer here to JR East’s Yamanote Line, Chuo Main Line, Sobu Main Line, Yokosuka Line, Keiyo Line, Keihin-Tohoku Line. Transfers can also be made to the following bullet train services: the Tokaido Shinkansen, the Tohoku Shinkansen, the Joetsu Shinkansen, the Yamagata Shinkansen, the Akita Shinkansen, the Hokuriku Shinkansen, and the Hokkaido Shinkansen. Transfers can also be made here to the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line.

Shinagawa Station

There are a variety of attractions within walking distance of Shinagawa Station.

• The Nikon Museum is an 8 minute walk east of the station. This museum’s interactive displays detail the history, technology and design principles of the Nikon company. There is also a a “hands-on” section where rare and valuable cameras are exhibited.
• The Hara Museum is a 15 minute walk south from the station. This museum is dedicated to contemporary art, architecture, design, music and dance and is housed in a Bauhaus building dating from 1938.
• The Jade Ore Museum (Hisuigensekikan) is a 16 minute walk south of the museum or just 1 minute from the Hara Museum. This is a gallery housing a large private collection of assorted jade pieces many of which are for sale. It is the only museum of its kind in Japan, however it has no English display information.
• Sengakuji Temple is a 15 minute walk north of Shinagawa Station. This is a must-see location for anyone who is interested in Japanese history or literature. In the temple graveyard are the tombs of the legendary 47 Ronin; a group of heroic samurai who are famous for their loyalty to their master. Their story became a popular topic of kabuki drama and bunraku puppet plays and a festival is held here every December 14th to celebrate their story.
• The Hatakeyama Memorial Museum of Fine Art is an 18 minute walk to the west of Shinagawa Station. This museum exhibits a collection of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese art works related to the tea ceremony.

Transfer here to the JR Yamanote Line, the JR Yokosuka Line, the JR Tokaido Line, the Tokaido Shinkansen, and the Keikyu Main Line.

Yokohama Station

Yokohama is a seaside city and the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture. Sightseeing attractions here include Yokohama Chinatown, the Sankeien landscape garden, the Minato Mirai harbor district with its many towering skyscrapers and observatories, the Cosmo amusement park and waterfront Ferris wheel, and the historic western style residences of the Yamate district.

Transfer at Yokohama Station to the following JR East services: the Yokohama Line, the Yokosuka Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line, and the Tokaido Line. Transfers can also be made to the Tokyu Toyoko Line, the Keikyu Main Line, the Sotetsu Main Line, the Yokohama Municipal Subway Blue Line, and the Minatomirai Line.

Odawara Station

Odawara’s top attraction is its castle. A castle was first built here in the 15th century but the current Odawara Castle is a reconstruction which dates from 1960. Inside the castle is a museum with interactive historical displays and there are excellent views over the city from the top floor observation deck. Odawara Castle Park is a popular cherry blossom viewing location in the spring. The castle a ten minute walk south of Odawara Station’s east exit.

Other attractions in Odawara include:

• Matsunaga Memorial Hall (Matsunaga Kinenkan): a traditional villa and garden which was once the home of the industrialist and tea ceremony master, Yasuzaemon Matsunaga (1875 – 1871). The museum now exhibits his priceless collection of art and antiques.
• Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History presents 4.6 billion years of the Earth’s natural history through 10,000 specimens, which range from dinosaur fossils to tiny insects.
• Odawara Flower Garden has a range of seasonal flower displays, a plum blossom orchard, a tropical greenhouse, and a rose garden with over a 100 rose varieties.
• The beach at Miyukinohama is very popular in the summer.

Odawara is also known as the gateway to the Hakone resort area and to reach it you can transfer to the Hakone Tozan Line at Odawara Station. Other transfers are to the Tokaido Shinkansen, the Odakyu Odawara Line, and Izu-Hakone Railway’s Daiyuzan Line.

Atami Station

Atami is a popular seaside hot spring resort town on the coast of the Izu Peninsula. Aside from hot spring baths, high rise hotels, and traditional ryokan style inns Atami’s attractions include:

• Atami Castle. This Momoyama style castle was built as a tourist attraction in 1959. There are historical displays on each floor and an observation deck at the top.
• The MOA Museum of Art houses the art collection of religious leader Mokichi Okada. Paintings, ceramics, sculptures, lacquerware and scrolls from Japan and the Asian continent are on display.
• Atami Adult Museum (Atami Hihoukan) is a sex museum for adults only which can be reached via the Atami Ropeway. The ropeway journey itself takes just 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

Transfer at Atami Station to JR East’s Ito Line and to the Tokaido Shinkansen. Beyond Atami Station the Tokaido Main Line is operated by JR Central.

Useful Links

To plan your journey via the Ueno-Tokyo Line use English language route finders like the Japan Transit Planner or Hyperdia. JR East has a PDF route map of their railway network in which all Ueno-Tokyo Line service routes are colored purple.

Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved.