Yamanote Line (JY)

When exploring Tokyo, you will be sure to use the Yamanote Line, whose line code is JY. It’s a loop line that circles downtown Tokyo, connecting nearly all of the city’s most central areas and hubs, such as Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ueno, Akihabara, and more. Furthermore, 28 of the line’s 30 stations offer transfers to other JR local lines, the subway, private railways, or the Shinkansen. It’s no exaggeration to say that you can reach almost any area of Tokyo directly via the Yamanote Line or by transferring from it.

The Yamanote Line’s signature color is yellow-green: its trains feature prominent yellow-green decorative stripes, and all directional signage within stations pointing toward the Yamanote Line is yellow-green. There are a total of 30 stations in the line, and each station has a code beginning with “JY”, from JY01 Tokyo Station to JY30 Yurakucho Station. The codes can help you conveniently find your targeted stops.

Since it is a circular route, its two directions are: the outer loop, which departs from Osaki Station, travels clockwise around the loop, and returns to Osaki Station; and the inner loop, which also departs from Osaki Station, but travels counterclockwise around the loop and then returns to Osaki Station.

Introduction to the Major Stations

JY01 Tokyo Station – An Important Transport Hub
Nearby attractions: First Avenue Tokyo Station, Imperial Palace, Marunouchi, Nihonbashi
You can transfer to:
(1) Shinkansen trains to various destinations
(2) JR Lines: Chuo Line (Rapid), Keihin-Tohoku Line, Keiyo Line, Ueno-Tokyo Line, Tokaido Line, Yokosuka Line, Sobu Rapid Line
(3) Subway: Marunouchi Line

JY03 Akihabara Station
Nearby attractions: Mecca for Anime and Video Games, Electronics Shopping Paradise
You can transfer to:
(1) JR Lines: Keihin-Tohoku Line, Chuo-Sobu Line
(2) Subway: Hibiya Line
(3) Private Railways: Tsukuba Express

JY05 Ueno Station
Nearby attractions: Ameyoko, Ueno Park, Ueno Zoo, Tokyo National Museum
You can transfer to:
(1) Shinkansen trains to various destinations
(2) JR Lines: Utsunomiya Line, Takasaki Line, Joban Line, Keihin-Tohoku Line
(3) Subway: Ginza Line, Hibiya Line
(4) Private Railways: Keisei Main Line

JY07 Nippori Station
Nearby attractions: Yanaka Ginza
You can transfer to:
(1) JR Lines: Keihin-Tohoku Line, Joban Line
(2) Private Railways: Keisei Main Line 
(3) Other: Nippori–Toneri Line

JY13 Ikebukuro Station
Nearby attractions: Sunshine City
You can transfer to:
(1) JR Lines: Saikyo Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line
(2) Subway: Marunouchi Line, Yurakucho Line, Fukutoshin Line
(3) Private Railways: Tobu Tojo Line, Seibu Ikebukuro Line

JY17 Shinjuku Station – An Important Transport Hub
Nearby attractions: Kabukicho, Shinjuku Gyoen, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observation Deck
You can transfer to:
(1) JR Lines: Chuo Line (Rapid), Saikyo Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line, Narita Express
(2) Subway: Marunouchi Line, Toei Shinjuku Line, Toei Oedo Line
(3) Private Railways: Odakyu Line, Keio Line

JY18 Yoyogi Station
Nearby attractions: Yoyogi Park
You can transfer to:
(1) JR Lines: Chuo-Sobu Line
(2) Subway: Toei Oedo Line

JY19 Harajuku Station
Nearby attractions: Meiji Shrine, Takeshita Street, Omotesando
You can transfer to:
Subway: Chiyoda Line, Fukutoshin Line

JY20 Shibuya Station
Nearby attractions: Shibuya Crossing, Shibuya Sky, Hachiko Statue
You can transfer to:
(1) JR Lines: Saikyo Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line, Narita Express
(2) Subway: Ginza Line, Hanzomon Line, Fukutoshin Line
(3) Private Railways: Keio Inokashira Line, Tokyu Toyoko Line, Den-en-toshi Line

JY21 Ebisu Station
Nearby attractions: Yebisu Garden Place, Yebisu Beer Brewery
You can transfer to:
(1) JR Lines: Saikyo Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line
(2) Subway: Hibiya Line

JY25 Shinagawa Station
Nearby attractions: Sengakuji Temple, Maxell Aqua Park Shinagawa
You can transfer to:
(1) Shinkansen trains to various destinations
(2) JR Lines: Keihin-Tohoku Line, Tokaido Line, Yokosuka Line
(3) Private Railways: Keikyu Main Line
(4) Other: Tokyo Monorail

JY28 Hamamatsucho Station
Nearby Attractions: Tokyo Tower, World Trade Center Building
You can transfer to:
(1) JR Lines: Keihin-Tohoku Line
(2) Subway: Toei Asakusa Line, Toei Oedo Line
(3) Others: Tokyo Monorail

Operating Hours & Train Frequencies

Trains of the Yamanote Line operate for long hours, generally from 04:26 until around 24:20. Furthermore, trains run very frequently: every 2–3 minutes during peak hours and every 3–5 minutes at other times.

Fare

The ticket prices of the Yamanote Line are calculated according to the distance: it costs JPY160 (USD1) for 1–3 kilometers (0.6-1.8 miles), JPY200 (USD1.2) for 4–6 kilometers (2.5-3.7 miles), JPY210 (USD1.3) for 7–10 kilometers (4.3-6.3 miles), JPY260 (USD1.6) for 11–15 kilometers (6.8-9.3 miles), and JPY350 (USD2.2) for 16–20 kilometers (10-12 miles).

Tips

1. All trains of the Yamanote Line are local ones that stop at every station, and there are no rapid or express trains.
2. When riding the Yamanote Line, there are some ways to quickly judge the direction of the trains. 
(1) The electronic display at the front of trains on the outer loop will show “Bound for Shibuya & Shinjuku”, while the display on the inner Loop will show “Bound for Tokyo & Ueno”.
(2) You can look at the signs on the doors of the platform. The doors for the outer loop platforms have two thin green lines, while those for the inner loop have one thick green line. 
(3) You can tell them apart by the different voices used in the platform announcements: the inner loop announcements are made by a female voice, while the outer loop ones are made by a male voice.