東海道線
The 445-kilometer Tôkaidôsen, from
Tokyo to
Maibara, is
Japan's most important intercity rail line, after the
Shinkansen. The segment from
Shinbashi to
Yokohama was Japan's first rail service ever, built during the 1870's with the help of engineers from
England.
The line was extended all the way to the Osaka region by 1889, roughly following the route of the ancient Tokaido road along the southern coast of Honshu. Soon, it became nightmarishly busy with passengers and freight traveling between the Kanto and Kansai regions. Back then, of course, the trip was in a steam train averaging 80 km/h: things began to speed up in 1956, when the Tokaido Line was electrified.
The advent of Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, and other domestic air carriers during the 1950's slightly alleviated the Tokaido line's traffic, but the aircraft were still small and the airfares were still high. It wasn't until the Shinkansen opened in the mid-1960's that the traffic along the Tokaido line began to slow down.
When Japan National Railways was privatized in 1987, the Tokaido Line west of Maibara ended up in the hands of the West Japan Railway, and became what is now known as the Biwako Line and Kyoto Line.
Nowadays, there are very few trains that run the entire length of the Tokaido line. Most of them are sleeper expresses, such as the Moonlight Nagara, which offer a slightly cheaper alternative to airplanes and the Shinkansen. During the daytime, you can get from Tokyo to Maibara in about seven hours, provided that you stick to rapid service trains: this is generally most useful if you have something along the lines of the Seishun 18 Ticket. Unlike the much slower Chuo Line, virtually all stretches of the Tokaido Line are busy: trains will pass by every 15 minutes on a slow day, and can run as little as two minutes apart during rush hours in Tokyo and Nagoya.
From Tokyo to Atami, the Tokaido line is run by the East Japan Railway. The Central Japan Railway takes over from there. Maibara Station is run by the West Japan Railway, but JR West doesn't run any Tokaido Line trains.
After Odawara, the line runs for about 20 km on a hillside along the coast: this is definitely the coolest part of the trip, and a refreshing change from the urban scenery that characterizes most of the line.
The stations on the Tokaido Line are:
Station Distance Transfers
Tokyo Station Marunouchi Line, Shinkansen, Yamanote Line,
Keihin Tohoku Line, Chuo Line, Yokosuka Line,
Sobu Line, Keiyo Line
Shinbashi 1.9 Ginza Line, Asakusa Line, Yurikamome,
Yamanote Line, Keihin Tohoku Line, Yokosuka Line
Shinagawa 6.8 Keikyu, Shinkansen, Yamanote Line,
Keihin Tohoku Line, Yokosuka Line
KANAGAWA PREFECTURE
Yokohama 28.8 Yokohama City Subway, Tokyu, Keikyu, Sotetsu,
Keihin Tohoku Line, Negishi Line, Yokosuka Line,
Shonan Shinjuku Line
Hodogaya 31.8 Yokosuka Line
Higashi-Totsuka 36.7 Yokosuka Line
Totsuka 40.9 Yokohama City Subway, Yokosuka Line
Ofuna 46.5 Shonan Monorail, Negishi Line, Yokosuka Line,
Shonan Shinjuku Line
Fujisawa 51.1 Odakyu, Enoshima Railway
Tsujido 54.8
Chigasaki 58.6 Sagami Line
Hiratsuka 63.8
Oiso 67.8
Ninomiya 73.1
Kozu 77.7 Gotemba Line
Kamonomiya 80.8
Odawara 83.9 Odakyu, Izu-Hakone Railway, Shinkansen
Hayakawa 86.0
Nebukawa 90.4
Manazuru 95.8
Yugawara 99.1
Atami 104.6 Ito Line
SHIZUOKA PREFECTURE
Kannami 114.5
Mishima 120.7 Izu-Hakone Railway, Shinkansen
Numazu 126.2 Gotemba Line
Katahama 130.3
Hara 132.8
Higashi-tagonoura 137.4
Yoshiwara 141.3 Gakunan Railway
Fuji 146.2 Minobu Line
Fujikawa 149.7
Shin-kambara 152.5
Kambara 154.9
Yui 158.4
Okitsu 164.3
Shimizu 169.0
Kusanagi 174.2 Shizuoka Railway
Higashi-shizuoka 177.7
Shizuoka 180.2 Shinkansen
Abekawa 184.5
Mochimune 186.6
Yaizu 193.7
Nishi-yaizu 197.0
Fujieda 200.3
Rokugo 204.9
Shimada 207.8
Kanaya 212.9 Oigawa Railway
Kikugawa 222.2
Kakegawa 229.3 Tenryu Hamanako Railway, Shinkansen
Aino 234.6
Fukuroi 238.1
Iwata 245.9
Toyodacho 248.8
Tenryugawa 252.7
Hamamatsu 257.1 Enshu Railway, Shinkansen
Takatsuka 262.4
Maisaka 267.5
Bentenjima 269.8
Araimachi 272.9
Washizu 276.6
Shinjohara 282.4 Tenryu Hamanako Railway
AICHI PREFECTURE
Futagawa 286.7
Toyohashi 293.6 Meitetsu, Toyohashi Railway, Shinkansen, Iida Line
Nishi-kozakai 298.4
Aichi-mito 302.1
Mikawa-otsuka 305.2
Mikawa-miya 308.3
Gamagori 310.6 Meitetsu
Mikawa-shiotsu 312.9 Meitetsu
Sangane 315.5
Koda 318.5
Okazaki 325.9 Aichi Loop Railway
Nishi-okazaki 330.1
Anjo 333.7
Mikawa-anjo 336.3 Shinkansen
Higashi-kariya 338.1
Kariya 341.6 Meitetsu
Aizuma 343.5
Obu 346.5 Taketoyo Line
Kyowa 349.5
Odaka 353.6
Kasadera 356.8
Atsuta 360.8
Kanayama 362.7 Meijo Line, Meitetsu, Chuo Line
Otobashi 363.6
Nagoya 366.0 Higashiyama Line, Sakuradori Line, Kintetsu,
Meitetsu, Shinkansen, Kansai Line
Biwajima 370.0 Tokai Kotsu Jigyo
Kiyosu 373.8
Inazawa 377.1
Owari-ichinomiya 383.1 Meitetsu
Kisogawa 388.6
GIFU PREFECTURE
Gifu 396.3 Takayama Line
Nishi-gifu 399.5
Hozumi 402.3
Ogaki 410.0 Kintetsu, Tarumi Railway
Tarui 418.1
Sekigahara 423.8
SHIGA PREFECTURE
Kashiwabara 430.9
Omi-nagaoka 435.2
Samegai 439.8
Maibara 445.9 Shinkansen, Biwako Line, Hokuriku Line