Hamamatsucho station guide. How to transfer JR, Tokyo Monorail and Subway lines

Station information
JR Hamamatsucho stations platforms
JR Hamamatsucho stations platforms

Hamamatsucho is one of the stations on Yamanote line in downtown Tokyo. This station is not a mega station, such as Tokyo, Shinjuku. But this station is the hub of local transportation in downtown Tokyo. JR Yamanote line and JR Keihin Tohoku line connects many places in downtown Tokyo. Tokyo Monorail connects Haneda airport and Hamamatsucho.

And there is subway Daimon station. This stations is different name from Hamamatsucho station. But actually these stations are located in same place. You can catch Toei subway Asakusa line and Oedo line at Daimon station.

I believe many of travelers who visit Tokyo may use this station. I would like to tell you about these stations in this post.

JR and Monorail Hamamatsucho station overview

Stairs to South and Central gates
Stairs to South and Central gates

Hamamatsucho station is located on Yamanote line between Tokyo and Shinagawa. Only trains of Yamanote line and Keihin Tohoku line depart and arrive at Hamamatsucho station. Yamanote line is loop line. You can access to most part of Tokyo, such as Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Shibuya, Tokyo, Ueno, Akihabara and Shinagawa. Keihin Tohoku line runs between Omiya and Yokohama. It runs through eastern part of Tokyo, such as Ueno, Akihabara, Tokyo, Shinagawa.

Hamamatsucho station is the terminal station of Tokyo Monorail too. It connects Hamamatsucho and Haneda airport. If you arrive and/or depart at Haneda airport, you may take this monorail train and need to change train and monorail here at Hamamatsucho station.

Station structure, tracks and platforms

Signage of tracks and platforms of JR lines
Signage of tracks and platforms of JR lines

Before I start to explain about this station, I would like you to refer the station map in JR East official site. It is shown in English.
JR East official site, Hamamatsucho station English map

Hamamatsucho station is four levels structure on the ground. JR trains, Keihin Tohoku line and Yamanote line platforms are located on the second floor. Tokyo Monorail platforms are located on fourth floor. These platforms are connected walkway on third floor.

JR and Monorail stations are connected by the walkway directly. You can change trains easily.

Platforms (JR)

Track#Lines/TrainsDestination
1Keihin Tohoku lineTokyo, Ueno, Omiya
2Yamanote lineTokyo, Ueno, Ikebukuro
3Yamanote lineShinagawa, Shibuya, Shinjuku
4Keihin Tohoku lineShinagawa, Yokohama, Kannai, Ofuna

JR Hamamatsucho station has only two platforms and very simple layout. You cannot miss the direction.

Platforms (Tokyo Monorail)

TrackDestination
Arrivalalighting only
DepartureTennozu Isle, Haneda Airport
Monorail departure platform
Monorail departure platform
Stairs and escalators to transfer gate from Tokyo Monorail platform

Tokyo Monorail Hamamatsucho station has only one track. The platforms are both side of track. One platform is for arrival and the other is for departure. This is very simple too.

Find your hotels in 500 cities throughout Japan!!!

 

Hotels in Haneda airport
Hotels in Shinagawa station
Hotels in Asakusa
Hotels in Hamamatsucho

Ticket gate/Exit

South gate
South gate

JR and Monorail Hamamatsucho stations have three ticket gate, north, central and south.

This map shows location of gates
This map shows location of gates

Central and south gates are located on the bridge at third floor. Central gate is the transfer gate to Tokyo Monorail. If you transfer between JR trains and Monorail, you can go through Central gate to change the trains. You do not need to go up and down. You can move at same level.

Inside of Tokyo Monorail Central/Transfer gate
Walkway between Monoral transfer gate and JR platforms

If you use JR Pass, JR East Pass, Tokyo Wide Pass, Hokuriku Arch Pass, just show your pass to go through ticket gate. All these passes cover Tokyo Monorail too.

South gate is also connected with the walkway to World Trade Center building.

North gate is located at the north end of Hamamatsucho station and it is on the ground floor. If you change Toei subway lines, you can find the entrance to subway Daimon station near this gate.

Stairs to North gate
Stairs to North gate
North gate
North gate
Outside of North gate
Outside of North gate

Toei Subway Daimon station

Asakusa line ticket gate (C) Nyao148 [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Asakusa line ticket gate (C) Nyao148 [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

As I mentioned above, subway Daimon station is same location as Hamamatsucho station. You can find the entrance to Daimon station near north gate of Hamamatsucho.

You can catch two subway line trains at Daimon station.

  • Asakusa line – Oshiage, Asakusa, Sengakuji, Gotanda, Nishimagome
  • Oedo line – Shinjuku, Yoyogi, Tsukijishijo, Hikarigaoka

Please refer the map of Tokyo subway system in the link below:

Route map of Tokyo subway lines

Tip for traveler who wants to go to Asakusa from Haneda

When you go to Asakusa from Haneda (or reverse), you can catch Tokyo Monorail from Haneda to Hamamatsucho and take subway Asakusa line from Hamaatsucho to Asakusa. Especially if you will use JR Pass, JR East Pass or Tokyo Wide Pass, you can take Tokyo Monorail by these passes. You can save your cost for Haneda to Hamaamtsucho.

However if you want to take more convenient and easier way, you can catch Keihin Kyuko railway train from Haneda. Many Keihin Kyuko trains run through subway Asakusa line. You can get Asakusa from Haneda directly. Even though this route is not covered by JR Pass, JR East Pass or Tokyo Wide Pass at all, Keihin Kyuko and subway route is the easiest way for getting Asakusa from Haneda.

Station structure, tracks and platforms

Unfortunately only Japanese station map is available. I put the link below.

Toei Subway Daimon station map (Japanese)

It looks very complicated. But each lines have two tracks. Asakusa line depart and arrive at track #1 and #2 on basement first floor. Oedo line depart at track #3 and #4 on basement 5th floor. Oedo line is much newer line and runs in very deep underground. There was no space in shallow underground.

Platforms

Track#Lines/TrainsDestination
1Asakusa lineSengakuji, Gotanda, Nishimagome
Shinagawa, Haneda airport via Keihin Kyuko Railway
2Asakusa, Oshiage
Narita airport via Keisei Railway
3Oedo lineRoppongi, Shinjuku, Hikarigaoka
4Shiodome, Tsukijishijo, Ryogoku, Tochomae

Ticket gate and exit

B2 entrance is located just in front of JR Hamamtsucho station North gate.
B2 entrance is located just in front of JR Hamamtsucho station North gate.

There are many exits in this station. All exits have number, such as A1, B1. B2 is the nearest exit to Hamamatsucho station.

Both Asakusa line and Oedo line have ticket gates. But both platforms are connected inside ticket gate. If you enter at the wrong line, you still can proceed to the platform where you want to take subway train. There are many signage in the station. Just follow the signage and you can find the location.

I am glad if this post assist you to build your plan.

Comments

  1. Nata says:

    Hello ,
    I need to get from Haneda to Kinshichō Station.
    Planing to buy Keikyu Haneda/Subway Common Pass

    Do I need to get off the train or it will come directly to Kinshicho station
    Or i should go with a bus ?
    I will have a carry on luggage
    thanks

  2. Evi says:

    Hi Takeshi-san
    I plan to go to Kawaguchiko from Haneda International Airport by using my Tokyo Wide Pass.
    Should I take Tokyo Monorail and change to JR Yamanote line in Hamamatsu Station ?
    or is it possible to use my Tokyo Wide Pass to take Keikyu Kuko Line to Shinagawa ?

    Please advice.
    I will travel on November 20, 2019

    thanks in advance

  3. Dennis says:

    Hello Takeshi san,
    I would like to know whether I can exchange and activate JR pass at Hamamatsucho station.
    In the morning, I am planning to travel from Hamamatsucho to Shinagawa station for Shinkansen train to Shin-Osaka. If the JR pass can be exchanged, then I will save some money on the train from Hamamatsucho to Shinagawa because I can use JR pass.
    This website (http://www.japanrailpass.net/en/exchange.html) says that there is a JR office in Hamamatsucho station but another website (https://www.jrpass.com/forum/using-the-japan-rail-pass/posts/can-i-exchange-my-jr-pass-in-hamamatsucho-station-tokyo) says there is no JR pass exchange at Hamamatsucho station. I am confused. Appreciate your advice.

  4. Andy says:

    Hi there,

    We are planning on taking the Monorail from Haneda Airpoprt and get off the Monorail at Hamamatsucho Station connect to the JR Yamanote Line to Shinjuku Station. We arrive at 5:15am. I have the following questions:

    1) Can I buy both the monorail ticket and the ticket for the JR Yamanote Line at Haneda? If not where do we buy the ticket for the 2nd leg?

    2) We also want to pick up a 7-day JR pass but not to be used straight away i.e. later in our travels. However, the office in Haneda doesnt open until 6:45am. Given how busy the train lines get and that we will have luggage is it better to get out of the airport asap and then just pick up our JR pass from Shinjuki Station at a later date?

    3) Can we buy the combined 72hr Tokyo Metro & Toei Subway card from Haneda Airport?

    Any advise appreciated. Thank you.

  5. Qi says:

    Can I buy a Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen ticket to Kyoto at JP Travel Service Center at Hamamatsucho Station in the morning, and travel to Sinagawa Station to catch Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen?

  6. Cikguchin says:

    Hi, My wife and I would want to visit Yokohama (Sakuragicho).

    Our hotel is nearby Hamamatsucho station. Please advice the earliest time how we can avoid to crazy rush hour and which station to take the train.

    Is it Hamamatsucho to Shibuya and then to Yokohama?
    Or Hamamatsucho to Shinagawa to Yokohama?

    Hope to have your response. Thank you in advance

  7. Peaches says:

    Hi,

    I’m planning to visit Tokyo in the beginning of March 2019. I was wondering how do I get to Nomizo Falls/Kameiwa Cave located in the city of Kimitsu in Chiba Prefecture without using a taxi. I will be coming from the Narita International Airport to Kazusa-Kameyama Station then afterwards I’m a bit lost how to navigate to Nomizo Falls. I’ve been reading around the internet and people mentioned taking a highway bus but I am not familiar where and how they run. Any information would be great!

    Thank you in advance,

    Peaches

    • Hi Peaches,

      You have to take a taxi anyway. If you take a train, you have to take a taxi from Kazusa-Kameyama station. Express runs from Tokyo and Chiba stations. But express bus takes you to Kimitsu Furusato Bussankan (Kimitsu roadside station). You have to take a taxi from there.

      The taxi is called “Demand Taxi”. It’s not a regular taxi. You have to make a call to book in advance. This is a sort of share ride. You might take a car with other passengers. I don’t know they speak English or other foreign language but I put the number here in case.
      0439-27-3188 (open 8:00 to 18:00)

      I don’t know about the fare. Please call the number to find more info.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  8. Ross Drysdale says:

    Hi, I want to go from my hotel near Hamamatsucho Station to Narita for a flight that departs at 10.10am on a Thursday so I need to get to the airport before 8am. I was planning to travel by train from Hamamatsucho to Ueno Station and get the Keisei Skyliner to Narita. Is this the quickest way to the airport and are there any combined tickets I can pre-purchase. Many thanks for your advice.

  9. Feis says:

    Hi, may I know if the monorail and JR trains will be busy after 5pm? I will be reaching Haneda around 5pm and am worried that the trains will be crowded due to peak hours. Thanks!

    • Hi Feis,

      It is busy. But you may handle it. Hamamatsuho station is always busy anyway. In the morning from 7:30 to 9:00, it’s super crazy. But other than that, it is acceptable.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JPRail.com

  10. Kampan Chungwatana says:

    Hello,

    I am taking the Monorail from Haneda Airpoprt and get off the Monorail at Hamamatsucho Station, to commute to either Tokyo Station or Shinjuku Station.

    My questions concering boarding an JR Train at Hamamatsucho Station, are as following:

    1. Between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., Is it crowded to board an JR train to Tokyo Station or Shinjuku Station from ?

    For example, the trains to Tokyo Station will not be so crowed as the trains to Shinjuku Station during the mentioned hours, or both directions are not crowded.

    2. For a group of five travellers from abroad with luggage, will it be troublesome to get onto the JR trains during the mentioned hours?

    Thanks for your advice/recommendations.

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