The “newest” JR station
Takanawa Gateway Station /
高輪ゲートウェイ駅
Riding on trains in Japan is a bit infectious. It is very well tuned and pretty easy to use once you get used to it. In Tokyo, the easiest way to get to many of the major tourist destinations is by using the Japan Rail Yamanote Line. The reason why it is easy to use is that it is a loop line. In 2020, a new station was opened to coincide with the 2020 Olympics and Para-Olympics in Tokyo called : Takanawa Gateway.
I arrived at the station from Yokohama by riding the JR Keihin Tohoku line from JR Sakuragicho Station. Yokohama is my favourite place in Eastern Japan. From the train window, the station did not look busy as the train pulled in so I decided to get off and take some photos and videos.
My first impression was that it was very modern and bright due to the way it was designed. The glass canopy overhead and the light oak coloured materials used throughout made the place feel warm and spaceous
Taking the escalator up to the main floor, I saw that there was a Starbucks, a self-checkout convenience store, and coin lockers. The men’s washroom was like a model showroom as it did not appear to be used. It also had a similar design aesthetic with a large frosted glass window at one end to allow light instead of being dark and cavernous like some station washroom.
The signage contained the usual mix of English and Japanese indicating where everything was. There are also elevators, escalators, and stairs to get to both the Yamanote and Keihin Tohoku tracks. Like many of the stations on the JR, the platforms contain a set of automated gates that sync up to the train gates when a train stops in the station. As a result, it takes a few seconds for both doors to completely open/close before people can get out or go in.
After 30 minutes of wandering around taking photos and videos from every possible angle I realized that the station never got busy. A few individuals would depart from the train and exit the station but very few people entered the station. I did not venture out past the gates to check out the area since I had my suitcases with me as I had not arrived at my final destination. Next time, it would be nice to see the surrounding area and check out what is in the area between Takanawa Gateway and Shinagawa Station.
Trainspotting
There is a bit of a peninsula at one end of the station where you can watch trains come and go all day. Those not stopping at Takanawa Gateway station will use the outer tracks and will not pass through the station. Here are a few of the trains that passed through the area. For those who are experts at identifying trains, let me know in the comments below, I just like photographing them.
