Tobu Railway “Asakusa Station”: Tobu Isezaki Line, Tobu Skytree Line “At the end of a sharp curve is a luxurious co-starring of limited express trains. This is the starting station of Tobu Railway’s main trunk line.”

Have you ever wondered what kind of stations are at the ends of the train lines you usually ride on without thinking about it? Have you ever wondered what kind of stations are the terminus and the starting station? This blog, “The last station is the starting station,” reports on such modest interests. This time, I would like to introduce Asakusa Station of Tobu Railway.

About Asakusa Station on the Tobu Isezaki Line

The eastern end of Taito Ward, one of Tokyo’s 23 wards, is famous for tourist attractions such as the Kaminarimon Gate and Senso-ji Temple. Asakusa Station, the starting station of the Tobu Main Line including the Tobu Isezaki Line and the Tobu Skytree Line, is located along the Sumida River where the Oedo Fireworks Festival is held every summer.

Originally, the old Asakusa station was built on the opposite side of the Sumida River, at the location of the Tokyo Skytree station.In 1931, the line was extended and the station was established at its current location under the name Asakusa Station. In 1927, the subway Ginza Line had already opened between Asakusa and Ueno, so the name Asakusa Station already existed.

Asakusa, Tokyo, once a prosperous entertainment district. You may have heard of this place at least once. Tobu Railway Asakusa Station, the gateway to Asakusa, is a very modern terminal station with a platform on the second floor of a huge station building with seven floors above ground and one below, which houses commercial facilities such as Matsuya Asakusa and Ekimise.

When I first saw the rails being laid to the second floor of the huge station building and trains being sucked into and out of the building, I was excited to see what a futuristic station it was. (That was when I was a kid.) The station is very distinctive and unusual, with a sharp 90-degree turn that has never been seen on any other line, and a platform that is narrow and difficult to get on and off due to the curve. It has been selected as one of the 100 best stations in the Kanto region.

This station is the starting point of the Tobu Isesaki Line, which is also the main artery of Tobu Railway. Many of you may be wondering what kind of railway station it is. Asakusa Station is the terminal station in Tokyo where people take the limited express to go on a trip or arrive in Tokyo. We visited Asakusa Station on the Tobu Main Line, which is a place where such a variety of people come together.　

Terminal station that serves as the starting point of the Tobu Main Line

Tobu Railway Asakusa Station is located on the second floor of a huge building that houses department stores and tenants. The ticket and express ticket booths are located on the first floor concourse immediately after entering the station.

And if you go down to the basement, you can take the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line. If you exit the station and walk about 200 meters, you can transfer to the Toei Asakusa Line. Incidentally, Asakusa Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line was opened on December 30, 1927 between Asakusa and Ueno Stations as the first subway in Japan, or even in the East, so it has existed much longer than the Tobu Railway Asakusa Station. Asakusa was prosperous in those days, with a huge station building directly connected to a department store above ground and the first subway line in the East running underground.

The main ticket gate is spread out as you go up to the second floor. Asakusa Station was partially renewed from the ticket gate to the platform of Spacia X in time for the debut of the express Spacia X in July 2023.

As you pass through the ticket gates and enter the Asakusa Station premises, platforms 1 through 5 spread out before you, almost making you forget that you are in a building.

This is a stop sign for Asakusa Station, a major artery of Tobu Railway and the terminus of the Tobu Isesaki Line and Tobu Skytree Line. The starting and ending point of the Tobu Main Line. A long, long journey begins here, branching off to Tatebayashi, Kuzu, Nishi-Koizumi, Ota, Akagi, Shin-Tochigi, Tobu-Utsunomiya, Shimo-Imaichi, Tobu-Nikko, and other stations.

The company that operates Tokyo Sky Tree is an affiliate of Tobu Railway called Tobu Tower Sky Tree Co. Since this is a project that Tobu Railway is focusing on with the aim of making the Tobu Line area a tourist destination, it makes sense that the suburbs of the Tokyo metropolitan area would be named the Tobu Skytree Line.　

Tobu Railway Asakusa Station’s famous 90-degree sharp curve

There is a sharp 90-degree turn, which is one of the features of Tobu Asakusa Station, as the trains passing by make a high-pitched noise.

Why did they have to make such a sharp curve? In the past, the Tobu Isezaki Line submitted an application to the government to extend the line from Tokyo Skytree Station to Ueno Station, aiming for a terminal station connecting to the Yamanote Line, but the application was regrettably rejected and a station was built in Asakusa.

Originally, we would have liked to build an Asakusa station directly across the Sumida River, but that plan was also abandoned because the Sensoji temple site is located beyond the station. As a result, it seems that in order to avoid Sensoji Temple and build the station at its current location, it had to make a large bend just before the station and make a sharp curve to accommodate it.

The effect of the sharp curve is not limited to a high-pitched sound, but also brings features to the station platform. If the platform is straight, passengers can get on and off from any of the train doors, but the closer one gets to the sharp curve, the more the platform tapers off, making it difficult to even walk on the platform and making it an off-limits zone. Please note that it is not possible to get in and out of the car for this reason.　

Luxurious co-starring of limited express trains

The highlight of Tobu Railway’s Asakusa Station is the co-starring of Tobu Railway’s luxury express trains. The express train boarding platform is dedicated to tracks 3, 4, and 5. From this point forward, an express ticket is required.

“Today’s Express Train Information” is displayed on the monitor on the 1st floor. Express trains are headed to tourist destinations such as Tobu Nikko, Kinugawa Onsen, and Akagi, and just looking at the monitors will make you feel like you are on a trip. The train icon is cool.

By the way, express tickets for the day can be purchased at the ticket vending machines located on the platform.

The Tobu N100 Series “Limited Express Spacia X” is the most eye-catching of the limited express trains.

Limited Express Spacia X has its own platform on Track 5.

The atmosphere of the platform has also changed considerably from the previous platform 5, with the walls being wood-grained to match the debut of Spacia X.

And no matter how many new express trains are introduced, the gap problem when boarding the train cannot be solved. The sharp curve of the platform at Asakusa Station is unavoidable.

The express train is also indicated at the foot of the train. The icons are easy to understand. It is also cool that the Spacia X has only a logo.

Asakusa Station, a huge station building in Asakusa, once lined with theaters and entertainment facilities, was once the busiest entertainment district in Japan. The characteristic sharp 90-degree curve is also a good product of the times.　

Around the station

Asakusa Station faces National Route 6, and the heavy traffic makes you feel that you are in a city as soon as you exit the station.

The Azuma-bashi Bridge, which is located near the Sumida River, offers a beautiful view of the Tokyo Sky Tree.

There are sightseeing boats and yakatabune (houseboats) along the river, and you can enjoy the Tokyo cityscape from the boats as well.

Kamiya Bar, famous for its electric blanc, is located at the intersection at the foot of Azuma-bashi Bridge. Founded in 1880 as the first bar in Japan. The building was built in 1921 and is still in use as it was then.

Kaminarimon is one of the landmarks of Asakusa. It is always crowded with many tourists.

You have to go near the Kaminarimon lanterns to see this, but the bottoms of the lanterns are very elaborately carved. This is Edo chic.

The Nakamise shopping street, which runs from Kaminarimon to Sensoji Temple, is one of the oldest shopping streets in Japan, established in the Edo period.　

Gallery

This is the Asakusa Station report for the Tobu Isezaki Line and Tobu Skytree Line. From now on, when you see a train bound for Asakusa or on the departure information board, I would be happy if you could think of Asakusa Station as seen in this blog.
Thank you for reading to the end.

Asakusa station Access