Kawasaki Station | |
| Style: | JR East |
| Native Name: | 川崎駅 |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Address: | Ekimae-Honchō, Kawasaki Ward, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture 210-0007 |
| Country: | Japan |
| Coordinates: | 35.5314°N 139.6969°W |
| Distance: | from |
| Platforms: | 3 island platforms |
| Tracks: | 6 |
| Structure: | At grade |
| Status: | Staffed (Midori no Madoguchi) |
| Passengers: | 215,234 daily |
| Pass Year: | FY2019 |
| Map Type: | Japan Kanagawa Prefecture#Japan Tokyo Bay and Boso Peninsula#Japan |
| Map Dot Label: | Kawasaki Station |
is a junction passenger railway station located in the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
Kawasaki Station is served by the following JR East lines.The station is 18.2km (11.3miles) from and 48.5km (30.1miles) from .
The station has three elevated island platforms serving six tracks, with an elevated station building built into a shopping center. The station has a Midori no Madoguchi staffed ticket office.
The song "Ue o Muite Arukou" (上を向いて歩こう, Ue wo Muite Arukou), commonly known worldwide as "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto, born in Kawasaki, is used as the departure melody for Platforms 1 and 2.
The station opened on 10 July 1872 (June 5 in original Japanese calendar then in use) as the first intermediate station of the first railway in Japan when it was providing a trial service on the section between Shinagawa Station and Sakuragichō Station in Yokohama before the official inauguration in October 1872.[1]
The Nambu Railway, which later became the Nambu Line, opened on 9 March 1927.
Kawasaki City Tram operated a 6.7km (04.2miles) line from its Shiden Kawasaki terminal in front of this station to the now-closed Shiohama Station from 1944 to 1969.[2] [3]
In fiscal 2019, the station was used by an average of 215,234 passengers daily (boarding passengers only).[4]
The passenger figures (boarding passengers only) for previous years are as shown below.
| Fiscal year | daily average |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 163,495[5] |
| 2010 | 185,300[6] |
| 2015 | 207,725[7] |
Connected to the west side of the station is the Lazona Kawasaki Plaza shopping mall. Connected to the east of the station is the "Atre Kawasaki" shopping complex. There are also various other commercial establishments around the station, including More-s Department Store, Yodobashi Camera, and Tokyu Hands. Keikyu Kawasaki Station, operated by the private railway operator Keikyu is located to the northeast.
The basement area of the adjoining More's department store is home to what is dubbed "the world's shortest escalator", with a height difference of just 83.4cm (32.8inches).[8]