Nijo Station (二条駅)
Two Nijo stations are located in Nishinokyo Toganoo-cho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, one being Nijo Station of the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and the other being Nijo Station of the Kyoto Municipal Transportation Bureau.
The telegraphic address for the name of the JR station is 'Osanite.'
Railway lines available
West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
Sanin Main Line (Sagano Line): All trains, including those of the limited express type, stop at this station.
The Tozai Line, operated by Kyoto Municipal Subway (station number T15)
It's a station to which the clause 'within the Kyoto City area' in the JR railway fare system of specific metropolitan and urban areas is applied.
Both the bureau and company allow the use of ICOCA (West Japan Railway Company) and PiTaPa (by SURUTTO KANSAI ASSOCIATION) (for other interchangeable cards, refer to the items concerned). J-Through cards can be used only at JR stations, while cards supporting SURUTTO KANSAI ASSOCIATION and Traffica Kyoto cards are usable only at the subway stations.
JR West
Currently, it's an elevated station with a platform serving two tracks, and timber trusses are used in the roof of the station house. In comparison with the design of the previous station house, there were many opinions for the present design, some being "for" and some "against," but the present one earned a "good design" award in fiscal year 1997. From the platform, mountains such as Mt. Hiei can be seen. Before it became an elevated station, no entrance was provided on the Senbon-dori Street side.
Between the entrance/exit gate and the platform, two stairs, an elevator and an up-escalator are provided. Kiosk Heart-in is located in front of the entrance/exit gate. No shopping is available on the platform, but a waiting room and an automatic vending machine are provided.
In the era of the former station house which was built on the ground level, it was well known nationally, having a solemn shape reminiscent of a shrine or a temple, with a VIP room provided as well. The station house, designed by the architect Chuta ITO, was also used as the headquarters of Kyoto Electric Railway. It was initially planned that the station house would be constructed with brick, but it's said that with the station being located near to Nijo-jo Castle, the plan was changed to a construction in the Japanese style in consideration of the landscape, or that it would follow the graceful example set by the station house of Utsunomiya Station on the Tohoku Main Line. Becoming an obstacle to lay temporary tracks for the work of elevating the railway between Nijo and Hanazono, in October 1990 the station house was moved, as it was, 15 meters eastward. It took two days to move the station house, given its weight of approximately 300 tons. Subsequently, it was used as the temporary station house during the track elevation work, but it ended its role as a station house in 1996 when the work of elevating the tracks and building the new station house was completed. Being the only Japanese-style station house remaining from the Meiji period as well as a building to symbolize the modernization of Kyoto, the station house became a Kyoto-designated cultural property on April 1, 1996 and was dismantled and reconstructed, albeit at reduced width, in the Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum.
Kyoto Municipal Subway
The station is placed underground, and an island platform serves two tracks. Each station on the Tozai Line has a designated color, and the one for Nijo Station is bright yellow.
Passenger use
Although the station is located near to Nijo-jo Castle, surprisingly it isn't used by many tourists, and many of its users are found to be students or residents of the neighboring communities. The limited express trains running in the direction of the northern area of Kyoto Prefecture (Tango) stop at this station. Many of the people who go from the central area of Kyoto City to the northern area of Kyoto Prefecture use this station.
JR West
The average number of persons who got on board at this station each day in fiscal 2006 was 11,762.
The average number of persons who got on board at this station each day in fiscal 2006 was 9,696.
Station surroundings
In the previous JR station, only one entrance/exit place was provided on the east side, which is on the Senbon-dori Street side, but since the Tozai Line run by Kyoto Municipal Subway started began operating and the railway tracks of the Sanin Main Line (Sagano Line) have been elevated, the area on its western side has been developed, and recently city buses and taxis have become available on the west entrance side.
Along Senbon-dori Street on the east side of the station, the Kyoto Dental Association Oral Health Center and the JR Nijo Station NK Building opened in September 2000 and on March 1, 2006, respectively. On the west side, BiVi Nijo, an amusement complex featuring TOHO cinemas, opened on June 25, 2005. In the area in the northwest corner of the Senbon-Sanjo-dori Street crossing, southeast of this station, the Ritsumeikan Suzaku Campus (Nakagawa Kaikan) opened in September 2006, and the headquarters of the Ritsumeikan Incorporated Institution and Ritsumeikan University School of Law moved into the area. Although the precise opening date isn't known, it's scheduled that the hotel Mielparque, related to Japan Post, the original landowner, will be built in an area further to the north.
Senbon-dori Street is located in the north-south direction on the east side of the station. Oike-dori Street, running in the east-west direction, is severed at this station, so a vehicle must enter Oshikoji-dori Street under the elevated tracks on the north side of the station and then return to Oike-dori Street. Many stores are found on the east side of the station, mainly along Senbon-dori Street and Oike-dori Street. On the west side of this station, many houses and mid-/small-sized factories are densely packed up to Nishioji-dori Street. The Nijo Driving School is located northwest of the station. Because an improved road is provided along Sanin Main Line corresponding to the elevation of the railway tracks, one can walk to the adjacent Emmachi Station. Its neighborhood has become a secondary center of the city.
Shinsen-en Temple, Nijo-jo Castle and the integrated Nakagyo Ward office (the ward office) are located at distances of 300 meters to 500 meters east of the station. These places are nearer to Nijojo-mae Station for those who use the subway.
The nearest stations on other lines are as follows:
Nishioji-Sanjo Station, on the Arashiyama Main Line operated by Keifuku Electric Railroad: Approximately 15 minutes on foot
Omiya Station, on the Hankyu Kyoto Line operated by Hankyu Railway: About 15 minutes on foot
Buses
A traffic circle is found at each of the east and west entrance areas, and buses on the following routes stop there:
Nijo Station-nishiguchi (the west entrance to Nijo Station)
Route 69: Bound for Katsura Station-higashiguchi (the east entrance to Katsura Station) in the direction of Mozume
Bound for Kansai International Airport and Osaka International Airport
Additionally, the Nijo-ekimae (front of Nijo Station) stop is located along Senbon-dori Street on its eastern side.
Nijo Station-mae (in front of Nijo Station)
Kyoto City bus
West JR Bus Company (Takao Keihoku Route)
Bound for Kyoto Station/Toganoo and Keihoku-cho
History
February 15, 1897: This station came into use when Kyoto Electric Railway started operations between this station and Saga-Arashiyama Station.
April 27, 1897: Kyoto Electric Railway started its operation between Omiya Station and this station.
June 1904: The construction of the station house, which also served as the headquarters of Kyoto Electric Railway, was completed.
August 1, 1907: Kyoto Electric Railway was nationalized.
June 11, 1912: The Nijo-ekimae stop was introduced when Kyoto City Trams started its operation between Mibu Shako-mae and Senbon Marutamachi on the Senbon Line.
January 23, 1972: The use of the Nijo-ekimae stop ceased when the operation of the Senbon Line run by Kyoto City Trams was discontinued.
April 1, 1987: Due to the division and privatization of JNR, it became a station of the West Japan Railway Company and the Japan Freight Railway Company.
October, 1990: The station house was moved eastward, as it was, by a distance of 15 meters.
March 16, 1996: The work to elevate the railway tracks was completed. Concurrently, the operation of setting up freight trains was discontinued. In the past, a freight yard, despite being small in scale, existed on the west side of this station and a special railway from there to the Japan Food Warehouse and an oil-storage site was provided in the south direction, over Sanjo-dori Street. The former station house was dismantled and reconstructed, albeit at reduced width, in the Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum.
October 12, 1997: The Tozai Line of Kyoto Municipal Subway went into operation. At that time, this station was a terminal.
April 1, 2006: The handling of cargo for JR was discontinued at this station.
January 16, 2008: The operation of the Tozai Line of Kyoto Municipal Subway was extended to Uzumasa Tenjingawa Station, thus depriving this station of its status as a terminal.
Others
Nijo Station of JR West was chosen in the third event for the selection of 100 prominent stations in the Kinki region, which was held in 2002.
Adjacent stations
West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
Limited express trains 'Tamba (train),' 'Kinosaki (train),' 'Hashidate (train),' 'Maizuru (train)' and 'Discovery (train) stop at this station.
Rapid
Kyoto Station - Nijo Station - Emmachi Station
Local
Tambaguchi Station - Nijo Station - Emmachi Station
Tozai Line
Nijojo-mae Station (T14) - Nijo Station (T15) - Nishioji Oike Station (T16)