Okubo Station (Kyoto Prefecture) (大久保駅 (京都府))
Okubo Station, located at 81-2 Nishiura, Hirono-cho, Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, is a stop on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line of Kintetsu Railways.
Station layout
Okubo Station is an elevated station with two island-type platforms serving four tracks, and is equipped with passing facilities. The platform has a length sufficient to accommodate six cars. Ticket gates are found in only one location.
The automatic ticket gates were manufactured by Toshiba. The red automatic ticket gate (EG-2000) can treat two tickets collectively when exiting, and it accepts PiTaPa/ICOCA cards.
Summary
Of six stations (Ogura Station, Iseda Station, Kutsukawa Station, Terada Station, Tonosho Station and Okubo Station), this is the only one at which express trains stop on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line in Uji City and Joyo City in Kyoto Prefecture. It has the largest number of the passengers among the six stations.
It is a modern-style, elevated rail station with two platforms and four tracks.
Limited express tickets and commuter passes can be purchased at this station.
Barrier-free facilities, such as the escalator between the concourse and the platform, and the elevators that connect the concourse with each platform, were installed relatively early.
When the station was at ground level, it was limited to serving five-car trains because there were railroad crossings at both ends of the platform. Once the station was elevated, six-cars trains could stop at the station.
Under the elevated rail tracks, there are restaurants and grocery stores for the convenience of passengers.
Bicycles and motorized bicycles (categories one and two) can be left in the municipal bicycle parking area. Temporary usage and monthly contracts are available.
There is also an area for month-to-month parking.
The bus terminal is located at the west side of the station. There are some bus stops such as Keihan Uji Bus for points within Uji City, Joyo City, Kumiyama-cho and for Fushimi Ward in Kyoto City (see the "Bus" section below).
There is a taxi stand and municipal paid parking lot (capacity: forty-two vehicles, charged by time) at the east side of the station.
The lines toward both Iseda Station and Kutsukawa Station slope downward, so trains run efficiently by accelerating on the downward slope after leaving Okubo station and slowing down on the upward slope when coming to a stop at Okubo Station having come from either of the two stations.
Passenger use
According to a survey conducted on November 8, 2005, 28,635 people used the station.
This station ranks twenty-fourth among all the Kintetsu stations surveyed (323 stations at that time).
It ranked fifth among the stations on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line (twenty-six stations. including Yamato-Saidaiji Station).
It was third among the Kintetsu stations in Kyoto Prefecture (twenty-three stations).
According to the website of Kintetsu
Station surroundings
The Kintetsu Kyoto Line runs straight through the Kyoto Basin, and Okubo Station is located at the top of a steep range of hills that flank the east side of the mountains in the middle of the basin. As the line near the station is a grade-separated crossing, from the inbound and outbound trains one can see that the station is located atop the hills.
When the station was opened, it was set right between Okubo-mura and Hirono-mura in Kuse-gun, Kyoto Prefecture.
Today, however, the area between two stations is urban.
The station is located in the center of the former Kuse-gun, southwest of Uji City, while Joyo City and Kumiyama-cho Kuse-gun are accessible on foot; the Kintetsu Nara Line runs along with the JR Nara Line of West Japan Railway Company and runs close to the JR Nara Line near Shinden Station in an "X" configuration; various bus routes are operated from the bus terminal, and there are a few car rental agencies next to the station; this area is expected to develop in the future as a key traffic and economic area in Yamashiro region (population: approximately 600,000).
Camp Okubo, of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF)
The Kyoto Plant of Nissan Shatai Co., Ltd.
Uji Tax Office
Nissan Technical School Kyoto
Kyoto Prefectural Jonan Senior High School
Ritsumeikan Uji Junior & Senior High School
Okubo Elementary School, Uji City
The Kyoto Branch of Kintetsu Cable Network (KCN)
SATY (chain store), Okubo
Izumiya (chain store), Okubo
Uji Yodo Line of Kyoto Prefectural Route 15
There are many financial offices such as banks, life-insurance companies and non-life insurance companies.
Bus
There are many bus routes from this station. Most of them are part of Keihan Uji Bus, but some are part of Keihan City Bus.
Bus stop No. 1
No. 58A : bound for Miyanotani
No. 54A : bound for NHO (=National Hospital Organization) Minami-Kyoto Hospital of the Independent Administrative Institution
Bus stop No. 2
Nos. 21, 21A : bound for Nissan Shatai to Yodo Station
Nos. 22A, 22C, 4, 6 : bound for Nissan Shatai to Kumiyama Danchi (residential complex)
The "Midnight Highway" bus, bound for Shinjuku and Shibuya (Tokyo Midnight Express Uji)
Bus stop No. 3
No. 35 : bound for Midorigahara, Ogura to Uji-shako Depot
No. 35B : bound for Ogura, Uji to Kyoto Prefectural Todo Senior High School
Nos. 23, 23A, 25, 26B : bound for Kumiyama Danchi to JUSCO Kumiyama, Chushojima Station
No. 25 : bound for JUSCO Kumiyama to Keihan Chushojima
No. 26 : bound for Sakaemachi to Kumiyama Danchi
No. 26C : bound for Sakaemachi to Kumiyama Chuo Park
No. 310 : bound for Horiike, Ogura to Uji-bunka-center (Uji city culture center)
No. 27C : bound for Jonanso to Uji-shako Depot
Bus stop No. 4
Nos. 240, 240A : bound for Ritsumeikan Uji High School, Botanical Park to Uji Station (Keihan)
Nos. 250, 250A : bound for Ritsumeikan Uji High School, Botanical Park to JR West Obaku Station
Bus stop No. 5
Nos. 21, 22A, 22C, 23, 23A, 27 : Uji Station (Keihan), Uji-shako Depot
No. 6 : Jonanso, Taiyogaoka
Other railroads
Shinden Station (Kyoto Prefecture) (JR West Nara Line) is a five-minute walk to the east.
History
November 3, 1928: The station opened as a station of Nara Electric Railway when the line between Momoyamagoryomae Station and Saidaiji Station (the present-day Yamato-Saidaiji Station) was opened. The station was on the ground, had two separate platforms and two tracks that ran in opposite directions.
October 1, 1963: The station became one of the stations of Kintetsu Railways due to the amalgamation.
The temporary station-house was set up 200 meters north of the regular location. December 14, 1987: Subsequently the railroad elevation work was completed. While this work was underway, the station was rebuilt as an elevated station equipped with passing loops near the temporary station house.
On April 1, 2007: The PiTaPa card became available.
Adjacent stations
Kintetsu Railways
Kintetsu Kyoto Line
Express
Momoyamagoryomae Station - Okubo Station - Shin-Tanabe Station
Semi-express/Local
Iseda Station - Okubo Station - Kutsukawa Station