Yokohama Station – Orientation & Facilities

Yokohama Station is a major transportation hub in Yokohama serving six lines operated by JR, four lines operated by private railway companies, and one line of the city’s subway system. These lines provide easy access to several key destinations in Yokohama and Tokyo.

In addition to the JR lines the other lines running from this station are:

• The Keikyu Main Line
• The Minatomirai Line
• The Tokyu Toyoko Line
• The Sotetsu Main Line
• Yokohama Municipal Subway’s Blue Line

Yokohama Station is very big and very busy, so in this article we will explain its general layout and how to find your way around.

Passengers traveling to Yokohama by high-speed shinkansen should see our article on Shin-Yokohama Station.

Orientation

Yokohama Station is operated by several different railway companies, so each part is actually a separate station. But these separate stations are very closely connected.

JR & Keikyu

The main part of the station is located in the B1 basement level and the 1st floor of the Yokohama Station building. In the B1 level you can find the ticket gates for lines operated by the JR and Keikyu railway companies.

Keikyu ticket gates are on the east side of the station building. The platforms for these lines are on the 1st floor. Keikyu run services from platforms 1 and 2 and JR run services from platforms 3 to 10.

Sotetsu

The Sotetsu station is located inside the Joinus shopping center on the southwest side of the main station building. Ticket gates can be found on the 1st and 2nd floors and platforms are on the 2nd floor.

Yokohama Municipal Subway Blue Line

Entrances to the Yokohama Municipal Subway station can also be found on the southwest side of the main station building both inside and outside the Joinus shopping center.

Inside Joinus you can find the entrance to the subway station on the 1st floor directly opposite the entrance to the Sotetsu station. Ticket gates can be found on the B2 basement level and platforms are on the B3 level.

Minatomirai & Tokyu

The Minatomirai and Tokyu railway companies share an underground railway station on the west side of the station building. Ticket gates are on the B3 basement level and platforms are on the B5 level. Entrances to this station can be found just inside the West Exit and the Northwest Exit of the main station building.

The following articles have more details on each of these stations:

• JR Yokohama Station
• Keikyu Yokohama Station
• Sotetsu Yokohama Station
• Subway Blue Line Yokohama Station
• Minatomirai & Tokyu Yokohama Station

Finding Your Way in Yokohama Station Building

The main entry point for Yokohama Station is on its west side. After entering the station building passengers immediately step down into the B1 basement.

Three main passages run east-to-west through the main station building on this B1 level with exits at each end. These are the Northern Passage, the Central Passage and the Southern Passage.

The Northern Passage runs between the Northeast Exit and the Northwest Exit.

The Central Passage runs between the East Exit and the West Exit.

The Southern Passage runs between the Southeast Exit and the Southwest Exit. At its southwest end the Southern Passage leads directly to the Sotetsu and Yokohama Municipal Subway stations.

JR ticket gates are located in the center of each of the Northern, Central and Southern passages. Keikyu has ticket gates at the east end of the Northern and Central passages and another “South Gate” which is located between the Central and Southern Passage. Keikyu’s South Gate is connected to both the Central and Southern Passage by smaller passageways.

There is also a North-South Connection Passage in the B2 basement level which connects all three main passageways.

Entrances to the Tokyu and Minatomirai station can be found at the west end of the Central and Northern passages.

Exits & Surroundings

Yokohama Station can be entered from the west or east, but the main entrance is on the west side.

There are six exits from the main station building. The West Exit is the station’s main entrance and exit. This exit is convenient for the West Bus Terminal and for the station’s taxi rank.

The Southwest Exit is convenient for the Sotetsu and Subway stations and for the Joinus shopping center, Takashimaya department store and Yokohama Bay Sheraton Hotel & Towers.

The Northwest Exit is convenient for the Yodobashi Camera electronics store and Richmond Hotel Yokohama Ekimae.

The East Exit opens directly into the Porta underground shopping mall. On the other side of Porta you can find the Lumine, Sogo and Marui department stores, the Yokohama Sky Building, the East Bus Terminal and the YCAT bus terminal. The East Bus Terminal has several city bus services, while both YCAT and the East Bus Terminal have intercity highway bus services.

The Northeast Exit is convenient for the Bay Quarter commercial complex and the Yokohama Sea Bass water bus service.

The Southeast exit is convenient for Yokohama Central Post Office.

Facilities at Yokohama Station

A Tourist Information Center can be found at the west end of the Central Passage.

A Travelex Currency Exchange Counter can be found at the east end of the Central Passage beside Keikyu’s Central Gate.

There are police boxes located directly outside the West Exit and the Southwest Exit of the main station building.

Yokohama Central Post Office is located outside the Southeast Exit.

Yokohama Station also has plenty of lockers and luggage storage services. For details of where to find them please our guide: Yokohama Station Lockers – Luggage Storage and Delivery.

Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved.