Nakai Station
E32 · Oedo Line · Shinjuku
Nakai Station (中井)
Nakai is two stations seventy years apart. Seibu opened its Shinjuku Line station on 16 April 1927, rebuilding it in November 1963 with two side platforms and a third central track so that express trains could overtake; Toei’s Oedo Line station, E32, opened on 19 December 1997, when the line was still numbered 12 — the Oedo name came on 20 April 2000.
The newer station is far below the older one. Its island platform lies about 35 m down, following Yamate-dori and the Central Circular Route beneath it, which is why reaching the street takes a while. The two companies’ halves are separated by roughly two minutes’ walk along a shopping street, and Seibu changed its side of the arrangement in 2016, moving its ticket gates underground in June and opening a north-south passage and a new north exit that December. Higashi-nakano and Ochiai-minami-nagasaki are the neighboring Oedo Line stations.
Finding Nakai on the signs
Every line gives the station its own letter-and-number code. You never have to read the Japanese name to find the right platform.
Station numbers at Nakai
Tokyo signposts every platform, exit and train door with a letter and a two-digit number. Matching the number is faster than reading the name — and it is what you will see on the map, in announcements and on the platform edge.
First and last trains at Nakai
Departure times come from the operators’ own GTFS timetables (ODPT GTFS Toei-Train-GTFS (version 20261009, valid 2026-03-14..2027-03-12) + TokyoMetro-Train-GTFS (version 20261008, valid 2026-09-19..2027-03-12)). Japan publishes two subway timetables: 平日 weekdays and 土休日 Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays. There is no separate Sunday timetable, and the December 30 – January 3 period runs the holiday timetable.
How often do trains run?
| Line | Weekdays, busiest hour | Sat / Sun / holidays, busiest hour |
|---|---|---|
| EOedo | 19 trains/hour (about one every 3.2 min) | 12 trains/hour |
Departures in one direction during the hour with the most trains at this station, counted in the operators’ timetable.
Next stations from Nakai
Scheduled running time between Nakai and the stations either side of it.
| Line | Next station | Running time |
|---|---|---|
| EOedo | E31Higashi-nakano | 1 min |
| EOedo | E33Ochiai-minami-nagasaki | 2 min |
Transfers and connections
- Private railways: Shinjuku Line (Seibu Railway). These are separate railways with their own fares.
Accessibility
| Line | Step-free by elevator | Accessible toilet | Escalator | Exits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EOedo | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2 |
- Oedo Line: Toei: step-free “1-route” secured; 2 elevator(s) on this line. Elevator exit(s): A2. Operator page (checked Oct 20, 2026).
Taken from the operators’ own accessibility pages and nothing else. Toei: every station has elevators and a street-gate-platform “1-route” is secured.
What is near Nakai Station?
Nakai covers a quiet part of Shinjuku ward on the Ochiai side, with a shopping street between the two stations doing most of the local trade. The Hayashi Fumiko Memorial Hall, the preserved house of the novelist, is about 280 m from the exits; Kamiochiai Park lies roughly 220 m away, a temple around 110 m, the Ochiai post office some 380 m and a traditional public bath about 390 m.
| Place | Distance (straight line) | On foot, estimated |
|---|---|---|
| 最勝寺 | 110 m | about 2 min |
| Kamiochiai Park 上落合公園 | 220 m | about 4 min |
| Hayashi Fumiko Memorial Hall 林芙美子記念館 | 280 m | about 5 min |
| 中井東公園 | 340 m | about 5 min |
| 上落合西公園 | 380 m | about 6 min |
| Ochiai Post Office 落合郵便局 | 380 m | about 6 min |
| 三の輪湯 | 390 m | about 6 min |
Places from OpenStreetMap within 400 m of the station. The walking time is an estimate (straight line plus 30 %, 80 m a minute), not a measured route. © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Frequently asked questions
About 35 m below the surface. The tunnel follows Yamate-dori and the Central Circular Route, both of which the station runs parallel to and below, so expect a long ride up to street level from the island platform.
By walking. The two Nakai stations are separate, about two minutes apart along a shopping street, and each has its own gates and fares. Seibu moved its ticket barriers underground on 5 June 2016 and opened a north-south passage and north exit on 17 December 2016, which made the walk simpler.