Kudanshita Station
T07 Z06 S05 · Tozai Line, Hanzomon Line, and Shinjuku Line · Chiyoda
Kudanshita Station (九段下)
Three lines and two companies share this box in Chiyoda, and they accumulated slowly. The Tozai Line came first, on 23 December 1964, when T07 was the end of the line from Takadanobaba; Toei’s Shinjuku Line opened S05 on 16 March 1980, and the Hanzomon Line added Z06 on 26 January 1989. The Tozai platforms are two side platforms on the second basement level; the Toei and Hanzomon platforms sit together on the fourth.
Those lower platforms used to be separated by a wall, which meant that changing between a Tokyo Metro and a Toei train involved stairs, a concourse and two sets of signs. The wall came down in work started in 2012, and since 16 March 2013 platform 4, for Hanzomon Line trains toward Oshiage, has faced platform 5, for Shinjuku Line trains toward Shinjuku, across the same floor. Kudanshita also has one of the more pointed departure melodies on the network: “Under the Big Onion” by Bakufu Slump, adopted on the Tozai platforms in 2015.
Finding Kudanshita 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 Kudanshita
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 Kudanshita
| Line and direction | Weekdays first – last | Saturdays, Sundays & holidays first – last |
|---|---|---|
| TTozaiT07 towards Nishi-funabashi | 05:16 – 00:09 to Myoden | 05:16 – 00:09 to Myoden |
| TTozaiT07 towards Nakano | 05:14 – 00:18 | 05:14 – 00:18 |
| ZHanzomonZ06 towards Oshiage (Skytree) | 05:11 – 00:24 to Kiyosumi-shirakawa | 05:10 – 00:05 to Kiyosumi-shirakawa |
| ZHanzomonZ06 towards Shibuya | 05:11 – 00:27 | 05:11 – 00:12 |
| SShinjukuS05 towards Motoyawata | 05:08 – 00:19 to Iwamotocho | 05:08 – 00:19 to Iwamotocho |
| SShinjukuS05 towards Shinjuku | 05:05 – 00:20 | 05:05 – 00:20 |
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?
Departures in one direction during the hour with the most trains at this station, counted in the operators’ timetable.
Transfers and connections
- Subway: transfer between Tozai Line, Hanzomon Line, and Shinjuku Line. The Tokyo Metro lines and the Toei Subway lines belong to different companies, so a trip that uses both costs more than one operator alone — see fares.
Accessibility
- Tozai Line: Step-free elevator route street-gate-platform (official “1-route by elevator”). Street elevator at exit(s): 6, 7. Operator page (checked Oct 20, 2026).
- Shinjuku Line: Toei: step-free “1-route” secured; 4 elevator(s) on this line. Elevator exit(s): 6, 7. Operator page (checked Oct 20, 2026).
Taken from the operators’ own accessibility pages and nothing else. Tokyo Metro: the “1-route” (step-free street-gate-platform path by elevator, slope, stair lift or wheelchair escalator) is complete at all 180 stations; a separate list shows stations with an elevator-only 1-route. Toei: every station has elevators and a street-gate-platform “1-route” is secured.
What is near Kudanshita Station?
This is the closest subway station to Yasukuni Shrine and to the Nippon Budokan, about 290 m away, which is what fills the exits on concert nights. Kitanomaru Square is roughly 70 m from the station and the National Showa Memorial Museum about 80 m, with the War Wounded and Sick Historical Museum around 150 m and Kudan Kaikan about 140 m. Chiyoda City Hall, the Tayasu Gate into the park and the Hotel Grand Palace all stand within about 260 m, and Senshu University is some 300 m out.
| Place | Distance (straight line) | On foot, estimated |
|---|---|---|
| National Showa Memorial Museum 昭和館 | 80 m | about 1 min |
| War Wounded and Sick Historical Museum しょうけい館 | 150 m | about 2 min |
| Senshu University 専修大学 | 300 m | about 5 min |
| 彌生慰霊堂 | 210 m | about 3 min |
| Kudanzaka Park 区立九段坂公園 | 280 m | about 5 min |
| 神田第三児童遊園 | 310 m | about 5 min |
| Kitanomaru Square 北の丸スクエア | 70 m | about 1 min |
| Kudan Kaikan 九段会館 | 140 m | about 2 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
Because a wall was removed. The Hanzomon and Shinjuku line platforms were built parallel on the fourth basement level but separated; work begun in 2012 opened them into one space, and since 16 March 2013 platform 4 (Hanzomon, toward Oshiage) and platform 5 (Shinjuku Line, toward Shinjuku) face each other directly.
The song, by the band Bakufu Slump, takes its title from the onion-shaped ornament on the Nippon Budokan roof, which stands about 290 m from the station. Tokyo Metro adopted it for the Tozai Line platforms in 2015.