Ichigaya Station
Y14 N09 S04 · Yurakucho Line, Namboku Line, and Shinjuku Line · Chiyoda
Ichigaya Station (市ケ谷)
Four railways and three companies meet at Ichigaya, which is why it has something no other station in Japan has: interchange ticket gates between all three operators, in every combination. The JR station came first, in March 1895 beside the Sotobori moat; the Yurakucho Line opened below on 30 October 1974, Toei’s Shinjuku Line on 16 March 1980 and the Namboku Line on 26 March 1996.
The station has a habit of being first with transfer machinery. The automatic fare-adjustment machine at a gate between Toei and the then Eidan subway was installed here in 1993 before anywhere else, and since 16 March 2013 passengers have been able to pass through one operator’s paid area to reach the other without a separate ticket for the walk. Tokyo Metro counted 138,047 entries and exits a day across its two lines in 2025 and Toei 90,108 in 2024. One practical caution: the Namboku Line platform sits apart from the rest, and for changes between it and the Yurakucho Line or the JR tracks, Iidabashi or Yotsuya is usually the easier station.
Finding Ichigaya 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 Ichigaya
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 Ichigaya
| Line and direction | Weekdays first – last | Saturdays, Sundays & holidays first – last |
|---|---|---|
| YYurakuchoY14 towards Shin-kiba | 05:12 – 00:11 | 05:12 – 00:11 |
| YYurakuchoY14 towards Wakoshi | 05:00 – 00:21 to Ikebukuro | 05:00 – 00:21 to Ikebukuro |
| NNambokuN09 towards Akabane-iwabuchi | 05:03 – 00:16 | 05:03 – 00:16 to Komagome |
| NNambokuN09 towards Meguro | 05:11 to Shirokane-takanawa – 00:21 | 05:11 to Shirokane-takanawa – 00:21 |
| SShinjukuS04 towards Motoyawata | 05:06 – 00:17 to Iwamotocho | 05:06 – 00:17 to Iwamotocho |
| SShinjukuS04 towards Shinjuku | 05:07 – 00:23 | 05:07 – 00:23 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| YYurakucho | 21 trains/hour (about one every 2.9 min) | 12 trains/hour |
| NNamboku | 18 trains/hour (about one every 3.3 min) | 12 trains/hour |
| SShinjuku | 16 trains/hour (about one every 3.8 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 Ichigaya
Scheduled running time between Ichigaya and the stations either side of it.
| Line | Next station | Running time |
|---|---|---|
| YYurakucho | Y13Iidabashi | 2 min |
| YYurakucho | Y15Kojimachi | 2 min |
| NNamboku | N10Iidabashi | 2 min |
| NNamboku | N08Yotsuya | 2 min |
| SShinjuku | S03Akebonobashi | 2 min |
| SShinjuku | S05Kudanshita | 2 min |
Transfers and connections
- Subway: transfer between Yurakucho Line, Namboku 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.
- JR: Chuo-Sobu Local Line (JR East). These are separate railways with their own fares.
Accessibility
| Line | Step-free by elevator | Accessible toilet | Escalator | Exits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YYurakucho | Yes | Yes | Yes | 12 |
| NNamboku | Yes | Yes | Yes | 12 |
| SShinjuku | Yes | Yes | Yes | 11 |
- Yurakucho Line: Step-free elevator route street-gate-platform (official “1-route by elevator”). Street elevator at exit(s): EV専用口. Operator page (checked Oct 20, 2026).
- Shinjuku Line: Toei: step-free “1-route” secured; 3 elevator(s) on this line. Elevator exit(s): A1. 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 Ichigaya Station?
The Sotobori moat runs alongside the JR platform, with Sotobori Park and its cherry trees about 340 m away and a fishing pond, the Ichigaya Fish Center, roughly 110 m from the exits. Nihon University’s head office is around 140 m off and Sophia University’s Ichigaya campus some 390 m, with Ichigaya-Kamegaoka-Hachimangu about 290 m up its steps. The Ministry of Defense headquarters and the Japan Go Association are among the institutions the station serves, and the Edo history walking corner stands within 100 m of a gate.
| Place | Distance (straight line) | On foot, estimated |
|---|---|---|
| Nihon University Head Office 日本大学会館 | 140 m | about 2 min |
| Ichigaya-Kamegaoka-Hachiman-gū 市谷亀岡八幡宮 | 290 m | about 5 min |
| Sotobori Park 外濠公園 | 340 m | about 5 min |
| Edo History Walking Corner 江戸歴史散歩コーナー | 90 m | about 1 min |
| Togo Park 東郷公園 | 350 m | about 6 min |
| Sophia University Ichigaya Campus 上智大学市谷キャンパス | 390 m | about 6 min |
| Ichigaya Fish Center 市ヶ谷 フィッシュ センター | 110 m | about 2 min |
| Tully's Coffee タリーズコーヒー | 230 m | about 4 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.