Wakoshi Station
Y01 F01 · Yurakucho Line and Fukutoshin Line · Wako, Saitama
Wakoshi Station (和光市)
Wakoshi is where the Tokyo subway runs out of Tokyo. It is the only Tokyo Metro station in Saitama Prefecture and the westernmost station on the network, and both the Yurakucho Line and the Fukutoshin Line end here, at Y01 and F01. The station itself is much older than either: it opened on 1 February 1934 as Niikura on the Tojo railway, was renamed Yamato-machi on 1 October 1951 and took the name Wakoshi on 20 December 1970. Subway trains arrived on 25 August 1987 and Fukutoshin Line services began on 14 June 2008.
There are two island platforms and four tracks, the inner pair used by Tokyo Metro and the outer pair by Tobu, and the junction between the companies is worked here rather than at a boundary post: every through train changes drivers at Wakoshi, Tobu crews taking over trains heading away from Tokyo and Tokyo Metro crews taking those heading in. Beyond the subway, trains run north onto the Tobu Tojo Line and, from the Fukutoshin side, south through to the Tokyu Toyoko and Minatomirai lines from 16 March 2013 and to the Sagami Railway from 18 March 2023. In 2025 the Tokyo Metro station was used by 182,075 people on an average day.
Finding Wakoshi 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 Wakoshi
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 Wakoshi
| Line and direction | Weekdays first – last | Saturdays, Sundays & holidays first – last |
|---|---|---|
| YYurakuchoY01 towards Shin-kiba | 05:00 – 23:46 to Ikebukuro | 05:00 – 23:46 to Ikebukuro |
| FFukutoshinF01 towards Shibuya | 05:05 – 23:55 | 05:05 – 23:55 |
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 | 12 trains/hour (about one every 5 min) | 11 trains/hour |
| FFukutoshin | 10 trains/hour (about one every 6 min) | 10 trains/hour |
Departures in one direction during the hour with the most trains at this station, counted in the operators’ timetable.
Next stations from Wakoshi
Scheduled running time between Wakoshi and the stations either side of it.
| Line | Next station | Running time |
|---|---|---|
| YYurakucho | Y02Chikatetsu-narimasu | 3 min |
| FFukutoshin | F02Chikatetsu-narimasu | 3 min |
Transfers and connections
- Subway: transfer between Yurakucho Line and Fukutoshin Line.
- Private railways: Tojo Line (Tobu Railway). These are separate railways with their own fares.
Accessibility
| Line | Step-free by elevator | Accessible toilet | Escalator | Exits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YYurakucho | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2 |
| FFukutoshin | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2 |
- Yurakucho Line: Step-free elevator route street-gate-platform (official “1-route by elevator”). 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.
What is near Wakoshi Station?
Wakoshi serves the city of Wako rather than any part of Tokyo, and the ground around it is institutional: RIKEN, the national research institute, the Honda research centre, the National Tax College and the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Asaka base are all nearby, with National Route 254 running past. Wako Post Office is about 320 m from the exits. Long-distance coaches leave from the south side of the station, and the walk in any direction quickly leaves the shops behind.
| Place | Distance (straight line) | On foot, estimated |
|---|---|---|
| Wako Post Office 和光郵便局 | 320 m | about 5 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 this is the join between two companies. Yurakucho and Fukutoshin Line trains that carry on beyond the subway run onto Tobu Tojo Line tracks from here, so Tobu crews take over trains heading away from Tokyo and Tokyo Metro crews take over those heading towards it. The change happens in the platform and usually takes less than a minute.
No. It is in Wako, in Saitama Prefecture, and it is the only Tokyo Metro station outside the Tokyo metropolis as well as the westernmost on the subway network. It is also the northernmost Tokyo Metro station, although Nishi-takashimadaira, on the Toei network, lies further north still.