Joban Line Showa Memories Album

About this item

• The Joban Line is not a main line. Historically, it was treated as a branch line of the Tohoku Main Line, but now the Tohoku Main Line mainly handles local and freight trains, with express trains being replaced by Shinkansen bullet trains. The section north of Morioka was separated from JR and privatized. The section south of Utsunomiya is often referred to as the Utsunomiya Line, and it could be said that the Tohoku Main Line has become less prominent in the Tokyo metropolitan area. On the other hand, the Joban Line is highly important as a commuter line and as an intercity link to Mito and Iwaki. With the lack of a Shinkansen, it is one of the highest-quality JR conventional lines. With the opening of the Ueno-Tokyo Line in March 2015, many express, medium-distance, and rapid trains now run directly to Shinagawa Station via Tokyo Station, dramatically improving travel convenience. This photo book allows you to relive these changes on the Joban Line.