Fushimi-inari Station (伏見稲荷駅)
Fushimi-inari Station, located in Fukakusa-ichinotsubo-cho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, is a stop on the Keihan Main Line, which is operated by Keihan Electric Railway.
Although the station is called "Fushimi Inari," Inari Station on the Nara Line, operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West), is located nearer to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine than this station is.
However, the extent of the congestion in this station is tremendous during the New Year holiday season. Because the use of Keihan is less expensive when going to or returning from the central part of Kyoto, such as Sanjo-dori Street and Shijo-dori Street, or when using the Hankyu Kyoto Main Line, many people use this station.
Station layout
It is located on the ground level and has two separate platforms with two tracks served between them. A ticket gate is provided for each of the platforms for inbound trains and outbound trains, but passengers can't move between the platforms from within the gates. Adjacent stations with similar layouts are provided with underground paths within their premises, but it's considered that such an underground path hasn't been provided here because the use of such a path wouldn't be sufficient to cope with the tremendous congestion during the New Year holiday season. Both of the ticket gates for inbound trains and for outbound trains are located on the Tamba-bashi Bridge side of the platforms. A lavatory is placed inside the corresponding ticket gates for both inbound-train and outbound-train users. The pillars and fences on the station's platforms are painted vermillion.
Corresponding to the updating of the operation management system in June 2007, public announcements of detailed information were introduced, being the latest such introduction in the stations where the express trains stopped. At the same time, an LED-type train information display unit was installed.
Platforms
* Each platform has a length equal to eight train cars. Track-number information about departing trains is displayed only on the departing train information boards that have been updated. Track numbers aren't included in the announcements about incoming trains.
Passenger use
Because it isn't used by many people, this station is usually quiet, although express trains stop here. However, the congestion is tremendous during the New Year holiday season, and extra ticket-selling places and ticket gates are provided to cope with the flow of traffic.
Rapid trains on the JR Nara Line stop at this station only during the New Year holiday season, but no Keihan limited express train stops here because the Keihan express trains stop at this station throughout the day.
Station surroundings
Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine: The head shrine of all Inari-jinja shrines in Japan
Inari Station (on the Nara Line operated by JR West): About five minutes on foot (nearer from Fukakusa Station)
Kyoto Municipal Fushimi Technical Senior High School
The Fushimi-inari post office
Bus stops
No bus service is available in front of Keihan Fushimi-inari Station.
The nearest bus stop is Inari-taisha-mae (in front of Inari Taisha Shrine) for Kyoto City Bus service.
Inari-taisha-mae (in front of Inari Taisha Shrine)
This bus stop is not in front of the station but along Shidan-kaido Road, about a two-minute walk from the station.
Kyoto City Bus
Route South 5: Bound for Takeda-eki-higashiguchi (the east entrance to Takeda Station) (Kyoto Prefecture) / Kyoto Station
History
When this station started operating, the name "Inari" was given to the present Fukakusa Station, located nearer to the front approach to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, but because the new approach to the shrine, after which this station was initially named, was nearer to the shrine, this station became used as the gateway to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine in less than a year. It is said that the pillars of the station have been painted vermillion since the very early days.
April 15, 1910: When the station started operating, its name was Inari-shindo (new road) Station (稲荷新道駅).
December 16, 1910: Its name was changed to Inari Station.
April 1, 1916: The express trains on the line started stopping at this station.
December 25, 1939: Its name was changed to Inari-jinja-mae Station (the station in front of Inari Shrine).
October 1, 1943: The station became a facility of Keihanshin Express Electric Railway (Hankyu Corporation) when the concerned railway companies merged.
January 1, 1948: Its name was changed to Fushimi-inari Station.
December 1, 1949: Due to the company separation, this station became a facility of Keihan Electric Railway.
April 1, 1951: Express trains, which didn't stop at the station after the war, started doing so again.
April 1, 1970: In the south of the station, the train tracks crossed those of the Inari Line, operated by Kyoto City Trams, on the ground level, but the crossing was dismantled and removed, corresponding to the abolition of the Inari Line.
June, 1986: The work of reconstructing the station house was completed (both for Osaka and Kyoto).
Circa May, 1987: The work to extend the platforms, in preparation for the introduction of eight-car trains, was completed.
April, 1989: The length of the roof of the platform for trains for Kyoto became 152 meters. October 18, 2001: A multipurpose lavatory provided with a sink for ostomate was installed on the platform for the trains for Osaka.
March 31, 2007: The work to make the premises of Fushimi-inari Station barrier-free was completed (the slopes were reformed, and ticket vending machines supporting wheelchair users, wide automatic ticket-checking machines, Braille fare tables and station maps, multipurpose lavatories, and AED in the station office were installed).
Adjacent stations
Keihan Electric Railway
Keihan Main Line
K-Limited Express/Limited Express
Nonstop
Express
Tambabashi Station - Fushimi-inari Station - Shichijo Station
Sub-express/Local
Fukakusa Station - Fushimi-inari Station - Toba-kaido Station