It is a shame to burst everyone's bubble, but the Yamanote line is not a loop line!
I know, I know, you have ridden Yamanote line trains all around the loop many times.
Exactly. You have ridden Yamanote line TRAINS, but the LINE starts at Shinagawa, goes through Shinjuku and Ikebukuro and ends at Tabata. From Tabata to Tokyo it is officially the Tohoku line; from Tokyo back to Shinagawa, it is officially the Tokaido line.
It doesn't make much sense to me, since the track is continuous and sparate from the Tohoku and Tokaido line's tracks, but we can't fight Japanese logic. (We can fight it, but we seldom win).
Anyway, that's todays's piece of trivia with which you can amaze your friends. Even your Japanese friends probably don't know. (or care)
Contributor: Dick Harris
Date: 18 December 2003
The signs on all platforms of the loop say "Yamanote," inside the train the announcement is always "Yamanote-sen," that should suffice to call it a loop-line..
Posted by: kvalvik at 2005年01月22日 18:23