160308-0033 - Shinjuku Station

Shinjuku Station in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

The concrete building in this image was completed in 1925 (Taisho 14). It stood at what is now the station’s east exit.

Shinjuku Station opened in 1885 (Meiji 18) as a stop on Japan Railway’s Akabane-Shinagawa line which is now part of the Yamanote Line.

The opening of the Chuo Line (1889), Keio Line (1915) and Odakyu Line (1923) led to increasing traffic through the station.

The traffic especially increased after the Great Kanto Earthquake (Kanto Daishinsai) of September 1, 1923 (Taisho 12) when many people moved out of central Tokyo to areas with more stable ground.

Today, Shinjuku Station is the busiest station in the world.

From a series called Great Tokyo (大東京, Dai Tokyo).