The JR Tozai Line for Amagasaki

The JR Tozai Line is an underground JR West line that runs between Kyobashi Station in Osaka and Amagasaki Station in Hyogo Prefecture. It provides an important commuter rail link between central Osaka in the east and Amagasaki in the west. For this reason it is named “Tozai”, which means “east and west.” The JR Tozai Line itself is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass, though transfers to Osaka Metro, Keihan, Hanshin and other private railway lines are not.

Key Destinations

There are 9 stations on the JR Tozai Line. These are as follows:

Kyobashi > Osakajo-kitazume > Osakatemmangu > Kitashinchi > Shin-Fukushima > Ebie > Mitejima > Kashima > Amagasaki

Though Kyobashi and Amagasaki are the terminal stations of the JR Tozai Line, many trains that run on this line continue beyond it.

Trains heading west may continue past Amagasaki on the JR Kobe Line toward Sannomiya and Nishi-Akashi, or on the JR Takarazuka Line toward Takarazuka and Shin-Sanda.

Trains heading east may continue on the JR Katamachi Line, also called the Gakkentoshi Line, toward Shijonawate, Matsuiyamate, Doshishamae, or Kizu in Kyoto Prefecture.

Check the train’s destination before boarding, as local, rapid and regional rapid services do not all run to the same place. All the key destinations and transfer points on the JR Tozai Line are given below with fares and train times from Kyobashi Station.

Kyobashi Station

Kyobashi is a large commercial and entertainment district, packed with bars and restaurants. Kyobashi is also an important transportation hub, with stations operated by JR West, Keihan Railway and Osaka Metro.

At JR Kyobashi Station transfer to the Osaka Loop Line, and the JR Katamachi Line, which connects with Kizu Station in Kyoto Prefecture.

At Keihan Kyobashi Station transfer to the Keihan Main Line, which runs between Osaka and Kyoto. Trains toward central Osaka serve the Yodoyabashi direction, and some services continue toward the Nakanoshima Line after Tenmabashi.

At Osaka Metro Kyobashi Station transfer to the Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line.

Osakajo-kitazume Station

Exit here for the Fujita Museum and the Osaka Castle and Sakuranomiya Park area. Fujita Museum is very close to Exit 3 of Osakajo-kitazume Station.

Osakatemmangu Station

This station is close to Osaka Tenmangu Shrine, which dates from 949 AD and is the home of the Tenjin Matsuri festival on July 24th and 25th. This is Osaka’s biggest festival and one of the three great festivals of Japan.

Transfers can be made at nearby Minami-morimachi Station to the Osaka Metro Sakaisuji and Tanimachi lines.

Kitashinchi Station

The Kitashinchi district of Umeda is most famous for its nightlife and is packed with restaurants, clubs, and bars. Kitashinchi Station is about a 7-minute walk south of Osaka Station and is located in the same network of underground passages that also connect with Higashi-Umeda Station, Nishi-Umeda Station and Hanshin Osaka-Umeda Station. Though Kitashinchi Station is technically separate from Osaka Station, it is connected to it by underground walkways. Some tickets allow a same-day walking transfer between Osaka and Kitashinchi, but the rules depend on the ticket type, so check your ticket conditions or use an IC card for ordinary short rides. The following transfers can be made at nearby stations.

At Osaka Station transfer to the west bound JR Kobe Line for Kobe and Himeji, the JR Kyoto Line for Shin-Osaka and Kyoto, and the JR Takarazuka Line for Amagasaki, Takarazuka, Sanda and the Fukuchiyama direction. Limited express trains from Osaka also serve destinations such as Tottori and Takayama. For Hokuriku destinations such as Fukui, Kanazawa and Toyama, passengers use the Thunderbird limited express to Tsuruga and transfer there to the Hokuriku Shinkansen.

At Hankyu Osaka-Umeda Station transfer to Hankyu lines for Kobe, Kyoto and Takarazuka. At Hanshin Osaka-Umeda Station transfer to the Hanshin Main Line, which also serves Kobe.

At Osaka Metro Umeda Station transfer to the Midosuji Line, at Higashi-Umeda Station transfer to the Tanimachi Line, and at Nishi-Umeda Station transfer to the Yotsubashi Line.

Shin-Fukushima Station

Shin-Fukushima Station is close to Fukushima Station, where you can transfer to the Osaka Loop Line and Hanshin Main Line.

Ebie Station

Ebie Station is close to two other stations: Hanshin Noda Station, where transfers can be made to the Hanshin Main Line, and Nodahanshin Station, where transfers can be made to the Sennichimae Subway Line.

Amagasaki Station

This station serves the city of Amagasaki in Hyogo Prefecture and is the western terminus of the JR Tozai Line. Transfer here to the JR Kobe Line and the JR Takarazuka Line. JR Amagasaki Station is different from Hanshin Amagasaki Station, which is on the Hanshin Railway network, so check which Amagasaki station you need before traveling.

Useful Links

To see how the JR Tozai Line fits into the wider JR rail network, download the JR Line Route Map for the Kinki area.

To plan your journey on JR rail lines, use the JR West Route Maps and Timetables page.

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Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved. Last updated 08-Aug-2026.