History of AGU’s Nearest Stations Explained

                                                                 Koichi Isozaki Sakuya Okada, Hinata Kato, Charles Castle

 

Omote-Sando Station – Has it always been the nearest?

Omote-Sando Station is among the stations which many Aoyama Gakuin University (AGU) students use for their daily commute. It is currently the nearest station to AGU, the next closest option being Shibuya Station, which is farther than Omote-Sando Station. However, some readers may come up with some questions: has Omote-Sando Station always been the nearest train station to AGU? Could there not have been a nearer station to AGU? The truth we found was quite interesting.

Jingumae Station –AGU’s nearest subway station before 1972–

Surprisingly, it was in 1972 when AGU students began using the Ginza Line’s Omote-Sando Station for commuting, since it had not existed before that. Instead, students used another station, Jingumae Station, distinct from Meiji-jingumae Station on the Chiyoda Line. The aforementioned Jingumae Station existed adjacent to the modern-day Omote-Sando Station. That station was the closest subway station to AGU for 34 years since its opening in 1938. The remains of the station still exist today, which can be seen from the end of the Ginza Line’s platform at Omote-Sando Station. 

Additionally, evidence was found on campus; Aoyama Gakuin Archives provided us with myriad pieces of information that verify the veracity of the claim that AGU students once used the now-abandoned station. Multiple AGU pamphlets say it's a 5-minute walk from Jingumae Station to campus. A student commuter pass that says ‘Jingumae’ (issued in 1968) was also found. 

Toden Tram’s Aoyama-Gakuin-mae Sta. –Even more practical until 1968–

           As can be seen, previously to its closing, Jingumae Station was the nearest station to AGU; however, there was another transport system that was heavily used in the past –Toden Trams. The Toden Tram network used to be large, before the subway succeeded it in its role as the main transport for the city. Toden Tram’s Aoyama-shako-mae (Aoyama-Gakuin-mae) Station was located at the northwestern corner of the Aoyama Campus, which was only a 2-minute walk from the gate, according to AGU’s pamphlets distributed for freshmen in 1967. The Aoyama Line ran between Miyakezaka and Shibuya. Another pamphlet published in 1972 doesn’t mention the station, which implies that it was discontinued by that time. Aoyama-shako-mae Station was closed in 1967, due to increasingly busy traffic in the city centre. Aoyama-Gakuin-mae is still used for the name of a bus stop near campus, but the location of the bus stop is slightly different from the Toden Tram station.

Summary

           The full significance and history of the stations are rarely pondered whilst taking the train, but their storied pasts tell an important tale. The 5-minute walk between the campus and station may be less humdrum by knowing more about history. A. G. University News will continue collecting material for further details with implication that make AGU students’ life on campus more stimulating.