Yamanote Line

The Yamanote Line (山手線 Yamanote-sen^?) is railway loop line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East).

 It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban centres, including the Yūrakuchō/Ginza area, Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro, with all but two of its 29 stations connecting to other railway or underground (subway) lines.
 
The "Yamanote Line" as an official line name indicates the tracks between Shinagawa and Tabata that is used by local trains on their own tracks as well as the parallel Yamanote Freight Line which is used by Saikyō Line and Shōnan-Shinjuku Line trains, some limited express services, and freight trains. However, in everyday usage the "Yamanote Line" refers to the entire 34.5 km loop line served by local trains.

• All stations are located in the special wards of Tokyo.
• All trains on the Yamanote Line are local trains that stop at all stations.
• The "(R)" mark denotes stations where cross-platform transfers to Keihin-Tōhoku Line rapid services are possible.

The special wards (特別区 tokubetsu-ku^?) are 23 municipalities that together make up the core and the most populous part of Tokyo, Japan. Together, they occupy the land that was originally the City of Tokyo before it was abolished in 1943 to become part of the newly-created Tokyo Metropolis.