Toden Arakawa Line (Tokyo Sakura Tram)

Tokyo's last surviving streetcar line, linking Minowabashi in Arakawa City to Waseda in Shinjuku across 12.2 kilometres and 30 stops. The line outlasted Tokyo's once-extensive tram network because most of its route runs on dedicated track, and has carried the nickname Tokyo Sakura Tram since 2017.

Tokyo’s Last Surviving Tram

A street-level railway threads 12.2 kilometres from Minowabashi stop in Arakawa City to Waseda stop in Shinjuku City, calling at 30 stops along the way. This is the Toden Arakawa Line, operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation and known since 2017 by its public nickname, Tokyo Sakura Tram. Tokyo once had a tram network that spanned the entire city, but the wave of motorisation that swept Japan in the 1960s and 70s removed it route by route. A large round of closures in 1972 eliminated most of what remained. The Arakawa Line survived primarily because the majority of its route runs on dedicated track separated from road traffic — a technical characteristic that shielded the line from the principal argument for closure. A further factor was the limited availability of alternative transport in several sections along its corridor.

The line’s origins lie with the Oji Electric Railway, which opened between Otsuka and Asukayama in August 1911. Extension continued until March 1930, when the full route between Waseda and Minowabashi was complete. After transfer to the Tokyo metropolitan government, the line was reconstituted as the Toden Arakawa Line on 1 October 1974 through the consolidation of two existing routes.

Sakura and Neighbourhood Life Along the Route

In 2017, the line was given the public nickname Tokyo Sakura Tram, selected by open entry. The route from Minowabashi through Arakawa, Toshima, and Bunkyo Cities to Waseda passes several cherry-blossom sites, including Asukayama Park and Arakawa Yuen (the amusement park and adjacent greenery), and the view from the tram in spring is one of the line’s hallmarks. Outside cherry-blossom season, the tram passes close to traditional shopping streets, quiet residential lanes, and the street-level texture of neighbourhoods — Zoshigaya, Otsuka, Oji — that large-scale redevelopment has largely bypassed. The Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation reports a recent daily ridership of approximately 39,000 passengers (fiscal year 2020), reflecting how consistently the line remains part of local daily life.

Summary

The Toden Arakawa Line connects Minowabashi to Waseda across 12.2 kilometres and 30 stops, and is the only tram line operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation. Launched in its current form in 1974 and given the Tokyo Sakura Tram branding in 2017, the line survived the city’s tram closures because most of its route runs on dedicated track. The slow pace of the tram means the streetscape registers at a speed suited to looking at it. Board at Minowabashi or Waseda and ride the full length — the view shifts from older street patterns near the eastern end to literary and residential neighbourhoods approaching Waseda.

Related: Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center / Ueno Station

Staying near the Arakawa Line? Rakuten Travel has hotels around Minowabashi, Arakawa, and Waseda.