Shibuya to Tokyo Station: The Fastest Route Might Surprise You!

If you were asked how to get from Shibuya Station to Tokyo Station, most people would probably immediately say, “the Yamanote Line,” right? If I were asked the same question, I’d probably say the Yamanote Line too.

However! The Yamanote Line is not only not the fastest way, but it’s actually about the fifth slowest option in terms of time.

So, this time, Shibutama will introduce the best way to get from Shibuya Station to Tokyo Station.

Yamanote Line from Shibuya Station to Tokyo Station Takes 26 Minutes

First, let’s consider what happens if you take the Yamanote Line. While it offers the convenience of a direct ride, it takes a full 26 minutes.

You might find this longer than you expected.

Since the Yamanote Line takes about an hour to complete one loop, Shibuya Station and Tokyo Station are located almost on opposite sides of the Yamanote Line loop.

Naturally, as the Yamanote Line forms a circle, going to the opposite side means traveling roughly 1.5 times the straight-line distance (which is half of the circumference, or pi times the diameter). The actual straight-line distance is about 6.5 km, which takes about an hour to walk, or 15 minutes by car if there’s no traffic.

With that in mind, let’s explore the various ways to get from Shibuya Station to Tokyo Station.

---

Shibuya to Shinjuku then Chuo Line: 25 Minutes

Using the Yamanote Line means going around the bottom of the loop. However, if you go in the opposite direction to Shinjuku, you can transfer to the Chuo Line, which runs on a relatively straight course.

Getting from Shibuya Station to Shinjuku Station on the Yamanote Line takes about 10 minutes. By using the Saikyo Line or Shonan Shinjuku Line instead, you can cut this down to 8 minutes. Considering transfer time, you can reach Tokyo Station in approximately 25 minutes.

This is about the same as going all the way around on the Yamanote Line. With such a small difference, you still can’t really say this option beats the Yamanote Line.

---

Shibuya to Kyobashi on Ginza Line, then Walk: 22 Minutes

If you take the Ginza Line from Shibuya Station to Kyobashi Station, the train ride itself takes about 17 minutes. The Ginza Line doesn’t follow a completely straight path and has many stops, so it takes longer than you might expect.

Furthermore, it’s about a 5-minute walk from Kyobashi Station to Tokyo Station, making the total travel time around 22 minutes.

The advantage here is no train transfers, but if you’re not familiar with the area, it’s unlikely you’d walk from Kyobashi Station to Tokyo Station without getting lost, so I can’t really recommend this option.

---

Shibuya to Yurakucho via Hanzomon Line then Yurakucho Line: 20 Minutes

The most direct route involves taking the Hanzomon Line from Shibuya Station to Nagatacho Station, then transferring to the Yurakucho Line to Yurakucho Station.

The train ride itself to Yurakucho Station is an astonishing 9 minutes, meaning the total riding time, even with a Yamanote Line transfer from Yurakucho, would only be about 11 minutes. That’s the power of a straight line!

However, the transfer at Nagatacho takes several minutes, and a transfer at Yurakucho would take even longer, resulting in a total travel time of about 20 minutes.

While it’s fast, I doubt many would deliberately choose this route unless they were specifically heading to Yurakucho.

---

Shibuya to Tokyo Station via Ginza Line then Marunouchi Line: 18 Minutes

Looking at the routes so far, choosing a direct course often involves transfers and walking, while taking a roundabout route doesn’t always result in a significant time difference.

The route that resolves both of these drawbacks is the Ginza Line to Marunouchi Line option.

First, take the Ginza Line from Shibuya Station to Akasaka-Mitsuke Station, then transfer to the Marunouchi Line and head to Tokyo Station. This will get you to Tokyo Station in about 18 minutes.

If your destination in Tokyo Station is on the Marunouchi side, this is a very strong contender for the best route.

However, there was actually an even faster, shortest route.

---

The Fastest Way from Shibuya Station to Tokyo Station is 17 Minutes! The Answer: Narita Express

That’s right, the Narita Express gets you from Shibuya Station to Tokyo Station in a surprising 17 minutes.

This route is by no means straight; it actually goes around the outside of the Yamanote Line loop. But its overwhelming speed comes from having no stops between Shibuya Station and Tokyo Station. This is its biggest selling point.

However, it also comes with several significant disadvantages.

First, there’s the infrequency of trains. With only a few trains per hour, your travel times are quite restricted.

Second, the high cost: because it requires a limited express ticket and a reserved seat ticket, it costs a whopping ¥1,300 to go from Shibuya Station to Tokyo Station.

While it’s cheaper than taking a taxi, the difference of over ¥1,000 compared to the Yamanote Line’s ¥210 is certainly painful.

---

Summary: How to Get from Shibuya Station to Tokyo Station

So, we’ve looked at various ways to get there. What do you think?

The conclusion is probably, “Isn’t the Yamanote Line still the easiest?”

If I were taking the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station and the times aligned, I might consider the Narita Express, but probably not.

If I were truly in a hurry, the Ginza Line to Marunouchi Line route might be an option. However, if starting from the Hachiko side, the Ginza Line entrance is far, so even when in a hurry, I’d probably still choose the Yamanote Line. It would be good if I were starting closer to the Ginza Line entrance though.

So, after much consideration, my conclusion is: From Shibuya to Tokyo, take the Yamanote Line! This has been Shibutama. See you next time!