Saiin Station

Saiin Station 西院駅
Location
Prefecture	Kyoto (See other stations in Kyoto)
City	Kyoto
Ward	Ukyō
History
Year opened	1928
Former name	Kyoto Saiin Station
Present name since	1931
Rail services
Operator(s)	Hankyu Corporation
Line(s)	Hankyu Kyoto Main Line
Statistics	15,475,000 passengers/year (2012)[1]

Hankyu Saiin Station (西院駅, Saiin-eki) is the 22nd station along the Hankyu Railway Kyoto Line, which departs from Osaka's Umeda Station and terminates at Kyoto's Kawaramachi Station. It is the 4th to last station before reaching Kawaramachi station.

Saiin Station is serviced by local (普通, futsū), semi express (準急, junkyū), rapid express (快速急行, kaisoku kyūkō), and "commuter" limited express (通勤特急, tsūkin tokkyū) trains, while limited express (特急, tokkyū) trains do not service the station. The subterranean station is windy, as it has only one entrance, and arriving and departing trains force air up and down the station's narrow pair of staircases.

Many travellers stop at Saiin Station in order to take the #205 city bus to Kinkakuji and Sai Station (Keifuku Electric Railroad Co., Ltd., written in the same kanji, 西院駅) local train to Arashiyama.

Hankyu Saiin Station Entrance

Location

Saiin station's singular entrance is situated on the southwest corner of Shijo street and Nishioji street in Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Saiin Station is located in Saiin Kōzanji-chō, Ukyō-ku, Kyoto.

History

Saiin Station opened as Kyoto Saiin Station (京都西院駅, Kyōto-Saiin-eki) on November 1, 1928. At the time of opening, the station was the terminus of the Shinkeihan Railway, a former operator of the Hankyu Kyoto Line. On March 31, 1931, when the underground extension from Saiin to Keihan Kyoto Station (present-day Ōmiya Station) was completed, the station was moved from the ground level to the underground facilities and renamed Saiin Station.

At the time of the construction, a plan was tabled to link Saiin Station with the smaller and older Sai Station (located one-minute walking distance east on Shijo street) by means of an underground path, but the plan was eventually scrapped, due to strong opposition from people living in the area.

Usage

In fiscal 2012 (April 2012 to March 2013), about 7,667,000 passengers started travel from this station annually. For historical data, see the table below.^[2]

Attractions

Dining

A variety of quaint restaurants, izakaya, and fast food locations lie within short walking distance of the station. These fast food locations include McDonalds, Mos Burger, Baskin Robbins 31, Matsuya and Yoshinoya.

Retail

A few large retail outlets and a variety of small shops line the streets surrounding Saiin Station. These large retail outlets include: Æon Mall Kyoto Gojō, and Joshin Electronics. A 100 yen shuttle bus stops in front of Saiin Station and carries passengers directly to the Æon Mall shopping center.

A Watts 100 yen store is located directly above Saiin station's entrance.

There are many convenience stores within a 2 or 3 minute walk of Saiin Station, such as Lawson, 7 Eleven, Circle K, and Family Mart.

Hotels

The Rhino hotel^[3] is located directly beside Saiin Station.

Historical sites

Kōzan-ji, a small, but beautiful temple is located directly across from Saiin Station, on the northeast corner of Nishioji street and Shijo Street, less than one-minute walking distance.

Gaming

Several Pachinko Parlors (a form of legally tolerated gambling establishment) are located within walking distance of Saiin Station.

Adjacent stations

References

Coordinates: 35°0′12.61″N 135°43′54.8″E / 35.0035028°N 135.731889°E / 35.0035028; 135.731889