大和路線 (Yamatoji Line) · Line introduction

Overview

The Yamatoji Line (Q) is the marketing name JR West gave in 1988 to the electrified Kamo–JR-Namba section of the Kansai Main Line, and it wears green. Covered here are all 22 stations of that nicknamed section, Kamo to JR-Namba; the Kansai Main Line itself carries on east from Kamo as a trunk route all the way to Nagoya. The southern terminus was called Minatomachi until 1994, becoming JR-Namba and moving underground in 1996.

Along the route

From underground at JR-Namba it runs via Imamiya, Shin-Imamiya and Tennoji into south-east Osaka, then climbs the Yamato River valley through Hirano, Kyuhoji and Yao. Past Kawachi-Katakami the train threads a gorge between the Ikoma and Kongo ranges and emerges in Nara Prefecture at Sango and Oji. Horyuji — the world's oldest wooden buildings — Yamato-Koizumi and Koriyama follow before the old capital itself. Nara is the great stop but not the end: the line runs three more, Narayama, Kizu and Kamo, where the wires stop and the Kansai Main Line reverts to diesel.

Why play it

Names steeped in ancient Yamato: kawachi-katakami, yamato-koizumi, horyuji. Twenty-two stations is a well-judged length for a run that feels like travelling back in time.

Line data

Everything below is derived from the station data the game runs on, so it always matches what you actually type on the 大和路線 — all 22 stops of it.

Operator: JR West
Line symbol: Q
Stations: 22
Shape: Terminal to terminal
Termini: JR難波 — 加茂

How much typing is this?

Typing every station name on this line takes 173 keystrokes, an average of 7.9 per station. The longest name is 河内堅上 (kawachi-katakami) at 15 keystrokes; the shortest is 八尾 (yao) at 3. Those counts come from running each name's kana through the game's own romaji engine, so they are what your fingers actually do — not the length of the printed spelling.

Along the way: 0 names contain a small っ, which doubles the next consonant; 3 contain a small ゃ, ゅ or ょ, where the engine accepts both the Hepburn and Kunrei spellings (sha or sya, shu or syu); and 0 end in ん, whose trailing n folds into whatever comes next rather than standing alone.

Where you can change trains

9 of the 22 stations on this line connect to another line in the game. Follow any symbol to that line's guide.

Every station on the line

All 22 stations in order, with the official station number, the name in kanji, the kana the typing is derived from, and its Hepburn romaji.

#	No.	Station	Kana	Romaji
1	Q17	JR難波	じぇいあーるなんば	jr-namba
2	Q18	今宮	いまみや	imamiya
3	Q19	新今宮	しんいまみや	shin-imamiya
4	Q20	天王寺	てんのうじ	tennoji
5	Q21	東部市場前	とうぶしじょうまえ	tobushijomae
6	Q22	平野	ひらの	hirano
7	Q23	加美	かみ	kami
8	Q24	久宝寺	きゅうほうじ	kyuhoji
9	Q25	八尾	やお	yao
10	Q26	志紀	しき	shiki
11	Q27	柏原	かしわら	kashiwara
12	Q28	高井田	たかいだ	takaida
13	Q29	河内堅上	かわちかたかみ	kawachi-katakami
14	Q30	三郷	さんごう	sango
15	Q31	王寺	おうじ	oji
16	Q32	法隆寺	ほうりゅうじ	horyuji
17	Q33	大和小泉	やまとこいずみ	yamato-koizumi
18	Q34	郡山	こおりやま	koriyama
19	Q36	奈良	なら	nara
20	Q37	平城山	ならやま	narayama
21	Q38	木津	きづ	kizu
22	Q39	加茂	かも	kamo