Overview

The Utsunomiya Line (JU) is the commuter-facing name for the Tohoku Main Line between Tokyo and Kuroiso, 34 stations in all. What the game covers is the core of that operating pattern: the 24 stations from Tokyo Station north to Utsunomiya. Since the March 2022 timetable revision the stretch beyond Utsunomiya has been worked by one-person E131 series shuttles, split off from the through services to the south. The orange-and-green Shonan-liveried 211 series is its classic image; E231 and E233 sets handle the work today. It shares the Tokyo–Omiya stretch, and the JU numbering, with the Takasaki Line.

Along the route

North from Tokyo and Ueno, the commuter strongholds of Akabane, Urawa and Omiya follow in turn. Past Omiya the dense townscape gives way to fields and low-rise housing through Kuki, Koga and Oyama, then crosses the Tone River into Tochigi. The terminus, Utsunomiya, is famous for gyoza and serves as the gateway to Nikko.

Why play it

24 stations that mix short names like Tokyo with distinctly northern-Kanto readings such as Higashi-washinomiya and Suzumenomiya — a good way to get out of the central Tokyo naming comfort zone.

Line data

Everything below is derived from the station data the game runs on, so it always matches what you actually type on the 宇都宮線 — all 24 stops of it.

Operator
JR East
Line symbol
JU
Stations
24
Shape
Terminal to terminal
Termini
東京 — 宇都宮

How much typing is this?

Typing every station name on this line takes 190 keystrokes, an average of 7.9 per station. The longest name is さいたま新都心 (saitama-shintoshin) at 18 keystrokes; the shortest is 尾久 (oku) 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; 1 contain a small ゃ, ゅ or ょ, where the engine accepts both the Hepburn and Kunrei spellings (sha or sya, shu or syu); and 1 end in ん, whose trailing n folds into whatever comes next rather than standing alone.

Where you can change trains

6 of the 24 stations on this line connect to another line in the game. Follow any symbol to that line's guide.

Marked with a star: 東京・上野 — the major interchanges, which the maps always label and the game marks with a heavier arrival stamp.

Every station on the line

All 24 stations in order, with the official station number, the name in kanji, the kana the typing is derived from, and its Hepburn romaji.

#No.StationKanaRomaji
1JU01東京とうきょうtokyo
2JU02上野うえのueno
3JU03尾久おくoku
4JU04赤羽あかばねakabane
5JU05浦和うらわurawa
6JU06さいたま新都心さいたましんとしんsaitama-shintoshin
7JU07大宮おおみやomiya
8JU08土呂とろtoro
9JU09東大宮ひがしおおみやhigashi-omiya
10JU10蓮田はすだhasuda
11JU11白岡しらおかshiraoka
12JU12新白岡しんしらおかshin-shiraoka
13JU13久喜くきkuki
14JU14東鷲宮ひがしわしのみやhigashi-washinomiya
15JU15栗橋くりはしkurihashi
16JU16古河こがkoga
17JU17野木のぎnogi
18JU18間々田ままだmamada
19JU19小山おやまoyama
20JU20小金井こがねいkoganei
21JU21自治医大じちいだいjichi-idai
22JU22石橋いしばしishibashi
23JU23雀宮すずめのみやsuzumenomiya
24JU24宇都宮うつのみやutsunomiya