Nagasaki Electric Tramway Hotarujaya Line

The first part of the line opened in the Taishō era as a continuation of the route running from the area in front of Nagasaki Station. On 9 July 1920 the section between Furumachi and Umamachi was brought into service, and Umamachi stop opened. Later that same year, on 25 December 1920, the stretch from Nishihamanomachi to Furumachi opened, together with the Nigiwaibashi and Sakayamachi stops, linking the new branch into the city-centre network.

A car depot followed soon afterwards: on 24 March 1922 the Umamachi depot was completed near Umamachi stop. The branch then remained short for over a decade, reaching its full eastern extent only in the Shōwa era.

The decisive extension came in 1934. On 25 October the Umamachi depot was closed, and on 20 December the line was opened from Furumachi through to Hotarujaya, with the Suwa-jinja-shita, Sakurababamachi, Nakagawamachi and Hotarujaya stops all opening that day. As part of the same change the route was altered and the original Furumachi–Umamachi section was abolished, fixing the branch on its present alignment to the eastern edge of the downtown. A new depot at the terminus, the Hotarujaya depot, was completed in March 1937.

The war and its aftermath left their mark. In January 1944 wartime express operation led to the closure of the Sakayamachi and Sakurababamachi stops. On 9 August 1945 the atomic bombing of Nagasaki put the line out of service; operation resumed on 25 November 1945. In the post-war decades the route continued to be adjusted: a route change on 1 March 1954 abolished the Furumachi stop and opened Okeyamachi stop, the latter renamed Kōkaidō-mae in March 1963.

The branch has seen both accident and disaster. On 8 July 1962 a 360-type car (No. 363) ran away from the Hotarujaya depot and rear-ended car No. 365 standing at Shin-Daikumachi stop, an accident that killed or injured twelve people. In July 1982 the Nagasaki Flood suspended the line on the 23rd, with service resumed two days later on the 25th. On 29 March 1989 track between Suwa-jinja-mae and Shin-Nakagawamachi was relocated for road widening and converted to centre-pole catenary.

In recent years the line's stops have been renamed in waves. On 1 August 2018 thirteen stops across the system were given new names, and the Hamanomachi Arcade stop opened as a separate platform split off from Nishihamanomachi; on the same day Nigiwaibashi became Meganebashi, Kōkaidō-mae became Shimin-kaikan, and Suwa-jinja-mae became Suwa-jinja. The renaming continued on 4 January 2023, when the Shimin-kaikan stop was renamed Shiyakusho (City Hall). Today the Hotarujaya Branch Line remains a busy short link from the city centre to the tramway's eastern depot, used by the bulk of Nagasaki's tram services.

• 19209 July: the first section, Furumachi–Umamachi, opens as a continuation of the route from the Nagasaki Station area; Umamachi stop opens.
• 192025 December: the Nishihamanomachi–Furumachi section opens, with the Nigiwaibashi and Sakayamachi stops, linking the branch into the city-centre network.
• 192224 March: the Umamachi depot is completed near Umamachi stop.
• 193425 October: the Umamachi depot is closed.
• 193420 December: the line opens from Furumachi through to Hotarujaya — Suwa-jinja-shita, Sakurababamachi, Nakagawamachi and Hotarujaya stops open; a route change abolishes the original Furumachi–Umamachi section.
• 1937March: the Hotarujaya depot is completed at the eastern terminus.
• 1944January: wartime express operation leads to the closure of the Sakayamachi and Sakurababamachi stops.
• 19459 August: the line is put out of service by the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
• 194525 November: service resumes.
• 19541 March: a route change abolishes the Furumachi stop and opens the Okeyamachi stop.
• 19628 July: a 360-type car (No. 363) runs away from the Hotarujaya depot and rear-ends car No. 365 at Shin-Daikumachi stop, killing or injuring twelve people.
• 1963March: the Okeyamachi stop is renamed Kōkaidō-mae.
• 198223 July: the Nagasaki Flood suspends the line; service resumes on 25 July.
• 198929 March: the track between Suwa-jinja-mae and Shin-Nakagawamachi is relocated for road widening and converted to centre-pole catenary.
• 20181 August: thirteen stops are renamed across the system and the Hamanomachi Arcade stop opens; Nigiwaibashi becomes Meganebashi, Kōkaidō-mae becomes Shimin-kaikan, and Suwa-jinja-mae becomes Suwa-jinja.
• 20234 January: the Shimin-kaikan stop is renamed Shiyakusho (City Hall).