History
Kōenji Station opened on 15 July 1922 as a Ministry of Railways stop on the Chūō Main Line in Suginami. The original station burned down in the Tokyo firebombing of 25 May 1945; a temporary structure followed and a full “people’s station” rebuild opened on 29 December 1952. The Chūō Line tracks were elevated in April 1966 alongside the launch of through services to the Sōbu Line and the TRTA Tōzai Line. The station now sits on a four-track elevated section: rapid trains stop on weekdays but skip Kōenji on weekends and holidays, while Chūō-Sōbu locals call at all times. Suica IC service began on 18 November 2001.
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-18.
Notes
During the late-August Kōenji Awa Odori dance festival, the station switches to a custom departure melody timed to the event — one of the few stations on the Chūō Line to use seasonal jingles.