History
Utano Station opened on 3 November 1925 as Takaoguchi Station when Kyoto Dentō's Arashiyama Electric Railway (today's Randen) Kitano Line began operations between Kitano and this point — the name reflected the stop's role as the gateway to the Takao scenic district to the northwest. With the further extension to Katabiranotsuji on 10 March 1926 it became a through station, and on 2 March 1942 it passed to Keifuku Electric Railroad along with the rest of the Kitano Line. The station was renamed Utano on 19 March 2007. Postwar service used only the northern platform until single-person tram operation began in 1982, at which point the present Katabiranotsuji-bound platform was added.
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-25.
Notes
The line between Utano and the next stop, Narutaki, is flanked by Somei-yoshino cherry trees and is known as the Randen "tunnel of cherry blossoms". The station appears as the fictional home stop of Detective Otokawa (played by Makoto Fujita) in the Asahi Broadcasting drama Kyōto Satsujin Annai, and was used as a filming location for the 2018 film Marmalade Boy.