恵比寿駅

Ebisu owes its very existence as a railway station to beer. A freight stop opened in 1901 to serve the neighboring Yebisu brewery, and passengers were admitted from 1906. The district and the station gradually took on the name of the brand, itself inspired by the Japanese god Ebisu. The Hibiya line arrived in 1964 and turned the site into a subway interchange. The former brewery has since given way to Yebisu Garden Place, while the JR tracks and shopping arcades keep a very active link with Shibuya and southern Tokyo. The station thus illustrates the shift from an industrial landscape to a residential, gastronomic, and cultural district.

Contrary to the usual case where a brand takes the name of a place, here it was the Yebisu beer that gave its name first to the station and then to the district. The old spelling "Yebisu" remains visible on several local signs.

Freight opening

1901

Passengers

Since 1906

Origin of the name

Yebisu beer