is a railway station in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The station takes its name from the area on its eastern side, Harajuku. This station is served by the circular Yamanote Line. It is also adjacent to Meiji-Jingumae Station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda and Fukutoshin Lines, and is marked as an interchange on most route maps, although there is no physical connection between the two stations.
History
thumb|Original station building in 2016
The station opened on 30 October 1906 by the Nippon Railway, although the station was nationalized under the Railway Nationalization Act just two days later. The station was opened as a infill station between Shibuya and Yoyogi in response to growing local population. Ridership increased after the construction of the Meiji Shrine in 1920, when it became the closest railway station to the shrine. The station building was rebuilt in 1924 after the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake.
Platform edge doors were installed on the platforms in November 2014, and brought into operation from December. Station numbering was introduced in 2016 with Harajuku being assigned station number JY19.
2020 renovations
In June 2016, JR East announced plans to rebuild the station ahead of the 2020 Olympics in order to alleviate overcrowding. A new station building was to be built by JR East at the station's Meiji-Jingu entrance. A temporary platform used during busy periods will become the permanent platform for trains heading north through the station. The new station building and platform opened on 21 March 2020, in time for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. JR East decided in November 2019 to demolish the old wooden station building at the Takeshita entrance on safety grounds after the Paralympics, and replace it with a safer structure constructed in a similar style.
Station layout
thumb|The Yamanote line platforms in 2020
The station consists of a two side platforms serving two tracks. The station was initially an island platform with an additional temporary platform for the Shinjuku direction during major events only. The temporary platform was made permanent during the 2020 renovations, and the two platforms now serve different directions. The points, signals and rails incidental to the platform are in disrepair, making it impossible to use the platform without some refurbishment.
Passenger statistics
In fiscal 2023, the station was used by an average of 64,985 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), making it the sixty-fourth-busiest station operated by JR East.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Fiscal year !! Daily average
|-
| 2000 || 71,364
|-
| 2005 || 73,446
|-
| 2010 || 71,456
|-
| 2011 || 69,750
|-
| 2012 || 71,472
|-
| 2013 || 70,866
|-
| 2023 || 64,985