Warp to the Shinkansen station with a view! This bus route between Kawasaki City and Yokohama City has almost no parallel public roads, so it is fair to say that there is almost no demand for pure travel between Mizonokuchi and Shin-Yokohama. Despite this, the bus line has been useful for a long time since its opening, largely because it served as a “shortcut” to the Shinkansen station. Before the Tokyu Shin-Yokohama Line opened in 2023, travel from the Nambu and Denentoshi Lines to the Shinkansen and Shin-Yokohama Station required a nearly one-hour detour: Kawasaki on the Nambu Line, Higashi-Kanagawa to Shin-Yokohama on the Yokohama Line, or Azamino on the Tokyu Denentoshi Line and Shin-Yokohama on the Yokohama Line. In addition, both lines are heavily congested throughout the daytime, which is quite strenuous. Because access to the Shin-Yokohama area was too inconvenient, a direct bus with the conditions “get off at Mizonokuchi Station and take a 30-minute bus ride” and “a slightly aggressive fare (500 yen one-way cash)” was more than enough to compete. Furthermore, business and event demand on both station sides was also significant. First, the Mizonokuchi Station side is home to the “KSP (Kanagawa Science Park)” (opened in 1989), where AI, biotechnology, and IT-related companies are concentrated, and the surrounding area is also dotted with bases of Toshiba, Daikin, and other companies. In addition, there are condominiums and the Senzoku College of Music in the area, so there were many business travelers who left Mizonokuchi Station, boarded a bus at the next bus stop, Takatsu High School or Takatsu Junior High School Entrance, and transferred to the Shinkansen bullet train at Shin-Yokohama Station. On the other hand, on the Shin-Yokohama Station side, there were many getting on and off at the “Nissan Stadium-mae” bus stop, depending on the day. Buses were full, especially on days when a J-League team, Yokohama F-Marinos, was playing at the stadium, and the buses were so busy that one after another were forced to continue their service. On the other hand, the “Uvance Todoroki Stadium” of Kawasaki Frontale, a J-League team on the Kawasaki City side, also has a bus service from Mizonokuchi Station, which is used by people from the Frontale area (Kawasaki City) to the F-Marinos game and from the Marinos area (Yokohama City) to the Frontale game. The buses going directly to Shin-Yokohama on game days were terribly soccer-oriented. Looking back, both sides of this bus route succeeded in creating demand for a service that was not limited to “station-to-station” routes. The buses operated over a wide range of hours, with the Mizonokuchi bus departing at 6:00 a.m. and three buses per hour in the morning, and the Shin-Yokohama bus departing at 10:54 p.m. There was certainly a time when there were many passengers on the bus at all times of the day. Despite these efforts, the line suffered a sharp decline after that.
© Source travel watch