Sakurai (Nara)

Weekday departures: 185/day · Sat & holiday departures: 185/day

First / last departure (weekday): 5:43 / 24:24 (00:24 next day)

Busiest hour: 10:00–11:00 (12)

0:00 ─ 23:00

Figures are typical departures in the timetable data, not a live service count.

Timetable data as of 2 May 2026.

• Kintetsu Osaka Line: Yamato-Asakura ⇄ Daifuku
• JR Sakurai Line: Miwa ⇄ Kaguyama

Sakurai Station opened on 23 May 1893 as the eastern terminus of the Osaka Railway extension from Takada. The Nara Railway connected from the north on 11 May 1898, the Kansai Railway absorbed both in 1900 and 1905, and the line was nationalised in 1907. The Hatsuse Tramway opened a separate connection in December 1909, eventually merging through the Hase Railway, Osaka Electric Tramway, and Kansai Express Railway into today's Kintetsu Railway in 1944. With JNR privatisation on 1 April 1987 the JR portion passed to JR West. A new elevated combined station building opened on 10 March 1995, finally separating the JR and Kintetsu ticket gates.

During the station's reconstruction in the 1990s, carried out in connection with Kintetsu's work to improve a sharp curve, the Kintetsu platform was widened to nearly double its former length, and the platform roof was extended from covering two cars' length to six.