Originally Posted by
roberto99
Suppose I need to board a northbound train with my 26 inch bag at about 4pm on a weekday.
Which option is likely to be the least crowded at 4pm?
1. Board the Ueno-Tokyo line at Shinagawa Station
2. Board the Yamanote line at Hamamatsucho Station.
3. Board the Keihin-Tōhoku line at Hamamatsucho Station.
4pm is still before rush hour so any option should be feasible. There is (I think) a Joban line / Ueno-Tokyo through service which actually starts from Shinagawa heading north at 16:17 so should be easy to find space.
If that doesn't suit you would probably be able to find decent space on a Yamanote or Keihin-Touhoku train on either the first or last carriages, that seemed to work well for me a few times last week.