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I realize that very likely the answer to this question is likely to be
something along the lines of "that's just the way it is", but I thought it
worth asking to see if there were some insights that weren't immediately
apparent.

In Tokyo, the JR train line called the 山手線【やまのてせん】 seems to have dropped the の
from the way it is written. It seems there used to be areas of Tokyo referred
to as [山の手](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B1%B1%E3%81%AE%E6%89%8B) , which
was where the elites lived and is in opposition to the term 下町【したまち】(downtown,
lower class areas). I hear the 下町 often enough in reference to areas like
Asakusa, but I haven't heard anyone use 山の手. The only やまのて I know of these
days is the 山手 train line.

There is also an area of town called [御茶ノ水]【おちゃのみず】, where the の is still
there, but in katakana. Why not leave it in hiragana...?

So, is there any rhyme or reason to how these conventions of spelling came
about? Is there a relation?

Or are they just quirks of tradition that just stand on their own without any
rhyme or reason?
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question
word-choice etymology katakana spelling
Why did の disappear from 山手, but in 御茶ノ水 it's in katakana?
I also think it's maybe a stylistic thing. In 大阪, there is an area called
[森の宮]【もりのみや】. Around the area, I've seen it written any of the following ways:

  * 森の宮
  * 森ノ宮
  * 森之宮
  * 森宮

I've also noticed this for places that have a 「が」in them like 関ヶ原. Sometimes
it can be が、ヶ、ケ、or not there at all. Not that this necessarily applies to 関ヶ原,
but I've definitely seen the different styles for other such places (that I
can't currently recall).

You can see most of them in [this Google
map](https://www.google.com/maps?cid=6682431842307005685&socpid=238&socfid=maps_api_v3:smclick).

* * *

Edit: Google changed their map APIs, so my shared map "pins" seem to not work
any more, but you should still be able to find some of the different examples
on the map if you look closely.
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According to Wikipedia, the correct name of “山手線” is “やまのてせん.” In the
application form of business license submitted by The National Railway (then
日本国有鉄道) to the government before the start of operation in early Meiji era, it
was indicated as “山ノ手線,” and remained so until / during the World War II.

However, the National Railway (then 国鉄) started to use the name 山手線 side-by-
side with the rōmaji “Yamate Line” immediately after the end of the War when
they were directed by GHQ to indicate station names both with Japanese
characters and the Latin alphabet. Before and around this time, the National
Railway people had been using the name of “ヤマテ,” an abbreviation of ”山ノ手線” for
their internal communications. They simply appropriated their password to the
official indication of “山ノ手線.”

In response to the movement to make the names of stations and railway lines
familiar to the public and easy for them to read, along with the introduction
of the famous “Discover Japan" campaign in 1970, JR decided to place 振り仮名 to
the names of all stations and railway lines, and they placed “やまのてせん” as 振り仮名
to “山手線” on March 7, 1971.

Presently, the destination of direction displays in the Yamanotesen trains is
shown as “山手線” in Kanji and “YAMANOTE LINE” in rōmaji.
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When I first arrived in Japan in the summer of 1970, 山手線 was known simply as
やまてせん - it (suddenly) came to be known as やまのてせん around a year later. Back
then, I had never seen it referred to as 山ノ手線.

Further, the area where we lived in Yokohama was also known as the Bluff, 山手,
やまて, between the 石川町 and 山手 stations along the 根岸線.
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