Traveling by train in Japan is a fun and scenic experience, and sometimes the journey can be even more enjoyable than the destination. Shinjuku Station in Tokyo might be famous as the busiest in the world, but once you get outside the capital you can find many unique and unpopulated stations in stunning settings. Read on to discover five of them.
Okuoikojo Station (Shizuoka Prefecture)
This station can be found in Umeji, Kawanehon in the rural Haibara District, which has a population of under 40,000. The station is located at the head of a spit of land that sticks out on the Nagashima Dam lake like a peninsula. Up through the trees behind the station is a log cabin with rest facilities on the ground floor and a viewing platform above where you can gaze out at the lake.
秘境駅でお馴染み 奥大井湖上駅 pic.twitter.com/hKGNHEZYg0
— 猫背改善美人(^^) (@nekozekaizenbjn) April 11, 2015
奥大井湖上駅 再び #院旅2015 pic.twitter.com/H4adyj0Ofb
— 𣘺 本 雅 好 ( H A S H I M O T O M a s a y o s h i ) (@hasshi_masa) February 28, 2015
そんな奥大井湖上駅からの鉄道&歩行者橋から対岸に行けます。以前は地権者の意向で通行止で私も駅間移動断念でここが未乗下車だったんですが最近は接岨峡温泉駅までまた通れるみたいです(@katamachiさんすみません) http://t.co/pdfzNLNs
— よねざわいずみ@JR最長O型きっぷの旅 (@yonezawaizumi) December 18, 2011
奥大井湖上駅 Oku-Ooikojo Station #大井川鉄道 pic.twitter.com/TaNSEb2lkR
— zir2501* 零式 (@zir2501) November 27, 2014
Shimonada Station (Ehime Prefecture)
Located in Futamicho Kaminada, Iyo, this is the closest station to the sea in all of Japan. It’s about one hour by train or car south from Ehime Prefecture’s capital city Matsuyama. Sitting on the station bench and looking out at the blue ocean stretching away in front of you can fill you with a real sense of peace and tranquil solitude.
https://twitter.com/yosimasu713/status/586121122808082432
下灘駅おすすめの撮り方
— yoshiaki kanno (RAILROAD SHENERY) (@haru_orenge) April 8, 2015
駅舎横のフエンス外側に立ちノーファインダーで
腕を背伸びをするように上げて傾きに注意して撮ると良い感じになります。 pic.twitter.com/vJ5h96eaSB
下灘駅で少々停車。
— 未知(ドール中心) (@kanzyoumiti) April 11, 2015
絵になるねぇ。 pic.twitter.com/SShsv8MRvZ
青春を感じた人RT♡
— 学生恋愛・青春あるある (@gakusei_aru_1) April 12, 2015
@愛媛県伊予市・下灘駅 http://t.co/4X8mEUxQF0!!!
これまでの青春18きっぷのポスターを網羅したサイトを見つけた。http://t.co/XB2ujGypmG
— 雑作家 Junya (@Junya_to_you) March 16, 2014
どれを取っても、写真もキャッチコピーもグッと来るなぁ。いちばん好きなのは2001年冬の下灘駅。 pic.twitter.com/HokBvNs3Xx
▼ The lonely scenery of the station has even been featured in television commercials.
Koboro Station (Hokkaido)
Koboro Station can be found on the Muroran Main Line which runs along the coast of Iburi Subprefecture between Oshamambe and Iwamizawa. The station is famous as being the most hidden in all of Japan, as it’s enclosed by tunnels to the east and west and a mountain range to the north. The only path is to the south, but it ends at the sea. In other words, the only way to get to this station is by train!
小幌駅
— 鉄道旅図鑑 (@tetudou_bot) April 9, 2015
JR北海道の室蘭本線の駅。日本一の秘境駅として知られている。駅の東側と西側はトンネル、北側は山で道はない。南側は唯一道があるが獣道でその先も海岸で何もない。降りることは出来ても乗ることが出来ない駅である。 pic.twitter.com/trnNq7b50j
マニアの間では有名な「日本一の秘境駅」と呼ばれる小幌駅。鉄道以外では行くことができないのです
— ロプロス (@ropross) September 17, 2013
http://t.co/eJQ6fv1Jwa
室蘭本線小幌駅駅舎全景。ってこれ、駅舎なのか…(^O^;) http://t.co/8tDZgX0935
— よねざわいずみ@JR最長O型きっぷの旅 (@yonezawaizumi) July 20, 2013
▼ Here’s the hidden beach that’s about a 20-minute walk down the path from the station.
小幌駅から歩くこと20分、噂の秘境ビーチにやって来ましたわ~\(^o^)/ pic.twitter.com/IgM6JPx1pO
— 裏山秀人散歩 (@hideyoshi201) July 23, 2014
Doai Station (Gunma Prefecture)
Otherwise known as the “mole station,” at 70 metres (230 feet) beneath the earth Doai Station is the deepest underground station in Japan. From the ticket gates to the platform you’ll have to go down a 338-metre staircase of 462 steps.
来た!日本一のモグラ駅!どうしようもなくトンネルの中だ。 http://t.co/f9UtKFYBFh
— 薄井ヨウ (@usuiyou) September 4, 2014
https://twitter.com/lalanzo/status/535072007830765568
霧が出てた、昨日の土合駅。
— akk (@goodyera) September 15, 2013
ホームはむっちゃくちゃ寒かった。そして外は暑かった。
そしてループはようわからんかった。 pic.twitter.com/S4dqlmqJYu
▼ A snow-covered view of the station building
土合駅の駅舎です!雪で埋もれてるっていうかもう雪しか見えない!笑 pic.twitter.com/dTwpmhCSoG
— るい(14世) (@B747_300SR) January 3, 2015
Tsutsuishi Station (Niigata Prefecture)
Tsutsuishi Station is another deep underground station, this one in Itoigawa City. The air in the tunnels 290 steps beneath the earth is always chilly, so you might be better off staying on the train.
https://twitter.com/yey177/status/508163659797782529
新潟から富山にむかうなか「筒石駅」で途中下車。トンネルの中にある駅で280段の階段をくだって、地下40mのホームに降りる。涼し~。 pic.twitter.com/BDC9uNbAKf
— 松澤茂信 ❘ 別視点 LLC. (@matsuzawa_s) July 25, 2013
北陸新幹線開通で18きっぷが利用できなくなる駅のひとつ筒石駅。改札からホームまで290段もの階段を降りるという、あの土合駅にも匹敵する秘境駅!現地に行った鉄スタッフから写真をもらいました http://t.co/WC82NW9KpK pic.twitter.com/m7fIdhrF7l
— Yahoo! MAP (@YahoojpMap) February 25, 2015
As Japan’s birth rate declines and more and more people move to the cities, rural train lines have been closing down at an alarming rate. But visiting the beautiful hidden stations on little-known lines can be a wonderful past time not only for train geeks, but for anyone who loves to travel and discover more about the country they’re in. If you have the chance, why not take a random train line out into the countryside and see where you end up? You’ll be supporting local railways, and you might just discover somewhere amazing.
Header Image: @yosimasu713 on Twitter
Source: Naver Matome
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