Touch the northernmost railway line in Japan, which passes through Wakkanai Station.
JR Wakkanai Station is Japan's northernmost railway station.
The track should end there but if you take a look,
it extends north through the station building to the station-front plaza,
where a "Japan's northernmost railway line" monument and a yellow buffer stop is located.
What's the reason for this? The answer lies in Wakkanai's railway history.
The former northernmost point remains today
When you get off a train at JR Wakkanai Station,
there’s a wooden sign at the end of the platform that reads “northernmost railway line”.
Despite this, more tracks are laid when you leave the station building and,
at the end of these tracks is another stone sign that reads
“Japan’s northernmost railway line” and a yellow buffer stop.
These rails and buffer stop located outside the station building were once the northernmost railway line in Japan.
The place that was once the end of the line before
the station was reconstructed in 2011 is now a monument where memories of those times remain.
When you get off a train at JR Wakkanai Station, there’s a wooden sign at the end of the platform that reads “northernmost railway line”. Despite this, more tracks are laid when you leave the station building and, at the end of these tracks is another stone sign that reads
“Japan’s northernmost railway line” and a yellow buffer stop. These rails and buffer stop located outside the station building were once the northernmost railway line in Japan. The place that was once the end of the line before the station was reconstructed in 2011 is now a monument where memories of those times remain.
What was originally the Wakkanai Minato Station
The history of Wakkanai Station is a little complex and, if we delve into this history,
what is now Minami Wakkanai Station was originally opened as “Wakkanai Station”.
Subsequently, the Chihaku Waterways ferry service between Wakkanai and Karafuto (currently Sakhalin)
was established and Wakkanai Minato Station was opened near the Wakkanai Port.
Because this station became linked to the Soya Main Line tracks,
Wakkanai Minato Station was renamed Wakkanai Station.
When the number of Chihaku Ferry passengers increased in 1938,
the line was extended to the Wakkanai Sanbashi Station located next to what is now the North Breakwater Dome.
The railway line to that station is now a footpath with thin blocks laid to represent
the rails along the route from the buffer stop monument in the station-front plaza.
The history of Wakkanai Station is a little complex and, if we delve into this history, what is now Minami Wakkanai Station was originally opened as “Wakkanai Station”. Subsequently, the Chihaku Waterways ferry service between Wakkanai and Karafuto (currently Sakhalin) was established and Wakkanai Minato Station was opened near the Wakkanai Port. Because this station became linked to the Soya Main Line tracks, Wakkanai Minato Station was renamed Wakkanai Station. When the number of Chihaku Ferry passengers increased in 1938, the line was extended to the Wakkanai Sanbashi Station located next to what is now the North reakwater Dome. The railway line to that station is now a footpath with thin blocks laid to represent the rails along the route from the buffer stop monument in the station-front plaza.
A base for Wakkanai and northernmost sightseeing
The current JR Wakkanai Station building is located in “KITAcolor”,
a multi-purpose complex complete with bus terminal and Michinoeki (roadside station).
The facility also houses Hokkaido’s northernmost cinema, a tourist information desk and souvenir shops.
There is a taxi rank in front of the station, where trains,
buses and cars all converge in one hub,
and the terminal for the ferries to the Rishiri and Rebun islands is just a 10-min. walk away,
making it a convenient base for sightseeing in Wakkanai and the northernmost area.
Also a commemorative platform ticket complete with a certificate of
your visit to
Japan’s northernmost station can be purchased inside the station.
Why not come and see Japan’s northernmost station building and
platform even if you visit Wakkanai by a means of transport other than train?
The current JR Wakkanai Station building is located in “KITAcolor”, a multi-purpose complex complete with bus terminal and Michinoeki (roadside station). The facility also houses Hokkaido’s northernmost cinema, a tourist information desk and souvenir shops.There is a taxi rank in front of the station, where trains, buses and cars all converge in one hub, and the terminal for the ferries to the Rishiri and Rebun islands is just a 10-min. walk away, making it a convenient base for sightseeing in Wakkanai and the northernmost area. Also a commemorative platform ticket complete with a certificate of your visit to Japan’s northernmost station can be purchased inside the station. Why not come and see Japan’s northernmost station building and platform even if you visit Wakkanai by a means of transport other than train?
- Wakkanai Station
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- Within JR Wakkanai Station grounds
- Approx. 25 min. by car from Wakkanai airport.
KITAcolor：http://www.kitacolor.com