The Former Kosaka Railway Kosaka Station
The Former Kosaka Railway Kosaka Station (旧小坂鉄道小坂駅) was the terminus of the Kosaka Railway in the centre of Kosaka Town, Kazuno District, Akita Prefecture; its main building and platform of about 1909 and its locomotive depot of 1962 were registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on March 26, 2015 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Both are owned by Kosaka Town, and the station yard is now open as the Kosaka Railway Rail Park.
The Agency describes the station as the terminus of a railway tied to the Kosaka Mine. According to the Rail Park's chronology, the Kosaka Railway Company was founded in January 1909 and opened its Kosaka line to public traffic that May. In October 1962 the line was regauged to 1,067 mm and the whole route went over to diesel power. Passenger trains ended in September 1994, and the railway closed in April 2009.
Two Registered Structures in the Yard
The main building and platform face the town centre: a timber station building 34 metres long, with a 60-metre platform along its west side. The columns of the entrance porch are made from rails rolled by Bethlehem Steel in the United States (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The locomotive depot, at the north end of the yard, is a single-storey steel-framed shed 75 metres long and 15 metres wide, built over 2 sidings (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The station building belongs to the line's first years and the depot to its regauged, diesel era, so the Former Kosaka Railway Kosaka Station lets you compare buildings about half a century apart. Each structure is described on its own page.
From Closed Line to Rail Park
The Rail Park's chronology records that in 2011, after closure, Kosaka Town leased the depot from Kosaka Smelting and Refining and began turning the old station into a tourist attraction. Repairs to the station building were finished in March 2013, work on the depot and a vehicle display area in March 2014, and the park opened fully that June.
A volunteer group, the Kosaka Railway Preservation Society, helps run the park, and visitors can ride rail bikes and a small sightseeing trolley on the old tracks (Kosaka Railway Rail Park).
Visiting the Former Kosaka Railway Kosaka Station
The yard of the Former Kosaka Railway Kosaka Station is open during the Rail Park's season, April 1 through November 23, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.). It closes on Wednesdays, or on the following Thursday when Wednesday is a public holiday. Admission is 600 yen for adults, high school students included, and 300 yen for elementary and junior high school students; the ticket covers the station building, the vehicle display area and the locomotive depot. Pets are not allowed (Kosaka Railway Rail Park).
By bus, take the Shūhoku Bus bound for Kosaka to the Kosaka Shōgakkō-mae stop, then walk about 2 minutes. The ride takes about 60 minutes from JR Ōdate Station and about 25 minutes from Towada-Minami Station on the JR Hanawa Line. Drivers can reach the park in about 3 minutes from Kosaka IC on the Tōhoku Expressway; the park asks that you enter its address, 20-9 Furukawa, Kosaka Kozan, into car navigation (Kosaka Railway Rail Park).
References
- Former Kosaka Railway Kosaka Station Main Building and Platform (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010407
- Former Kosaka Railway Kosaka Station Locomotive Depot (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00010408
- About the Rail Park and history of the Kosaka Railway (Kosaka Railway Rail Park, Japanese)
- https://kosaka-rp.com/pages/9/
- Opening hours and admission (Kosaka Railway Rail Park, Japanese)
- https://kosaka-rp.com/pages/159/
- Access (Kosaka Railway Rail Park, Japanese)
- https://kosaka-rp.com/pages/7/
- Meiji Hyakunen-dori, the mining town streetscape (Kosaka Town, Japanese)
- https://www.town.kosaka.akita.jp/machinososhiki/kankosangyoka/kankoshokohan/3/kosakakankouspot/1661.html
Last verified: 2026.11.08
Basic Information
| Name | Former Kosaka Railway Kosaka Station |
|---|---|
| Location | 20-9 Furukawa, Kosaka Kozan, Kosaka Town, Kazuno District, Akita Prefecture, and others |
| Owner | Kosaka Town |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (2) |
| Coordinates | 40.32410, 140.74540 |
