Registered Tangible Cultural Properties · Kumamoto

Kumagawa Railway Kinoe Station Waiting Shelter and Platform

Kumagawa Railway Kinoe Station Waiting Shelter and Platform, 1953

An unstaffed stop in Nishiki with a small steel shelter of 1953 and a platform of concrete and turfed bank, registered as an accent in the farmland still in service.

Designation Registered Tangible Cultural Properties

Location Kumamoto

A Shelter and Platform at a Country Stop

The Kumagawa Railway Kinoe Station Waiting Shelter and Platform (くま川鉄道木上駅待合所及びプラットホーム) are the facilities of an unstaffed station in Kinoe-minami, Nishiki Town, Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, built in 1953, altered in 1956 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 19 December 2014. The station lies about 2 kilometres north-east of the Second Kakui Bridge and is still in use.

The registration covers a small steel-framed shelter and the platform it stands on. The name 木上 is read Kinoe.

A Steel Shelter and a Turfed Platform

The shelter is a single-storey steel frame with a slate roof and a building area of 14 square metres. Its frontage is 5.0 metres, and the sides and back are clad in vertical boards. The shelter at the former Kawamura Station in Sagara Village was built the same year to the same frontage and the same cladding, a sign that the national railways were working from one idea.

The platform combines a concrete structure with an earth bank faced in turf. The national database gives its length as 63 metres in the structure field and 62 metres in the description. Grass rather than paving on the embankment makes the platform look almost continuous with the fields around it.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs values the station as a gentle accent in the farmland, and it was registered as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Kumagawa Railway Kinoe Station Waiting Shelter and Platform were recognised less as buildings in themselves than as a small station in a landscape.

What to Look For

The best way to appreciate the Kumagawa Railway Kinoe Station Waiting Shelter and Platform is to use them. Sit on the bench: the boarded back wall breaks the wind, and the open front frames fields and track. When a train arrives, a railcar or two draws up against the short platform.

Walk to the end of the platform and see where the turfed slope runs out. The meeting of concrete edge and grassy bank shows how rural stations were built in the Showa years.

Visiting

The Kumagawa Railway Kinoe Station Waiting Shelter and Platform belong to a working unstaffed station, so the simplest way to see them is to get off the train. The adult fare from Hitoyoshi Onsen is 380 yen, and there is a bicycle rack. With no staff on site, board a single-car train at the rear door, take a numbered ticket and pay into the fare box when you alight.

If you plan to visit without travelling or to stay for a long time, check with the company first. Never step down onto the track.

📍 Plan Your Visit to Kumamoto: Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kumagawa Railway Kinoe Station Waiting Shelter and Platform; [ Kumamoto Castle & Mt. Aso Volcano Tours ]

Q&A

QWhere are the Kumagawa Railway Kinoe Station Waiting Shelter and Platform?: AAt Kinoe Station in Kinoe-minami, Nishiki Town, about 2 kilometres north-east of the Second Kakui Bridge.

QHow is the station name 木上 read?: AIt is read Kinoe. The station is an unstaffed stop on the Kumagawa Railway and is still in service.

QCan visitors see the Kumagawa Railway Kinoe Station Waiting Shelter and Platform?: AYes. It is a working station, so you can see both by getting off the train. The adult fare from Hitoyoshi Onsen is 380 yen.

QWhat is distinctive about the Kumagawa Railway Kinoe Station Waiting Shelter and Platform?: AA small steel shelter of 1953 and a platform that combines a concrete structure with a turfed earth bank.

QCan I take photographs of the Kumagawa Railway Kinoe Station Waiting Shelter and Platform?: ANo restriction on photography at the station has been announced. Do not obstruct trains or other passengers, and never step onto the track. Commercial filming goes through the Kumagawa Railway's filming and coverage request page.

Basic Information

Name	Kumagawa Railway Kinoe Station Waiting Shelter and Platform (くま川鉄道木上駅待合所及びプラットホーム)
Location	300-3 Takakuro, Kinoe-minami, Nishiki Town, Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture
Designation	Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), registration No. 43-0139
Year Designated	Registered 2014/12/19 (Heisei 26)
Quantity	1 building
Dimensions	Shelter: single-storey steel frame, slate roof, building area 14 square metres. Platform: concrete, 63 metres long
Owner	Kumagawa Railway Co., Ltd.
Public Access	Unstaffed station in service; the shelter and platform can be seen up close by travelling by train