Where Parcels Awaited Collection
The Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Parcel Store (わたらせ渓谷鐵道足尾駅手小荷物保管庫) is a single-storey timber store for passengers' parcels built in 1935 at Kakemizu, Ashio-machi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 2, 2009 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 5.0 square metres, registration number 09-0182.
The Ashio Copper Railway
According to Watarase Keikoku Railway, the Ashio copper mine, bought by Furukawa Ichibei in 1877, grew to produce half of Japan's copper, more than horses and a horse tramway could carry, so a railway was built from Kiryu to Ashio. The Ashio Railway opened to Omama in 1911, reached Ashio in December 1912 and was completed to Ashio Honzan in 1914. Nationalised in 1918 as the Ashio Line, it has been run by Watarase Keikoku Railway since 1989.
According to Watarase Keikoku Railway, Ashio Station opened with the Sori to Ashio section in December 1912. The Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Parcel Store lies north-east of the station building (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Value as a Registered Cultural Property
The Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Parcel Store was registered as a structure contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs sees it as a building that shows how the Ashio Line expanded its passenger services.
What to Look For
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes a gable-entry timber building 2.7 by 1.8 metres with its door facing the platform, batten-fixed clapboard walls and shelving surviving inside.
Watarase Keikoku Railway's pamphlet explains that the Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Parcel Store, just past the ticket barrier on the right, held parcels much as a courier depot does today: goods were sent by train, and owners came to the station to collect them. Now unused, it survives from the national railway era.
Visiting
The Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Parcel Store stands on the right just past the ticket barrier at Ashio Station, and its exterior can be seen when using the station (Watarase Keikoku Railway). Watarase Keikoku Railway notes that all of its registered structures can be seen from the train.
Do not enter the tracks; view it from the train, the station or nearby roads. It is located at 2310 Kamikakemizu, Kakemizu, Ashio-machi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture. Of the line's 38 registered structures, the 26 in Gunma and 11 in Tochigi are gathered on the group pages Watarase Keikoku Railway (Gunma Section) and Watarase Keikoku Railway (Tochigi Section).
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Tochigi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Parcel Store
- [ Nikko Toshogu Shrine & Kegon Falls Day Trip ]
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In 1935 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How is it built?
- A single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 5.0 square metres (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What was kept here?
- Parcels sent by train, held until their owners came to collect them (Watarase Keikoku Railway).
- Where can it be seen?
- The Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Parcel Store stands on the right just past the ticket barrier at Ashio Station, and its exterior can be seen when using the station (Watarase Keikoku Railway).
- When was the Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Parcel Store registered?
- On November 2, 2009.
Basic Information
| Name | Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Parcel Store (わたらせ渓谷鐵道足尾駅手小荷物保管庫) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2310 Kamikakemizu, Kakemizu, Ashio-machi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2009/11/02 (Heisei 21) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof, building area 5.0 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the national database (line operated by Watarase Keikoku Railway Co., Ltd.) |
| Public Access | Visible when using the station or from the train |
References
- Watarase Keikoku Railway Ashio Station Parcel Store (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00007843
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Watarase Keikoku Railway, in Japanese)
- https://www.watetsu.com/sightseeing/culture.php
- Pamphlet: Railway Heritage from the Train Window, map notes (Watarase Keikoku Railway, in Japanese)
- https://www.watetsu.com/assets/pdf/sightseeing/culture_yukei_des07.pdf
- History (Watarase Keikoku Railway, in Japanese)
- https://www.watetsu.com/company/history.php
Last verified: 2026.10.12
