The Terminus Building
Wakasa Railway Wakasa Station Building and Platform (若桜鉄道若桜駅本屋及びプラットホーム, Wakasa-eki) is the 1930 single-storey timber station building and stone-faced platform at the end of the line in Wakasa, Wakasa Town, Tottori Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 8 July 2008.
Wakasa was the terminus of the Ministry of Railways' Wakasa Line, opened in December 1930 chiefly to carry timber and other freight out of the valley. The building covers 107 square metres and the platform 142 square metres. On the platform side a lean-to roof extends from the building.
At first the building held a waiting room, an office and a staff rest room. It was renovated in 1995 and now serves both as the station and as the head office of the Wakasa Railway Company.
Why It Was Registered
The registration cites its contribution to the historic landscape, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls the building and platform the core of Wakasa Station. Around them the lamp room, switchman's huts, vehicle shed, turntable, water tower and snow drainage channel are each registered too, so the full layout of an early Shōwa terminus survives.
According to the railway, the building has been altered in places but its exterior has changed little. The platform is stone-faced, and the roof reaching out from the building is carried on trusses.
What to Look For
Start in the forecourt. The low timber building faces the street as the front door of a mountain town at the end of the line. In 2020 its interior was refitted in a way that keeps the old character.
Walk through the waiting room to the platform side for the stone-faced platform and the trussed roof. Inside the building is a semaphore signal that once stood in the yard. It was worked from the lamp room, the small building just west along the platform.
Visiting
Wakasa Railway Wakasa Station Building and Platform is a working station; the building and waiting room are open without a train ticket, and the window still issues old-style card tickets. The office and staff areas are not open.
Wakasa Station's building and waiting room are open to anyone, but the paid part of the yard, where the turntable and water tower stand, needs a yard admission ticket from the window: 300 yen, free for elementary-school children and younger. Follow staff instructions inside and keep off the tracks and any roped-off areas.
Take photographs without getting in the way of passengers or trains. Getting to Wakasa is covered on the Wakasa Railway page.
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Q&A
- When was Wakasa Railway Wakasa Station Building and Platform built?
- In 1930, with a renovation in 1995. It was registered as a cultural property in 2008.
- Is it free to enter Wakasa Railway Wakasa Station Building?
- Yes, the building and waiting room are open without a ticket. The paid part of the yard with the turntable and water tower needs a 300-yen admission ticket, free for elementary-school children and younger.
- What is there to see at Wakasa Railway Wakasa Station Building and Platform?
- The timber building, the stone-faced platform and the trussed roof over it, plus a semaphore signal from the yard displayed inside.
- Why was Wakasa Station built?
- It was the terminus of the Ministry of Railways' Wakasa Line, opened in 1930 mainly to carry timber and other freight.
- How big is Wakasa Railway Wakasa Station Building and Platform?
- The timber building covers 107 square metres and the stone platform 142 square metres.
Basic Information
| Name | Wakasa Railway Wakasa Station Building and Platform |
|---|---|
| Location | 345-2 Renkyōji-shimo, Wakasa, Wakasa Town, Yazu District, Tottori Prefecture, and adjoining lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2008/7/8 (Heisei 20) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Station building: single-storey timber, sheet-metal roof, building area 107 square metres; platform: stone, area 142 square metres |
| Owner | Wakasa Town |
| Public Access | Working station; building and waiting room open freely; paid yard area 300 yen (free for elementary-school children and younger) |
References
- Wakasa Railway Wakasa Station Building and Platform (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties, Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007287
- Wakasa Railway Wakasa Station Building and Platform (Cultural Heritage Online, Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/198279
- Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Wakasa Railway Co., Japanese)
- https://wakatetsu.co.jp/bunkazai
- Stations along the line (Wakasa Railway Co., Japanese)
- https://wakatetsu.co.jp/station/
- C12 display runs and yard admission (Wakasa Railway Co., Japanese)
- https://wakatetsu.co.jp/c12
Last verified: 2026.09.26
