Wakasa Railway Hayabusa Station Building and Platform

The Line's First Terminus

Wakasa Railway Hayabusa Station Building and Platform (若桜鉄道隼駅本屋及びプラットホーム, Hayabusa-eki) is a single-storey timber station building of 1929 with a 97-metre platform in Mitsukinaka, Yazu Town, Tottori Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 8 July 2008.

It stands 2.5 kilometres northwest of Abe Station. The building measures 11 metres by 4.6 metres, 56 square metres in all, under a gabled sheet-metal roof, and the concrete platform runs continuously along its north side.

For most of 1930, Hayabusa was the end of the line: the first section opened to here in January, and the rails reached Wakasa only that December.

Why It Was Registered

The registration cites its contribution to the historic landscape, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs notes how well the station keeps its original appearance, down to the joinery in the waiting room. According to the railway, its spell as a terminus left it with buildings other stations lacked, such as a rest room for train crews.

The walls are finished differently by side. The north face, toward the platform, is exposed-post construction with vertical boarding at waist height; the east, west and south faces are clapboard. The station shows one face to passengers and another to the village.

What to Look For

Walk round Wakasa Railway Hayabusa Station Building and Platform. On the platform side the posts show through the wall; on the other three sides the overlapping boards take over. Inside, the waiting room is much as it was when the station opened.

Because the station shares its name with a well-known large motorcycle, Hayabusa has become a pilgrimage stop for riders. According to the railway, the Hayabusa Station Festival on the first Sunday of August draws around 2000 bikes.

Visiting

Wakasa Railway Hayabusa Station Building and Platform is a working station, so the waiting room and platform are open as for any passenger. Staff areas and the track are off limits. On festival day the area is packed; choose another day if you want the building to yourself.

Take photographs without getting in the way of passengers or trains. Travel to the station and tickets are covered on the Wakasa Railway page.