Liminal Stations: 9 Real Places, From 462 Steps Underground at Doai to Stations With No Road

Why Empty Stations Stay With Us

Platforms and waiting rooms are built for people waiting for trains. Benches, timetables and announcements all assume someone is there. When no one is, the station becomes a space frozen on the way somewhere.

Every station in this article is still served by trains. But very few trains stop, and some stations have no road. When you visit, always check the time of your train back.

Platforms Deep Underground: Doai and Tsutsuishi

At Doai Station on the JR Joetsu Line in Gunma, the up platform is above ground, but the down platform is inside the Shin-Shimizu Tunnel, opened in 1967, about 70 meters below the station building. From the gate you go down 24 steps in a connecting passage and then a straight flight of 462 steps before reaching the platform. Going down takes about 10 minutes; coming up can take twice as long or more.

Tsutsuishi Station in Niigata (Echigo Tokimeki Railway) was moved in 1969 into the Kubiki Tunnel, about 11 kilometers long. The platforms are about 40 meters below the station building, 290 steps down from the gate. Strong winds blow through the tunnel when trains pass, so heavy sliding doors separate the platforms from the passages.

Higashi-Narita Station in Chiba opened in 1978 as "Narita Airport Station" and was renamed in 1991. Its former limited-express platform is no longer used, and signs with the old name and old advertisements remain.

Remote Stations With No Road: Koboro and Tsubojiri

Koboro Station on the JR Muroran Line in Hokkaido sits in a gap of about 80 meters between two long tunnels, surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides and the sea on the fourth. No road reaches it. It was established in 1943 as a passing loop, and only six local trains a day stop there. JR considered closing it in 2015, but the town of Toyoura has managed and preserved it since the following year. Brown bears live in the area, so do not visit alone.

Tsubojiri Station on the JR Dosan Line in Tokushima lies at the bottom of a valley in the Asan Mountains, with no road to it. Because of the steep grade it is a switchback: trains reverse in a siding before entering the platform. An old wooden station building remains, and only three local trains stop in each direction. The last train toward Awa-Ikeda leaves in the 16:00 hour, so plan carefully.

Remote Stations on the Tenryu River: Tamoto and Kowada

Tamoto Station on the JR Iida Line in Nagano clings to a cliff in the Tenryu River gorge, with a huge concrete retaining wall behind the platform and the valley below the tracks. There is no station building, only a small shelter, and a narrow mountain path climbs about 20 minutes to a village. Some local trains pass without stopping, so check the timetable before getting off.

Kowada Station (JR Iida Line) in Shizuoka is near the point where Shizuoka, Aichi and Nagano meet, beside the Tenryu River. When Sakuma Dam was completed in 1956, part of the riverside settlement was submerged, and later village life around the station disappeared. No road reaches it; the nearest settlement is about an hour away on foot. A wooden station building and the remains of homes and a tea factory are still there.

Stations Unchanged Since the Showa Era: Kokudo and Nebukawa

Kokudo Station on the JR Tsurumi Line in Kanagawa opened in 1930 and is said to have had no major rebuilding. A dim, arched passage runs beneath the viaduct. People still live under the viaduct, so keep residents and doorways out of your photos.

Nebukawa Station in Odawara is an unstaffed station on a hill above Sagami Bay. In the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, a train arriving at the station was swept into the sea along with the station building and platform, and more than 100 people died. The current wooden building was rebuilt in 1924.

Practical Notes for Visiting

Very few trains stop at remote stations, and missing one can mean waiting hours. Decide your outbound and return trains before you go. At stations with no road, there is no other way back. Bears live around Koboro, Tamoto and Kowada, so carry a bell and do not go alone.

All of these are working stations. Do not step onto the tracks or stand at the edge of the platform. The stairs at Doai and Tsutsuishi have no elevators and take real stamina to climb. Do not sleep or use fire in waiting rooms.

If You Shoot It, Put It on the Map

Even the station you use every day shows another face when no one is there. For underground passages and malls, see "Liminal Underground Malls and Passages"; for stations and corridors in games, see "Is The Exit 8 Real?"

LIMap is a map for keeping places like these, with photos and locations. If you find one, please add it.