Jomon Tunnel
A railway tunnel on the Sekihoku Main Line, opened between the end of the Meiji era and the early Taisho era (1912 to 1914) after grueling construction that relied on "tako-beya" forced labor and claimed many lives. Legends of hitobashira (people buried alive as human sacrifices) have been handed down, and during repair work in 1970 human bones were actually found inside the walls. Its portal still opens quietly deep in the mountains. The sight of diesel railcars passing in and out of the snowbound entrance carries a stillness that seems left behind by time.
See photos and posts for this place on the LIMap map
Nearby liminal spaces
- Former Horoka Station, JNR Shihoro Line (52 km)
- Taushubetsu River Bridge (Phantom Bridge) (53 km)
- Yoshimura Brick Factory (Remaining Chimney, Asahikawa) (86 km)
LIMap is a map for finding and sharing liminal spaces: places emptied of people that feel eerie and nostalgic at the same time. Many of these places are private or off-limits, so please follow the notes above and view them only from where you are allowed.