Miyoshi in the northern parts of Hiroshima Prefecture came to my attention back in 2020 when I compiled a list of every station in Japan with a platform zero. The only one in Hiroshima was at Miyoshi but when doing some preparation for our New Year trip I discovered that it was sadly no more.

Platform zero was used on the Sankō Line running for 108.1 kilometres between Miyoshi and Gōtsu in Shimane Prefecture. However, when that line closed at the end of March 2018 due to poor patronage it meant the platform was not needed and sadly for me all the signage disappeared too. It did bring the line to my attention though and gave me the chance to see one particular abandoned station.

Hiroshima city had been fairly mild in the previous days so I hadn’t thought too much about the conditions 65 kilometres north of there! There had been a lot of heavy snow before Christmas and as the train headed north it became apparent that it was still around a couple of weeks later! I then realised I had left my gloves at home!

Once I was done at the giant milk carton building I returned to Miyoshi by train and then headed off west for about seven kiometres to see the remains of Nagatani station which was in operation for 49 years until its closure in March 2018. It was a bitterly cold morning as I followed the road running alongside the Gonokawa River. The sight of the station’s wooden hut perched on a stone embankment warmed me up a bit though.

The waiting room wasn’t actually locked so I was able to go inside but there wasn’t much to see other than a couple of wooden benches, and some views of the river and surrounding mountains. Not a bad place to sit and wait for trains in the past although waiting outside would’ve been better. I doubt this room would’ve kept you too warm!

This was supposedly a quiet station at the best of times but five years after permanently closing it was eerily quiet and not a single car or person passed by whilst I was in the vicinity.

Of course there were signs warning passers-by (or rail enthusiasts!) to keep out but having made the effort to go there I wanted to see as much as I could not that that justifies it at all!

Since the platform is in a high position, the idyllic scenery overlooking the river must’ve usually been quite impressive for the passengers getting on or off at the station.

When planning this trip I hadn’t taken snow into consideration so really wasn’t prepared for that regarding my footwear so walking in the footprints of where someone else had presumably walked earlier that day was a most welcome one. However, I couldn’t help but stand in the deep snow at times up on the platform.

There were no such problems beneath the platform though which was the easiest way for me to get from end to end.

A very short distance away was the bridge which the trains used to cross.

A few kilometres back down the road towards Miyoshi was a road sign for a JR station so I  went the short distance up the road to investigate. It was the next station along the line called Awaya. Whilst not as aesthetically pleasing as Nagatani, it was still really interesting to see the simpleness of it.

Inside there were a few photographs of its glory years and the final day when trains used this line in 2018.

This area of Hiroshima Prefecture is quite different from the city itself (no surprise I guess!) and had it not been so cold I might have appreciated the scenic beauty of mountains, rivers and snow a bit more than I did.

It was only the second day of 2023 when I took this trip so there was a lot of stuff in the media about it being the year of the rabbit according to the Chinese zodiac. With all that fresh in my mind, the following builidng perhaps stuck out more than usual.

Click here to read ‘This Family-Owned Milk Carton Building Is Udderly Brilliant’

Click here to read ‘Feel The Force At This Hidden Pop Culture Cafe In Hiroshima’

Click here to read ‘TF Top 10……Day Trips In Hiroshima Prefecture’

Click here to read ‘TF Top 10……Things To Do In Hiroshima City Once You’ve Done The Big Two!’