Think of train stations in Japan and the mighty Shinjuku station is sure to come to mind for many people. That is the world’s busiest train station, and Japan monopolises the top 50 list with only five of them not in this country. However, at the other end of the scale are some tiny stations which are usually unstaffed and used by very few commuters.

Station: Minami-Takasaki

Prefecture: Gunma

Line(s): Joshin Line

Average No. of Daily Passengers: 63

This most basic of stations, which has been unstaffed since 1988, is an inconspicuous one hidden away on some quiet backstreets in a residential area. It opened as Shimowada station in September 1935 before changing to its present name 18 years later.

Traffic in both directions is served by a single platform. It runs between Shimonita in the south-west of Gunma to Takasaki which is the largest city in the prefecture. The terminus at Takasaki is on Platform 0 which regular readers will know I consider to be slightly mystical and Harry Potter-like. One has to wonder why some stations have them whether it be because it’s been added on that particular side of Platform 1 or just because they began their numbering from zero!

Takasaki station (Photo taken in 2021)

Whilst there’s no station building at Minami-Takasaki, a shelter is present with a couple of benches to protect any passengers from the natural elements.

Past and present elements are simultaneously blended here with a telephone box (it can just about be seen in the first photo below!) representing the former and a fairly modern unisex toilet the latter.

Presumably all that open space next next to the station is a car park but without any cars or even any markings I can’t be too sure!

Minami-Takasaki has no ticket machines so I assume you pay when you get on the train but I wouldn’t know as I didn’t enter or exit this station by train as I arrived and left the area from the main JR Takasaki station, and only really visited this station because it was a short detour for me en-route to Takasaki Arena for the men’s gymnastics. For the record, it costs 180 yen just to go the short distance (under a kilometre) to JR Takasaki station

Click on the following links for previous ‘Unstaffed Stations of Japan’ posts…

1. Kamiyagi   #2. Funamachi   #3. Inazusa   #4. Yodo   #5. Nebukawa   #6. Miyamae   #7. Arao   #8. Higashi-Abiko   #9. Nukazawa   #10. Shin Shibaura   #11. Kubiki   #12. Kamakurakōkōmae   #13. Daishimae   #14. Minami-Takada   #15. Mochida