There’s something slightly mystical and Harry Potter-like about these platforms and 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! I’m not sure if I’ll ever visit all of them but certainly hope to tick a few more off as the years go by! The challenge continues with a visit to all the platform 0 stations in Fukuoka!

1. Haruda station, Fukuoka Prefecture

My trip here came directly after I’d been to the unstaffed Igaya station; the closest to the wonder that is the Eiffel Tower of Saga. Haruda station may be located in Fukuoka but it’s actually closer to Tosu station in Saga Prefecture where I was staying so was just a short one-way eight minute journey on the train.

Haruda station, which has been open since December 1889, consists of five platforms with the one of interest to me only being used for the Chikuho Main Line which runs to Chikuzen-Uchino and Keisen.

There was just about enough time (12 minutes to be exact!) for me to seek out all the signage relating to Platform 0.

The surrounding area of Chikushino can be seen from the platform itself, and very pleasant it was too with a lot of greenery and blue sky visible.

2. Tagawagotoji station, Fukuoka Prefecture

A trip to this station was squeezed in towards the end of my day in Fukuoka as I visited some quirky sights on the east side of the airport. Tagawagotoji is admittedly out on a limb, and probably cost me the opportunity of going somewhere half decent but as I’d been to Haruda I felt obliged to complete the set.

Knowing that I would only have ten minutes at this station I was all-set to blitz my time there and race around getting my desired shots quickly but as it was I actually arrived on Platform 0 and left on the same train too.

The station has been around since February 1896 but was known as Gotōji before being renamed to Tagawa-gotoji in November 1982. There are four platforms but the only one I wanted to see was the one serving the Gotōji Line for Shimo-Kamoo and Shin-Iizuka. 

Having been to all the platform zeros in Kyoto and Aichi just a few days before this Kyushu trip I was on something of a roll but would it continue?

• Here is the complete list of stations that have a platform zero. Let me know of any mistakes or omissions…

Morioka & Kitakami (Iwate)

Sakata (Yamagata)

Kashiwazaki, Echigoyuzawa, Shibata & Higashisanjo (Niigata)

Tatsuno, Okaya & Matsumoto (Nagano)

Anamizu (Ishikawa)

Takasaki (Gunma)

Nippori & Ayase (Tokyo)

Sawara & Yotsukaido (Chiba)

Okazaki (Aichi)

Toba (Mie)

Gifu-Hashima (Gifu)

Kyoto (Kyoto)

Himeji (Hyogo)

Gobo & Shirahama (Wakayama)

Yonago (Tottori)

Hashioka (Kagawa)

Naruto (Tokushima)

Gomen (Kochi)

Nagatoshi, Iwakuni & Ube (Yamaguchi)

Tagawagotoji & Haruda (Fukuoka)

Ishaya (Nagasaki)

Kumamoto (Kumamoto)

Click here to read ‘#WeStopAtNothing! Visiting All The Platform Zero Stations In Niigata’

Click here to read ‘#WeStopAtNothing! Platform Zeros In Japan, Z Stations In Tokyo & The Opening Of A New Yamanote Line Station’

Click here to read ‘The Complete Tour Of Katakana-Named Stations In Tokyo’