Doai Station

Doai Station (土合駅, Doai-eki) is a passenger railway station in the town of Minakami, Gunma, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is jokingly known as Japan's Number One Mole Station (日本一のモグラ駅, Nippon ichi no mogura eki) due to the fact that passengers must make a 10 minute descent down a tunnel in order to reach the northbound platform.[1] It is the deepest train station in Japan. [2]

Doai Station

土合駅
Doai Station entrance in April 2016
General information
Location218-2 Yubiso, Minakami Town, Tone District, Gunma Prefecture 379-1728
Japan
Coordinates36°49′52.8″N 138°58′1.6″E
Operated byLogo of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) JR East
Line(s)     Jōetsu Line
Distance69.3 km (43.1 mi) from Takasaki
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeAt grade and underground
Depth70 m (230 ft)
Platform levels2
Other information
StatusUnstaffed
WebsiteOfficial website
History
Opened19 December 1936 (1936-12-19)
Passengers
FY201319 daily
Services
Preceding station Logo of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) JR East Following station
Yubiso
towards Takasaki
 Jōetsu Line Tsuchitaru
towards Nagaoka
Location
Doai Station is located in Gunma Prefecture
Doai Station
Doai Station
Location within Gunma Prefecture
Doai Station is located in Kanto Area
Doai Station
Doai Station
Doai Station (Kanto Area)
Doai Station is located in Japan
Doai Station
Doai Station
Doai Station (Japan)

Lines

Doai Station is served by the Joetsu Line, and lies 69.3 km (43.1 mi) from the starting point of the line at Takasaki.

Station layout

Doai Station is unusual in that it has two single side platforms, one of which is elevated, and the other is located underground within the Shin-Shimizu Tunnel. The station is unattended. The underground platform for the northbound trains (to Echigo-Yuzawa and Nagaoka) is located 70 metres (230 ft) underground, in the middle of the 13,490-metre (44,260 ft) long Shin-Shimizu Tunnel. It is only reachable by stairs, as there are no elevators or escalators.[3] It takes ten minutes to walk the 486 steps from the ticket gate to the platform. The above-ground platform for the southbound trains (to Minakami) is at ground level.

Platforms
1 (underground) ■ Joetsu Line for Echigo-Yuzawa, Urasa, Nagaoka, and Niigata
2 (aboveground) ■ Joetsu Line for Minakami, Takasaki, and Ueno
  • Station platform seen from the ground-level platform, July 2021
    Station platform seen from the ground-level platform, July 2021
  • Ground platform, July 2021
    Ground platform, July 2021
  • Underground platform, July 2021
    Underground platform, July 2021
  • Platform waiting room, July 2021
    Platform waiting room, July 2021
  • Windbreaking structure in the connecting passageway, July 2021
    Windbreaking structure in the connecting passageway, July 2021
  • Stairs from the underground platform, July 2021
    Stairs from the underground platform, July 2021
  • The underground platform
    The underground platform
  • The bottom of the steps at the underground platform
    The bottom of the steps at the underground platform
  • The ground-level platform
    The ground-level platform

History

The station opened on 19 December 1936.[4] With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR) on 1 April 1987, the station came under the control of JR East.[4]

The climb up the steps from the underground platform features at the start of the novel, NHK dramatization and movie versions of Climber's High by Hideo Yokoyama. It also makes an appearance in the manga and anime series Encouragement of Climb as a destination prior to climbing Mount Tanigawa, west of the site.

Online sources state it is haunted, and as such has become a local ghost hunting spot.[5]

Surrounding area

See also

References
  1. "もはや、観光名所！日本一のモグラ駅といわれる群馬「土合駅」とは？ | icotto（イコット）". icotto（イコット） - 心みちるたび - 女性向け旅行・宿泊情報メディア (in Japanese). icotto. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  2. "This unmanned JR train station in Gunma has turned into a glamping ground".
  3. "Doai Station: Journey to Japan's Deepest Station". Ridgeline Images. 31 July 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  4. Ishino, Tetsu, ed. (1998). 停車場変遷大辞典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory - JNR/JR] (in Japanese). Vol. II. Japan: JTB. p. 452. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
  5. "土合駅の全貌を解説！地下階段と心霊が有名！日本一のもぐら駅を観光しよう！". TravelNote[トラベルノート] (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 July 2022.

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