One of the most unusual stations in the whole country is now open and ready for business.

Over the years, Japanese rail operators have been delighting passengers with incredible ideas designed to provide them with the ultimate train experience. Not only have they brought out some of the most stunning designer trains the world has seen in recent years, but they’ve also created Star Wars and Darth Vader-themed train jingles, cat cafe trains, and Platform 13½ at Tokyo’s Ueno Station.

Now, it’s time for Yamaguchi Prefecture’s Nishikigawa Railway to take the spotlight, as they’ve just created what many are calling the most unusual station in Japan. Located on the Nishikigawa Seiryu Line, which runs parallel to the Nishiki River in Iwakuni, this station is unlike any other as it has no entrance and no exit. In fact, it’s totally inaccessible to people…unless they disembark from a train.

And once passengers disembark here, there are no stairs, ramps or ticket gates, because people aren’t meant to leave the actual platform.

Called Seiryu Miharashi Eki, which translates to “Clear Stream Viewing Platform Station“, this station has been built so that passengers can stop off and admire the surrounding scenery.

▼ The station sits on the side of a mountain, overlooking the Nishiki River.

▼ Photos taken while the station was under construction show its incredibly rural location.

▼ Under construction in 2017.

▼ And in February 2018

▼ The station opened on 17 March, with its location yet to be added on Google Maps.

Twitter users who saw photos of the new station online chimed in with their own tales of other unusual Japanese train stations, like Okuoikojo Station, which is located on a mountain next to the Okuoi Reservoir in Shizuoka Prefecture.

And Umi-Shibaura Station, in Kanagawa Prefecture, which is located on the grounds of Toshiba’s Keihin Product Operations. The only exit from the station is into the company’s grounds, so only Toshiba employees and invited visitors are allowed to enter and exit the station.

Unlike these other remote stations, however, Seiryu Miharashi Eki has no entrance or exit, making it a highly sought-after destination for rail enthusiasts. And according to reports, passengers will only be able to stop off at the station on special event trains, like the sake-tasting train event (application here), which is scheduled to run on the line from 31 March to 1 April.

It’s a great way to get more travellers interested in the region, particularly as a place of unexplored beauty. Now all the platform needs is a vending machine made from a retired train, so passengers have another thing to photograph when they stop off at the station.

Source: Livedoor News via My Game News Flash

Featured image: Twitter/@Gota_Kaze_SH11

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