Kagoshima: Fans flock to JR’s southmost station

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:48 JST, August 13, 2022

IBUSUKI, Kagoshima — Train fans nationwide come to see an unmanned station in Kagoshima Prefecture with its single platform and simple roof.

Nishi-Oyama Station, on the JR Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line connecting Kagoshima-Chuo and Makurazaki stations, is located at 31 degrees 11 minutes north latitude and has a sign that reads, “Southernmost JR station.” It was the southernmost station in Japan until the Okinawa Urban Monorail, or Yui Rail, opened in 2003.

Nishi-Oyama Station is about 1 hour and 50 minutes by train from Kagoshima City.

The northernmost station in Japan is Wakkanai Station in Hokkaido, which is about 3,000 kilometers from the southernmost JR station.