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Wakasa Station and Post Town

Little knownBarely documented in English. This is the kind of place the site exists for.

Researched and written by Hinato

Wakasa Railwayturntablepost townregistered cultural propertyWakasa

Tottori · Wakasa

35.3448°N, 134.3895°E

Tottori keeps its history in places like Wakasa Station and Post Town rather than in museums about it.

Wakasa is the terminus of a nineteen-kilometre private railway that runs up a valley from Koge, and the whole station — platform, water tower, engine shed, and a fifteen-metre hand-operated turntable built by Kawasaki — was registered as a national cultural property in 2008. The turntable was restored, and on the back of that the railway acquired a C12 steam locomotive from Hyogo and now moves it under its own compressed-air system on event days.

Two minutes from the platform the post town begins: Kura-dori, a lane of temples and storehouses, and Kariya-dori, a street of latticed merchant houses with covered walkways in front of them against the snow. Wakasa gets a great deal of snow. The town is free to walk and the station is the sort of place railway people travel a long way for.

Plan your visit

Hours

Station and streets open at all times | Steam locomotive demonstrations on published event days

Closed: Open year-round

Time to allow

60–90 minutes

Admission

Free to walk | Railway fares charged separately

Best time to visit

Year-round | February for the snow that explains the covered walkways

Finding your way there

Directions

Wakasa, Wakasa, Yazu District. Wakasa Station is the terminus of the Wakasa Railway from Koge on the JR Inbi Line. The station buildings and the 15 m hand-operated turntable are registered national cultural properties. The post town streets, Kura-dori and Kariya-dori, begin about a short walk from the station and are free to walk. Steam locomotive operation runs on published event days only.

Historical notes & tips

**The turntable is hand-operated.** Fifteen metres, built by Kawasaki, turned by people pushing. It is the reason the whole station complex is a registered cultural property. **The C12 runs on event days only.** It moves under compressed air rather than steam for most demonstrations. Check the railway's schedule before travelling for it. **Walk both streets.** Kura-dori has the temples and storehouses; Kariya-dori has the latticed shopfronts with covered walkways. They are different in character and both are two minutes from the platform. **Those covered walkways are for snow.** Wakasa is a heavy snow town and the arcades in front of the shops exist so the street stays passable. In February that is obvious. **Ride the line.** The Wakasa Railway itself is nineteen kilometres of single track up a valley and is the pleasant way to arrive.

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