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Yunokami Onsen Station

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

Researched and written by Hinato

Yunokami Onsen Stationthatched roofAizu RailwayfootbathShimogo

Photo: Rsa / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · original

A visit to Yunokami Onsen Station is easy to underplan — bring more time, and less certainty about what you'll find, than you'd expect.

Yunokami Onsen is the only station in Japan with a thatched roof. It was rebuilt in that form in 1987 to echo the post-town streets of Ouchi-juku up the valley, and the thatch has been renewed since — a working station on the Aizu Railway, not a museum piece.

Inside the waiting room there is an irori, an open sunken hearth, kept alight. It looks like atmosphere and is actually maintenance: the smoke rises through the roof and keeps insects out of the thatch, which is how thatched buildings have always been preserved. Outside, beside the platform, a free footbath called Oyako-Jizo-no-yu lets you sit with your feet in hot spring water and watch the trains come in. Cherry trees stand along the track.

What to know before you go

Access hours

Station open at all times | Footbath free and open beside the platform

Closed: Open year-round

When to go

Late April for cherry blossom | Winter for snow on the thatch

Fee

Free | Footbath free

Time to allow

30–45 minutes

Making the trip

Directions

Yunokami, Shimogo, Minamiaizu District, on the Aizu Railway Aizu Line. Reachable by train from Aizu-Wakamatsu or from the Tobu line via Aizu-Kogen-Ozaguchi. The station building and the irori-lit waiting room are free. The Oyako-Jizo-no-yu footbath beside the station is free to use. It is the nearest station to Ouchi-juku, with a bus connection in season.

What to bring

**The hearth is functional.** Smoke from the irori passes up through the thatch and keeps insects out of it. This is the traditional maintenance method, not decoration for tourists. **The footbath is free.** Oyako-Jizo-no-yu, beside the platform, with a view of the trains arriving. Take a small towel — there is nothing to dry your feet on. **It is the gateway to Ouchi-juku.** A bus runs up to the preserved post town in season, and arriving this way rather than by car is the better approach. **Cherry trees line the track.** Late April here rather than early — this is upland Aizu and the season runs behind the coast by a fortnight. **Trains are infrequent.** The Aizu Line is a rural railway. Check the timetable before planning to arrive and leave by train on the same visit.

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