By NAONORI NAKAMURA/ Staff Writer
July 10, 2023 at 08:00 JST
JR Nikko Station building in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, has a waiting room that was exclusively used by first class passengers on the second floor. The room is now used as a multipurpose space. (Naonori Nakamura)
NIKKO, Tochigi Prefecture--The VIP room at JR Nikko Station here, normally off-limits to the public, will be open to curious visitors from Aug. 5 to 6 as part of 111th anniversary celebrations, operator East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) said.
The station initially opened in 1890 when now-defunct Nippon Railway, Japan’s first private railway company, started service between Utsunomiya and Nikko, according to the Omiya Branch Office of JR East.
The current station building was completed on Aug. 15, 1912, two years prior to the opening of Tokyo Station.
The two-story, Western-style wooden structure has a VIP room with a floor space of about 40 square meters on the first floor.
It was used by Emperor Taisho (1879-1926), when he visited the imperial villa in Nikko for a retreat.
The second floor features a waiting room with a floor space of about 130 square meters that was exclusively used by first class passengers.
The VIP room boasts a marble fireplace and other notable features.
All sorts of events and perks are being offered as part of the 111th anniversary celebrations that run until Aug. 31.
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