NISHINOMIYA, Hyogo Prefecture--Stationmaster Shinji Fukuzaki is the king among his peers on the Hanshin Electric Railway Co. 

He is the only one of 51 stationmasters who is authorized to decide how many specialized trains should head for each destination.

Fukuzaki, 58, head of Koshien Station, can adjust the timetable because he is tasked with sending 25,000 spectators on their way home by train from Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya.

He must eliminate the heavy congestion at his stop made worse by commuters from companies located nearby also taking the train. 

STATIONMASTER CANNOT BE REPLACED

On the evening of June 13, Fukuzaki was re-creating the forecast he made a day earlier for a Nippon Professional Baseball game between the Hanshin Tigers and the Orix Buffaloes.

While guiding passengers on a platform, Fukuzaki thought that the starting pitchers for both teams were excellent so the game would end quickly. As the Tigers and the Buffaloes are both based in the Kansai region, many of the riders would be returning to Osaka.

Fukuzaki returned to the stationmaster’s office to watch the TV broadcast of the game. 

Confirming it had reached the top of the fourth inning, Fukuzaki briskly walked to the stadium so he could wander around there for 15 minutes to check such factors as how many seats were filled and how many fans from each team were there.

A Tigers’ loss leads to fans promptly rushing to Koshien Station within some five minutes of the final out. The crowds for winning games disperse more slowly since some stay at the stadium to hear the on-field post-game interviews.

That day, Fukuzaki found that the Tigers were trailing by two runs at the end of the seventh inning.

Fukuzaki concluded that he should “make preparations on the assumption of the Tigers losing.”

A total of 36 inbound and outbound trains are available hourly between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays.

Up to five extra runs can be added following the end of a baseball game, as each can carry 1,000 passengers.

Supplying special carriages too early will force additional trains to be sent to transport passengers left behind. Trains arriving late will result in the station’s platform being packed with waiting passengers.

Fukuzaki decided in 10 minutes that four trains should leave for Osaka from 8:50 p.m. and one for Kobe should depart at 9:07 p.m.

As soon as the Tigers lost 2-0, the spectators hurried to Koshien Station. With the expert scheduling, the platforms were mostly cleared in 40 minutes.

This train-scheduling process at the station is repeated each time that NPB teams or high school clubs play at Koshien Stadium.

The head of Koshien Station is considered the busiest stationmaster in the rail company, so only a predecessor can substitute for him in the event of his absence.

“Even a single day off can cloud my judgment,” said Fukuzaki. “I take pride in the fact that no one can replace me.”

QUICK DECISIONS A MUST FOR THE JOB

Employees of rail operators across Japan have traveled to Koshien Station to see Fukuzaki in action.

Fukuzaki stated that what is important in his challenging mission is the ability to look at circumstances and make decisions in an instant.

Rain on game days can affect the flow of the crowds. If the Hiroshima Toyo Carp are playing the Tigers, the influx of Carp fans typically see a plethora of passengers return to Hiroshima.

Fukuzaki is always sensitive to new pieces of information that can affect his station’s ridership.

He goes out to see what building is being constructed when he spots a crane in the neighborhood. In his quest, Fukuzaki relies on a type of bicycle that can traverse rough spots smoothly and requires little maintenance.

His eyesight remains strong because he often keeps watch over those factors. 

Fukuzaki issues instructions through a transceiver as a succession of reports on problems and congestion rates come from 30 station employees.

Looking back on his younger days, Fukuzaki said he was not equipped with a transceiver and “felt uneasy” about having to make decisions on site on his own unless senior staffers were near him.

Fukuzaki needs to address a range of troubles, aside from hordes of passengers.

Seeing a tipsy customer fall onto the tracks, Fukuzaki realized the passenger would not be able to climb back onto the platform given the body size and the influence of alcohol.

He thus pushed an emergency button to stop the trains and summoned a stretcher.

“Suspending all train operations can have a great impact,” said Kenichi Iizuka, a former subordinate of Fukuzaki, recounting how astonished he was at the judgment call. “Making such an immediate decision would be difficult for others.”

TIGERS FAN FINDS HIS DREAM JOB

Hailing from Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, Fukuzaki used to live with his parents at their home 20 minutes by bicycle from Koshien Stadium.

Fukuzaki has loved the Tigers since his childhood. He wanted to do a Tigers-related job so much that he entered Hanshin Electric Railway in 1983 after finishing high school.

He has since served as part of the staff at Osaka-Umeda Station and Amagasaki Station. He alike worked as a conductor and driver and then became a stationmaster in 2018.

His current post at Koshien Station started in 2022.

Fukuzaki said he has become aware how diligent his predecessors were over the course of working 40 years for Hanshin Electric Railway.

“Ensuring safety is considered a major premise and a matter of course at the same time,” he said. “Gimmicks developed and accumulated by older officials prove helpful even for us.”

In one instance, an out-of-service train is expected to be deployed to a track to serve as a “wall” to prevent passengers from falling from a packed platform onto the tracks.

The train will then leave on a special run after the platform becomes less crowded under the tactic passed down at Koshien Station over the years. 

Fukuzaki noted that even with his years of experience he can still make a misjudgment. 

Yoshio Itoi, a veteran Tigers outfielder, retired after a game last autumn. His retirement ceremony ended at around midnight.

Fukuzaki had projected a considerable portion of the fans would leave Koshien Stadium early at the weeknight game. But many ended up staying until the end of the retirement ceremony.

Dedicated trains started from Koshien Station too early. Many people turned out after the fifth one had left the station, so a sixth train had to be arranged.

“I made a naive judgment on the strength of the fans’ feelings toward the player,” recalled Fukuzaki.

The Tigers were leading the Central League as of July 29.

The prestigious National High School Baseball Championship will start in early August, meaning Fukuzaki must make a round trip between his station and the stadium from morning to night.

“I love to see the many spectators who crop up there,” he said. “We will arrange for everyone to go home with good memories that will never be forgotten.”