Photo/Illutration Uzui Station stands atop a viaduct in Onan, Shimane Prefecture, that was once part of the now-closed JR Sanko Line. (Jun Ueda)

ONAN, Shimane Prefecture–Emiko Inoue drove two hours from Hiroshima to make the arduous climb to see Uzui Station here, perched 20 meters above the ground and accessible only by ascending 116 steps.

“I was out of breath, but the view was wonderful,” said Inoue, 50. “I’m glad I came.”

High above the quiet mountain landscape, a concrete bridge suddenly emerges from the hillside, with Uzui Station at its center. 

Nicknamed the “Sky Station,” the single-track platform continues to captivate visitors such as Inoue despite the closure of the JR Sanko Line in 2018.

The Uzui Viaduct, completed in 1974 as part of the final section of the Sanko Line, once supported Japan’s tallest elevated station.

Though the line was a modest, non-electrified local service, some affectionately called it the “Sanko Shinkansen.”

When declining ridership led to the line’s closure, the station and tracks seemed destined to become obsolete.

However, in 2019, the train operator donated part of the infrastructure to the town of Onan, which reopened it as a railway park.

Today, the site has become a vital tourism hub for a community dealing with population decline.

On select weekends, the park operator runs a small tourist trolley that travels about one kilometer to a bridge on the Hiroshima Prefecture border, attracting roughly 2,000 passengers each year.

Staff include newcomers such as So Sasaki, 32, a former TV cameraman who relocated to Onan, and Yoshitaka Hasegawa, 51, a member of the national community revitalization program.

Each November, the station hosts “Inaka Illumi,” a two-day light-up event that draws visitors and volunteers even from as far as the Kansai and Tokyo regions.

This year, the Japan Society of Civil Engineers designated the Uzui Viaduct as a civil engineering heritage site, underscoring its cultural and historical significance.

“Even though it’s incredibly inconvenient, as you can only reach the platform by climbing 116 steps, train enthusiasts and ordinary people alike are somehow drawn to it,” Sasaki said.

(This article was written by Hajimu Takeda and Jun Ueda.)

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