Agnes Tandler 
View of Rishiri Island with Mount Rishiri (©Agnes Tandler)
Shortly after 10 AM on a Saturday, about 20 people were lined up inside the huge glass building. Wakkanai Station on the Soya Line has only one platform and one track. Despite its modest ambit, it is housed inside an impressive glass hall that looks a bit too grand for the average 48 passengers it serves daily.
However, it is Japan's northernmost train station and marks the northernmost point of Japan's railway network. Wakkanai is the end of the line, and many people travel here exactly for this reason. You can not get any further north by train.
Inside Wakkanai Station, almost everyone seems eager to board the train. Only two university students who have just cycled 600 kilometers from Nemuro to Wakkanai look too tired to care.
Manning the ticket gate is a station master who likes to keep things orderly. He keeps the gate shut until the inbound passengers arriving from Asahikawa have cleared out. Not that there are many.
The anticipation is rising, and soon, the 10:28 AM local service to Asahikawa is ready to depart. It only has a single carriage and driver, a "wanman ressha" (one-man train), a common sight in rural areas.
The city of Asahikawa is only 260 kilometers away from Wakkanai, but the train journey takes five and a half hours. The local has no reserved seats, so coming early is imperative for passengers who prefer a seat with a good view.
Departing from Wakkanai, the right side of the single-carriage is also the right side to take pictures. Most of the 39 stations that the train will call on its way from the northern tip of Japan down to Asahikawa, in the center of Hokkaido, can be seen.
Disappearing Stations
Some of the 39 stations will disappear soon. Bakkai Station, which opened 100 years ago, is going to be torn down in April 2025. Shihoro and Onnenai Stations closed in March 2024. Every year, more stops are ceasing operation on the Soya Line. In fact, the whole stretch between Nayoro and Wakkanai is an endangered part of the network and could be shut down entirely.
For now, train enthusiasts, old and young, are keeping the Soya Line alive. Almost all passengers this morning are busy taking videos and photos. There is a lot to focus the lens on: the train seats, driver, old-fashioned heater, ceiling fans, hat rests, and, of course, the 39 stations.
Only the two cycling students are fast asleep on the less popular side seats in the back, oblivious to everything around them.
Less than five minutes into the journey, the train comes to its first stop at Minami-Wakkanai. We have traveled barely three kilometers. There is excitement as other train fans are waiting on the platform with their cameras ready. They need to act fast. There are only a handful of trains per day.
The station master bows as the local train leaves Wakkanai city limits and slowly moves towards the Sea of Japan. On a clear day, passengers can see Mount Rishiri rise out of the water in the distance. Today, the mysterious volcano is partly hidden in the clouds.
Unmanned Station
Slowly, Bakkai, the next stop, is coming into sight. Surrounded by fields and forests, the old wooden station building is known as Japan's northernmost unmanned station. Far away from any settlement, it is very popular with train fans who have a soft spot for isolated stations. Only seven trains per day make a stop here, which often forces even railway fans to visit Bakkai by car.
At Horonobe Station, the local comes to a longish stop as it waits for the limited express to arrive at a dignified pace. On the Soya Line, the local and the limited express trains are on equal terms. The only difference between the two is the comfort of the carriage and the price of the limited express supplement. All trains on the line are slow. Nobody is in a hurry.
Passengers on the local train make the most of the wait. They walk along the platform, take pictures, and even pay a visit to the front of the station building. When the express train finally meets the local, the passengers from each train take pictures of the other train. The excitement is mutual.
"Did you get some nice photos?" a passenger asks. She certainly does not mean the woman next to her who has propped up her camera to record the whole journey while diligently working on her travel diary.
Winter Worries, Summer Worries
The Soya Line is one of the many lines that the Hokkaido Railway Company could do without. JR Hokkaido is in charge of a network of around 2,500 kilometers on a large, but sparsely populated island.
The majority of Hokkaido's five million inhabitants live in urban areas around the main cities of Sapporo, Hakodate, and Asahikawa. In contrast to other places in Japan, Hokkaido residents often rely on cars, leaving the use of trains to students, seniors, and tourists.
Lines and stations across the region are seeing fewer and fewer users. Rural routes with few passengers are especially burdensome financially. Adding to the woes is Hokkaido's long, snowy winters that put a heavy strain on the aging infrastructure. Delays and service disruptions are common. Maintenance is costly. Snow removal from tracks, platforms, and stations in winter is time-consuming and requires significant manpower.
During the summer months, wildlife causes trouble on the tracks. As the population is shrinking, trains are dealing with an increasing number of unwelcome animal encounters. Collisions with deer and occasionally bears lead to service delays or temporary suspensions. JR Hokkaido suffers over 4,000 train disruptions caused by wildlife every year.
A Leisurely Train Ride
While the wild animals are a growing headache for the railway company, they are a delight to railroad fans and tourists. Passengers on the Soya Line can watch Yezo sika deer as the small carriage trundles through Hokkaido's countryside.
For small towns along the Soya Line, the train service still has an economic impact. Otoineppu calls itself "the smallest village in Hokkaido," and is home to just 600 inhabitants. The guest house and the café cater to train tourists traveling along the Soya Line.
"There is not much else here," the owner of the café says. Otoineppu Station has a small museum that pays tribute to the defunct Tempoku train line. The line operated until 1989 between Otoineppu and Wakkanai along the coast of the Sea of Japan. Visitors can see equipment, signs, and uniforms once used on the now abandoned line.
One day, a museum dedicated to the Soya Line might make a similar case. It will remember the leisurely train journeys to the northern tip of Japan, where travelers could simply enjoy the view.
RELATED:
- Travel to the Highest JR Train Station on the Koumi Line
- The Closest Train Station to the Sea
- An Abandoned Train Platform Deep in a Forest
- A Journey to the Most Isolated Train Station in Japan
Author: Agnes Tandler
