270px, Hotei Station in 1912 is a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

in the city of Kōnan,

Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefectur ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, operated by

Meitetsu , referred to as , is a private railway company operating around Aichi Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture of Japan. Some of the more famous trains operated by Meitetsu include the ''Panorama Car'' and the '' Panorama Car Super'', both of which of ...

Lines

Hotei Station is served by the

Meitetsu Inuyama Line The is a 26.8 km Japanese railway line operated by the private railway operator Nagoya Railroad (Meitetsu), which connects Biwajima Junction in Kiyosu, Aichi with Shin-Unuma Station in Kakamigahara, Gifu. Together with the Kakamigahar ...

, and is located 15.2 kilometers from the starting point of the line at .

Station layout

Hotei Station consists of two eight-car

island platform An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...

s serving four tracks, connected to the station building by a level crossing. Before the temporary platforms came into use, track 1 was only long enough for six-car trains. Access to the platforms from the old station building was via a level crossing; Hotei was the last station on the Inuyama Line where this was the case. The station has automated

ticket machine A ticket machine, also known as a ticket vending machine (TVM), is a vending machine that produces paper or electronic tickets, or recharges a stored-value card or smart card or the user's mobile wallet, typically on a smartphone. For instance, ...

s, Manaca automated

turnstile A turnstile (also called a turnpike, gateline, baffle gate, automated gate, turn gate in some regions) is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. A turnstile can be configured to enforce one-way human traffic. In addition, a t ...

s and is staffed.

Platforms

Adjacent stations

Station history

Hotei Station opened with the line on 6 August 1912. The station served the town of Hotei,

Niwa District is a district located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2019, the district had an estimated population of 58,304 and a density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The ...

, until it was merged into the new city of Kōnan in 1954. One of two stations in the city, it has more platforms, but is less central and quieter, than Kōnan Station. The surrounding area is largely quiet and residential, but includes Bihoku Senior High School and Kōnan Police Station. Work to elevate the station, in order to abolish five level crossings (including one at

Japan National Route 155 National Route 155 is a national highway of Japan connecting Tokoname, Aichi and Yatomi, Aichi is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 44,589 in 18,185 households and a population density of 910 p ...

) and eliminate an 85 km/h speed limit north of the station, began in October 2009. A temporary station building, featuring Meitetsu's first full-color LED departure board, came into use on 6 February 2010. Tracks 1 and 2 moved to a temporary platform on 27 October 2012, followed by tracks 3 and 4 on 27 October 2013. Tracks 3 and 4 were elevated on 10 June 2017, and tracks 1 and 2 followed during fiscal 2019.

Former station building (until February 2010)

The former station building was significant, as it dated from the opening of the line at the very beginning of the Taishō period. It was built in the ''giyōfū'' style, with its western-style

porte-cochère A porte-cochère (; , late 17th century, literally 'coach gateway'; plural: porte-cochères, portes-cochères) is a doorway to a building or courtyard, "often very grand," through which vehicles can enter from the street or a covered porch-like ...

(decorated with the emblem of the Nagoya Electric Railway) contrasting with Japanese-style tile-roofing. The platform roofs were built using old rails (as they were at the old

Chiryū Station file:MT-Chiryū Station-Platform Track No.6.jpg, 270px, Platforms is a train station, railway station in the city of Chiryū, Aichi, Japan, operated by Nagoya Railroad, Meitetsu. Lines Chiryū Station is served by both the Meitetsu Mikawa Line, ...

), some of which included the inscription ' CARNEGIE 1897'. There were formerly several similar station buildings on the line, but rebuilding work elsewhere left Hotei as the last surviving example. Therefore, when it faced demolition as part of the elevation works, local residents were keen to ensure that it was at least partially preserved. On 27 May 2010, Meitetsu and the City of Kōnan reached a basic agreement, in which Meitetsu would hand over parts of the old station building and its fixtures, such as the porte-cochère and the decorated ceiling, to the city; these were removed from the station in September that year. Meitetsu hotei stn.JPG, old station building Shamon trademark nagoyadennkitetsudo.JPG, porte-cochère Hoteieki.JPG, Carnigie 1897

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2015, the station was used by an average of 8911 passengers daily.

Surrounding area

*Kōnan Daibutsu

References

External links

Official web page
{{Meitetsu Inuyama Line Railway stations in Japan opened in 1912 Railway stations in Aichi Prefecture Stations of Nagoya Railroad Kōnan, Aichi