is a passenger

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

located in the city of Soo, Kagoshima, Japan. It is operated by

JR Kyushu The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan. It formerly operated the Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait be ...

and is on the

Nippō Main Line The is a railway line in Kyushu, in southern Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). Also known as the Fukuhoku Nippo Line, The line connects Kokura Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima, Kagoshima, K ...

Lines

The station is served by the

and is located 408.1 km from the starting point of the line at .

Layout

The station has no staffs and consists of an

island platform An island platform (also center platform (American English) or centre platform (British English)) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway inte ...

serving two tracks with a siding, all on a low embankment. The station building, located at the base of the embankment, is a modern structure built in 2010 that resembles a

log cabin A log cabin is a small log house, especially a minimally finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first-generation home building by settl ...

. From there, a short walk up to a sloped access road leads to a footbridge which is used to access the island platform. Blog entry with good photographic coverage of station facilities.

Platforms

file:JR Kyushu Osumi-Okawara station.jpg, The old station building. This was replaced in 2010.

History

The station was opened on 1 November 1931 by

Japanese Government Railways The Japanese Government Railways (JGR) was the national rail transport, railway system directly operated by the until 1949. It was a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the later Japan Railways Group. Name The English name "Japanese ...

(JGR) as the southern terminus of the then from . By 1932, the Kokuto East Line had been linked up with other networks north and south, and through traffic had been established from , through this station to . The station and the Kokuto East Line were then absorbed and designated as part of the Nippō Main Line on 6 December 1932. With the privatization of

Japanese National Railways The , abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pre ...

(JNR), the successor of JGR, on 1 April 1987, the station came under the regulation of JR Kyushu. In 2010, new improvements were made by the local municipal authorities, in the form of building a new station and opening a public toilet. The structure was made out of local cedar wood in log cabin style and given the nickname "The Eternal Station Building".

Passenger statistics

In the fiscal year of 2015, the station was used by an average of 14 passengers daily.

Surrounding area

*Okawara Post Office

References

External links

Ōsumi-Ōkawara (JR Kyushu)
Railway stations in Japan opened in 1931 Railway stations in Kagoshima Prefecture Soo, Kagoshima {{Kagoshima-railstation-stub