Hiwasa Station

Hiwasa Station (日和佐駅, Hiwasa-eki) is a passenger railway station located in the town of Minami, Kaifu District, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Shikoku and has the station number "M21".^[1][2]

Hiwasa Station 日和佐駅
Hiwasa Station in September 2015
General information
Location	Okugawauchi, Minami-cho, Kaifu-gun, Tokushima-ken 779-2305 Japan
Coordinates	33.7289°N 134.5305°E / 33.7289; 134.5305
Operated by	JR Shikoku
Line(s)	■ Mugi Line
Distance	53.3 km from Tokushima
Platforms	1 side + 1 island platforms
Tracks	2 + 1 passing loop + 1 siding
Construction
Structure type	At grade
Parking	Available
Accessible	Yes - platforms linked by ramps and level crossing
Other information
Status	Unstaffed but some types of tickets sold by a kan'i itaku agent nearby
Station code	M21
History
Opened	14 December 1939 (1939-12-14)
Passengers
FY2019	320
Location Mugi Station Location within Tokushima Prefecture Show map of Tokushima Prefecture Mugi Station Mugi Station (Japan) Show map of Japan

Lines

Hiwasa Station is served by the Mugi Line and is located 53.3 km from the start of the line at Tokushima.^[3] Besides the local trains on the Mugi Line, the Muroto limited express service between Mugi and Tokushima also stops at the station.^[4]

Layout

Hiwasa Station consists of a side platform and an island platform serving two tracks. A passing loop runs on the other side of the island platform. In addition, a siding branches off track 1, ending near the station building. The station building is located on the east side of the tracks and houses a waiting room as well as a local tourist information office. The ticket window is unstaffed but some types of tickets are sold by a kan'i itaku agent at a shop for local products/tourist information office located at the Hiwasa Road Station on the west side of the tracks.^[5] Access to the island platform is by means of a level crossing or a metal footbridge. Both also lead to a second station entrance on the west side, within the compound of the Hiwasa Road Station.^[2][6][3]

• 
  The station forecourt on the east side. The station building is just off to the right side of the picture.
• 
  A good birds-eye view of the west side of the station. The low buildings with tiled roofs are part of the Hiwasa Road Station. The metal footbridge gives access to the east side of the station which is partly obscured by the bridge.
• 
  Station ticket gate. To the right is the "Hiwasa Station Tourism Information Centre". This place does not sell tickets.
• 
  Station west entrance with the footbridge and entry to the level crossing. To the right is a shop for local products and also the kan'i itaku agent. The sign with the arrow says "JR tickets on sale (inside shop)".
• 
  The passing loop is not much used and overgrown with weeds. In the distance can be seen the level crossing, with the west entrance to the left, under the footbridge.

Adjacent stations

«		Service	»
JR Limited Express Services
Yuki		Muroto		Mugi
Mugi Line
Kitagawachi		Local		Yamagawachi

History

Japanese Government Railways (JGR) opened Hiwasa Station on 14 December 1939 as the terminus of the Mugi Line which had been extended southwards from Awa-Fukui. Hiwasa became a through-station on 1 July 1942 when the line was further extended to Mugi. On 1 April 1987, with the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR), the successor of JGR, JR Shikoku took over control of the station.^[7][8]

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2019, the station was used by an average of 320 passengers daily.^[9]

Surrounding area

• Hiwasa Road Station - a roadside station (michi no eki) located at the west entrance of the railway station. Among its facilities is a centre exhibiting and selling local products which also incorporates a post office and a tourism information centre and which also sells some types of JR rail tickets.^[10][11][12]
• Minami Town Hall
• Yakuo-ji

See also

• List of Railway Stations in Japan

References

1. "Shikoku Railway Route Map" (PDF). JR Shikoku. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
2. "日和佐" [Hiwasa Station]. hacchi-no-he.net. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
3. Kawashima, Ryōzō (2013). 図説: 日本の鉄道 四国・九州ライン 全線・全駅・全配線・第1巻 四国東部エリア [Japan Railways Illustrated. Shikoku and Kyushu. All lines, all stations, all track layouts. Volume 1 Eastern Shikoku] (in Japanese). Kodansha. pp. 42, 73. ISBN 9784062951609.
4. "Hiwasa Station Timetable" (PDF). JR Shikoku. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
5. "日和佐駅" [Hiwasa Station]. jr-mars.dyndns.org. Retrieved 13 February 2018. See images of tickets sold.
6. "日和佐駅" [Hiwasa Station]. shikoku.org.uk. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
7. Ishino, Tetsu; et al., eds. (1998). 停車場変遷大事典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory – JNR/JR] (in Japanese). Vol. II. Tokyo: JTB Corporation. p. 661. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
8. Ishino, Tetsu; et al., eds. (1998). 停車場変遷大事典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory – JNR/JR] (in Japanese). Vol. I. Tokyo: JTB Corporation. p. 217. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
9. 令和３年版　徳島県統計書 [Reiwa gan'nen: Tokushima ken tōkei-sho] (in Japanese). Japan: Tokushima Prefecture. 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
10. "道の駅日和佐" [Hiwasa Road Station]. Hiwasa Road Station website. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
11. "観光案内サービス" [Tourism Information Service]. www.minami-kankou.com. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
12. "日和佐" [Hiwasa]. www.sanyukai.sakura.ne.jp. Retrieved 13 February 2018.

External links

• JR Shikoku timetable (in Japanese)