Tsunami Station

Tsunami Station (津浪駅, Tsunami-eki) is a former JR West Kabe Line station located in Tsutsuga, Yamagata District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. It closed on December 1, 2003, when operation of the line was discontinued/suspended between Kabe Station and Sandankyō Station.^[2]

Tsunami Station 「津浪駅」を編集中
Tsunami Station in 2003
General information
Location	Tsutsuga, Yamagata District, Hiroshima Prefecture Japan
Coordinates	34°34′50.47″N 132°19′14.44″E
Line(s)	Kabe Line
Distance	42.5 km ( starting from Yokogawa )
Platforms	1
Tracks	1
History
Opened	30 March 1954 (1954-03-30)[1]
Closed	1 December 2003 (2003-12-01)
Original company	JR West
Passengers
2002	13 people/day (excluding passengers getting off)
Location

Chronology

• March 30, 1954: Opened as a passenger station on the Japanese National Railways Kabe Line.^[1]
• April 1, 1987: Became a station of West Japan Railway Company due to the privatization of Japanese National Railways.^[1]
• December 1, 2003: Abolished

Origin of station name

It is named after the large area around the station. The name was originally Tsunamimura. It is said that the name comes from a landslide (mountain tsunami).

Station structure

It was an above-ground station with only one single platform and one track. The station was unstaffed, and there was no station building, just a shelter next to the platform.

Around the station

It is a mountainous area. The Kabe Line and National Route 191 run along the Ota River, and the station was built adjacent to the national highway. National Route 433 branches off from National Route 191 about 130 meters north of the station. About 500 meters south of the station, following a small river that flows into the Ota River, about 800 meters up, there is the Kake Town's former Tsunami Elementary School. Further south is the Chugoku Expressway viaduct crossing the Ota River.

A campaign to keep the station open linked the station name to a hit song of the time

The song "TSUNAMI" by Southern All Stars was a hit song in 2000. A campaign called "Let's call on Keisuke and revitalize the local area" was held. In line with the trial increase in train services from November 2000, the "TSUNAMI Squad" was formed, consisting mainly of young people living in Hiroshima City and local residents. The goal was to have Keisuke Kuwata visit Tsunami Station, attract many Southern fans, and keep the Kabe Line running. They also sang "TSUNAMI" at events, and were featured in many local media outlets as a central activity in the Kabe Line survival movement. In fact, Keisuke Kuwata, the band's frontman, covered this issue on his radio show , but he never sang at Tsunami Station. When the station was abolished, a "273 (Tsunami) People's Tsunami Chorus" was held. Even after the partial closure of the Kabe Line, the TSUNAMI Team continues to engage in exchange activities with local residents as of February 2011.

Current situation

"Plat Home Connection" was constructed in 2011 at the site of the station.^[2]

Lines

• West Japan Railway Company
  • Kabe Line

Adjacent stations

«		Service	»
Kabe Line
Tanoshiri		-	Kagusa

References

1. Tetsu Ishino, ed. (1998-10-01). 停車場変遷大事典 国鉄・JR編 Ⅱ [Encyclopedia of Station Changes - JNR/JR Edition II] (first ed.). JTB Corporation. p. 282. ISBN 978-4-533-02980-6.
2. "旧戸河内駅、残るは表示板のモニュメントのみ 実は開通前から廃止検討の声も【廃線20年 可部線今昔】②" [Old Tsunami Station: Farewell with a passionate rendition of "TSUNAMI" - still bustling with activity [20 years since the Kabe Line was abandoned - Past and Present]]. Chugoku Shimbun (in Japanese). 5 December 2023. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2024.