Kami-Shirataki Station in Hokkaido remained open for nearly three years so a single schoolgirl could travel to and from school. (Representational AI photo)
In many parts of the world, railway stations close when too few people use them. But in northern Japan, one small station stayed open for just one passanger.Kami-Shirataki Station, a tiny stop on the JR Hokkaido railway network in Hokkaido, continued operating because just one passenger relied on it everyday. That passenger was a schoolgirl who used the train to travel to and from school.The story drew attention around the world after the news that the railway company had decided to postpone closing the station until the student completed her studies, local media Asahi Shinbun had reported.While the station has since shut permanently, it remains one of Japan’s best-known examples of putting people before numbers.Kami-Shirataki Station was located in a remote part of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island. The surrounding area had very few residents, and passenger numbers had fallen sharply over the years.For nearly three years, trains continued stopping at the station just for her, till March 2016.
The timetable matched her school schedule
The train’s schedule was designed around the student’s school timings. Every school day, a morning train arrived at around 7.04 am to take her to school. In the evening, another train returned at about 5.08 pm to bring her home. It took Kana’s parents about five minutes to drive her from home to Kami-Shirataki Station each morning. There was another railway station, Shirataki Station, around 6 kilometres away, where a train departed at about 9 am. However, even if she caught that train, she would not reach school in time for her first class. Kana once missed the only train from Kami-Shirataki Station, forcing her parents to drive her all the way to school. Recalling the incident, she said, “At that time, the school had just started, so I was not used to waking up early, but now it is no longer a problem.”
The station closed after she graduated
Once the student finished school in March 2016, the purpose for keeping the station open ended.Kami-Shirataki Station was officially closed shortly after her graduation as part of JR Hokkaido’s efforts to reduce services on underused railway lines.The unnamed student completed her studies, and the station that had served only her quietly became part of history.
