Doai Station
土合駅36°50′ N 138°58′ EStation
Doai Station suits rail fans and anyone with a spare hour near the Tanigawadake ropeway, and its famous down platform takes about ten minutes of stair climbing to get out of.
Photo まるちゃん · Wikimedia Commons · CC0 and others, credited in the gallery
Access
The down platform lies at the bottom of a long staircase in the tunnel with no lift, so it suits only visitors who can manage several hundred steps.
Doai is the northernmost railway station in Gunma, and its down platform sits deep inside the Shin-Shimizu Tunnel. The Minakami tourism association counts 462 steps and about 70 m of height between that platform and the station house, which earned it the nickname Japan's top mole station. The climb takes about ten minutes up a long stairway inside the tunnel. The up platform sits outside at ground level beside a station house built to look like a mountain hut.
The station lies a short walk below the Tanigawadake ropeway base, and the Kan-etsu Kotsu bus stops at Doai Ekimae. Arriving by train means a local Joetsu line service, and few of those stop here.
Worth knowing
- Walk down to the platform and back up for the full experience, and allow about ten minutes for the climb out.
- The Kan-etsu Kotsu bus from Jomo-Kogen stops at Doai Ekimae on its way to the ropeway.
Quick answers about Doai Stationよくある質問
What are the opening hours of Doai Station?
Doai Station is open doai is an unstaffed JR East station on the Joetsu line, so the stairs are open whenever trains run. Few local trains stop here, so check the JR timetable before you plan a ride.
Within 12 km
Places to eat and drink nearby食
Within 12 km
Places to stay nearby宿
Within 12 km
