Takao Station Is Showing Train Stations' History In Japan!

I'm continuously talking about Japanese trains and railroads in my recent posts on October 14th and 21st in my another blog "Yuko's Japan Guide and in this website on October 18th and 19th. In the connection, I'd like to introduce a fact that some stations are good places to see Japanese early modern times.

For example, Takao Station on JR East's Chuo Line located in Hachioji City, Tokyo, keeps one of the oldest structures inside of Tokyo. Takao Station is on the major rout to visit Maiji-no-mori National Park including Mt. Takao which is a very popular tourist spot, thus you may have a chance to go through there. It was opened in 1927 and was originally called Asakawa Station. Although Hachioji Station, which is two stations away, was opened earlier, current Hachioji station building was renovated 5 times, so the building is completely different from Takao Station.

Please look at the upper photos, the right hand side photo is the north exit of Takao Station, and the left hand side photo is the view from the platform. It has traditional Japanese structure like some shrines or temples. Also you can still see the original bricks structure on the lower basement of the platform although they installed the high-tech machines for the ticket gates. 

What's more, some old rails were recycled as pillars to hold the platform roof at Takao station, and one of them has marks of "1902" and Japan's first government iron mill "Yawata Ironworks" as you can see in the lower right end photo. Apparently it is the oldest maid-in-Japan rail remaining today. The "Yawata Ironworks" started to produce rails in 1901, but nobody found a rail made in the first year so far. The oldest rail is located on the platform 3, with the fifth pillar from the Sagamiko side.

As I introduced on the October 14th, the first railroad business of Japan began services in 1872, but most of the stations in early days were already renovated or reconstructed. Then, in Tokyo the oldest station building remaining today is actually Harajuku Station, which is located in the center of Tokyo and also very popular spot among tourists. It was build in 1924, a couple years earlier than Takao Station. However Harajuku Station has a nice Western style and looks completely different from Takao Station, so it would be interesting to visit both old stations and compare them!