I went to Oku-Oikojo Station on the Oigawa Railway Igawa Line, which stands in the middle of the lake.
On a sunny day when the cherry blossoms were about to bloom, I went to the Oigawa Railway’s Okuoikojo Station, which I had wanted to visit for some time.
This Oigawa Railway is a railway consisting of the Oigawa Main Line and the Igawa Line, and the Okuoikojo Station that I wanted to visit this time is one of the Igawa Line stations in Kawanehoncho, Shizuoka Prefecture.
Oigawa Railway’s Ikawa Line uses a special method called the Abt method, which is currently the only one in Japan, in order for the railway to go up and down steep slopes of up to 90.0‰.
In human terms, the slope would feel like going straight down a snowy mountain on an advanced course.
It is affectionately known as the Minami Alps Apto Line.
The Abt system is a type of rack railway system in which the train and track are each equipped with gear-like pulleys, and each gear meshes to push the train up a steep slope. It seems to be a technology that generates power and allows the train to move down the slope little by little so that it does not go too fast when going down the slope.
This time, in order to enjoy Okuoikojo Station to the fullest, we will drive to Senzu Station, the terminal station on the Igawa Line, and then take a bus from there to Okuoikojo Station.
After getting off the bus, I planned my itinerary by admiring the scenery of Okuoikojo Station, then boarding the Abt-style Oigawa Railway Igawa Line and returning from Okuoikojo Station to Senzu Station.
Arrive at Senzu Station
I left my house before the sun rose, made some time adjustments along the way, and arrived at Senzu Station around 9:30.
Since it was a weekday, there weren’t many people in front of Senzu Station, but I saw a number of Oigawa Railway’s Igawa Line cars parked in front of the station, and I got excited and thought, “Oh, I’m going to ride this today!” Masu.
Thomas’s locomotive and quite old-fashioned trains are also parked at the station, making it an exciting sight even for non-railway fans.
It seems that the schedule for 2024 will be announced after June, and Thomas and his friends were on vacation during this time.
There was still quite a bit of time before the bus arrived at Senzu Station, so I took a walk around while looking at the turntable at Senzu Station and a cafe that seems to have been renovated from the old Senzu Station facilities. .
The turntable was originally made in England and became a registered tangible cultural property in 2001.
As I was walking around Senzu Station, it was time for the train to depart from Senzu Station, so I decided to see it off.
The red car body is very dazzling.
The car has a cute body that is a little smaller than the train cars we use on a daily basis.
Take the Daitetsu bus departing at 11:00
The first bus departing from Senzu Station is at 11:00.
The bus departs from this bus stop in front of Senzu Station.
By this time, a few people had gathered and there was a line of about 10 people waiting for the bus.
It takes about 25 minutes from Senzu Station to Okuoikojo Station.
Prices can only be paid in cash, so it’s best to have cash on hand.
The one-way ticket to Okuoi Lake Entrance is 680 yen per adult.
On the bus, the conductor will kindly guide you to sightseeing spots along the way, as well as the highlights of Okuoikojo Station.
If you want to see the train depot at Senzu Station, the suspension bridge, and the track between Nagashima Dam Station, which has the steepest slope, and Abt Ichishiro Station from inside the train, we recommend sitting in the seat on the left as you face the direction of travel. .
For a brief moment, you can see a bridge-like road ascending upwards, and the Igawa Line of the Oigawa Railway is the one that ascends and descends over this height difference.
You can see it just before arriving at Nagashima Dam.
If you want to see the Nagashima Dam along the way or Okuoikojo Station from inside the train, you can enjoy the view by sitting in the seat on the right hand side as you face the direction of travel.
Spectacular views of Okuoikojo Station and Lake Chisaki!
The bus stopped at the Okuoi Lake entrance.
The bus continued onward, but all passengers got off at this bus stop.
I used the bus to go there because I could get off at the place closest to the observation deck overlooking Okuoikojo Station.
All passengers got off at the Okuoi Lake Entrance bus stop.
After getting off the bus, first enjoy the view of Okuoikojo Station from above.
As I went up the road a little, I was able to take a photo with Okuoikojo Station in front of me.
The conductor said that it had rained quite a bit the day before, so the water in the lake might be cloudy, but it was still beautiful.
After enjoying the beautiful scenery, head back towards the bus stop and head towards the observation deck.
After getting off the bus, most people follow this path to the observation deck.
The view around the observation deck is particularly good, and you can go out to a place where you can see Okuoikojo Station and Lake Chisaki, which you often see in pamphlets.
The slightly overhanging part of the land above the lake is Okuoi Lake Station, which floats on the lake.
It was right around the time that the Oigawa Railway’s Igawa Line, which was heading down, was entering Okuoikojo Station, so I was able to take a photo of Okuoikojo Station and the train.
I’m glad the weather was really nice!
You can go to Okuoikojo Station by crossing the bridge.
From 11am to after 12pm, inbound and outbound trains arrive at Okuoikojo Station about every 30 minutes, so this may be the best time to sightsee.
From the observation deck, you can go up the steep stairs to get to the side of the Igawa Line.
From here, go down the stairs.
Once you reach the bottom of the stairs, you will walk to the station over the lake that you saw earlier from the observation deck.
I just happened to see a train leaving Okuoikojo Station.
I think it’s probably an experience that can only be had here.
The sight of Oigawa Railway trains passing right in front of me was very impressive!
Cafe and park at Okuoikojo Station
Cross the Rainbow Bridge over the lake and walk to Okuoikojo Station.
There was a bit of wind, but the weather was sunny and it was a very pleasant hike.
All passengers who get off at Okuoikojo Station will have to cross this rainbow bridge, climb the stairs, and head to the observation deck.
At Okuoikojo Station, there is a log house cafe and a small park behind it.
The cafe seems to be closed on weekdays, but you can go inside and take a restroom break.
The view overlooking Okuoikojo Station from the cafe’s terrace is also nice.
There are no places to eat on weekdays, so I recommend bringing some food and drink with you.
Return to Senzu Station by train departing at 13:05
The train returning to Senzu Station will arrive at 13:05, so I will wait on the platform.
After a while, an Oigawa Railway vehicle arrived.
The ride from Okuoikojo Station to Senzu Station takes about an hour.
There were about 3 groups of passengers, including us.
There were about 5 cars, so it was a luxurious ride with each group riding in one car.
We decided to board a vehicle that had a trolley part attached to it.
You can enjoy the train running on the lake until the end while feeling the wind.
The connection and disconnection between “Nagashima Dam Station” and “Apt Ichishiro Station” is also a highlight.
Even after leaving Oku-Oikojo Station, there are still many things to see on Oigawa Railway’s Igawa Line.
The gradient between Nagashima Dam Station and Abt Ichishiro Station, which are intermediate stations, is quite steep, so there will be work to connect and disconnect Abt trains.
In the case of going down, the train must stop at Nagashima Dam Station and then connect the Abt-style train to the front.
Another train will arrive next to this first train.
Then, perform the connection work.
This seems to be a mechanism that allows the train to move slowly down steep slopes.
We will descend slowly and slowly passing Nagashima Dam.
At the end of the steep slope, there is Abt Ichishiro Station.
At Abt Ichishiro Station, disconnect the first train that was connected earlier.
The lead vehicle was separated.
While riding the train, I didn’t feel the steepness of the slope, but by the time I got close to Abt Ichishiro Station, I realized that I had been traveling through a huge difference in elevation.
There is a short stop at Abt Ichishiro Station, so if you want to take a restroom break, you can stop at this station.
At Kawane-Koyama Station, the up and down lines cross each other.
If you continue on the Oigawa Railway’s Igawa Line, you will cross paths with the inbound train at Kawane-Koyama Station.
It is an unmanned station with only a small station building the size of a bus stop, and the platform is quite small.
Indeed, before arriving at Kawane-Koyama Station, there was an announcement on the train saying, “Customers who are transferring to the inbound train…”, so I got off here, waited for the inbound train at the opposite platform, and then boarded the inbound line. It seemed possible.
A vehicle on the opposite side is coming.
And then we set off immediately.
You can also have fun by switching to the up line! I was convinced.
During the cherry blossom season, there are many cherry blossoms blooming around this station, so if you come during that time, you will be able to see the beautiful scenery and have a different kind of fun.
Arrived at Senzu Station in no time
It takes about an hour to get from Okuoikojo Station to Senzu Station, but we arrived in no time.
As I looked ahead while riding the train, I was able to see the train running along a very winding track.
Senzu Station and other stations along the way often retain the scenery of old stations, and are often used for filming movies.
Senzu Station still retains a lot of the Showa era feel.
Impressions from riding the Oigawa Railway’s Igawa Line
It was a route I had always wanted to ride, but it was so much more fun than I expected!
Apparently there are sections where you can ride the SL on weekends, so I think it will be more crowded on weekends.
If you are going to ride the SL, you will be riding between Shin-Kanaya Station and Ieyama Station on the Oigawa Railway.
大井川鐡道HPより
You can check the operating dates on the Oigawa Railway website.
I think there are days when it is crowded with tourists on holidays, but on weekdays there were not so many passengers, so I was able to relax and enjoy the scenery of Okuoikojo Station and the interior of the Igawa Line train.
It seems that due to a change in the law, distance restrictions have been put in place, making it impossible to attract bus tour passengers from the Tokyo metropolitan area, making business quite difficult, but the conductors and station staff have been very kind. I did.
There are truly wonderful railways and scenery, so I hope that the Oigawa Railway will continue to operate.
This time, we decided to drive to Senzu Station, but if you want to use public transportation, you will need to take the JR Tokaido Main Line to Kanaya Station.
Oigawa Railway operates a train service to Ieyama Station, but currently you need to take a bus from Ieyama Station to Senzu Station.
In addition, the Igawa Line has also suspended operation between Chisekyo Onsen Station and Igawa Station due to inspections of railway facilities.
大井川鐡道HPより
If you have time, you can stay overnight at Chikukyo Onsen or take a day trip to the hot spring!
I was interested in the “Forest Open-air Bath”, which is 30 seconds from Setsukyo Onsen Station, and “Sesso-yu”, where you can also eat.
If you’re looking to stay overnight, Sumatakyo Onsen’s “Yuya Hiryu no Yado” and “Kawane Onsen Hotel” also looked good.
We recommend checking the Oigawa Railway website before going out.
Oigawa Railway also sells discounted tickets on its website, so why not consider it according to your travel plans?
大井川鐡道（Oigawa Railway）
Oigawa Railway HP: https://daitetsu.jp/eng
