The Northernmost Station on the Tsugaru Line: Minmaya Station
I made my way to Minmaya Station, the northernmost terminal of the Tsugaru Peninsula. Though once a key stop, the station has been out of operation since a record-breaking rainstorm in 2022 devastated the Tsugaru Line between Kanita and Minmaya, and there are currently no plans for restoration.
The unused tracks are slowly being swallowed by wild grass, and the station, devoid of passengers or staff, feels eerily silent.
Is this the beginning of the end for Minmaya Station?
Minmaya Station opened in 1958 as the final stop on the Tsugaru Line and once welcomed many travelers to the northern edge of Honshu. However, in 2022, landslides caused by torrential rains severely damaged the line between Kanita and Minmaya. With no clear plans for repair, the line remains suspended.
JR East has suggested the possibility of converting the route to a bus service, making permanent closure a likely future. As rural railways across Japan face survival challenges, Minmaya Station has come to symbolize this nationwide struggle.
Now unmanned, the abandoned tracks quietly fade into nature, creating a melancholic yet hauntingly beautiful scene—an unofficial “railway ruin” that railway fans and history buffs will want to see while it still exists.