Bingo Ochiai Station
Encyclopedia
is a JR West
Geibi
and Kisuki Line
station
located in Hattori (sometimes called "Ochiai Ekimae"), Saijō-chō, Shōbara
, Hiroshima Prefecture
, Japan
. The Miyoshi Liner express service from Hiroshima Station
(one run in the evening) terminates at this station, though it is a local train between Miyoshi Station
and Bingo Ochiai.
Bingo Ochiai was previously a switchback station for express trains, and had a lot of staff to handle the large number of trains. Now all of the traffic is handled by a CTC
system and the station is due to become an unmanned station. The station used to house a train garage, turntable
, water tower
, and a coal yard, though most traces of these were removed by 2004. The area around the station now includes an old house which the train engineers used, and due to the full automation of all of the station functions, the area is generally quiet. Bingo Ochiai Station is popular among railway fans due to its elevation, and it is now one of the Hikyō station
s.
Because Bingo Ochiai Station is located at the boundaries between the Okayama
, Yonago
, and Hiroshima branch offices of JR West, the Okuizumo Orochi-gō old-style coach train is often seen there. These trains many times feature old-style wooden benches.
It was recently announced that Bingo Ochiai Station will become an unmanned station at some point in the near future.
. A beauty salon and taxicab
service are located on this road, along with a variety of vending machine
s. In addition, there is a ryokan for travellers ehich is frequented by those using the evening Chidori express. Due to a smaller number of customers, the ryokan also acts as a tobacco shop in order to stay in business. Across the bridge at the base of the hill is a small grocery store, another group of vending machines, and a small contract post office.
Route 314 connects to Japan National Route 183
on the way toward Saijō
. A drive-in featuring area specialties such as oden
and udon
, hot foods which are especially popular during the ski season, is found along this route.
West Japan Railway Company
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group companies and operates in western Honshū. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka.-History:...
Geibi
Geibi Line
The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company in the mountainous area of the Chūgoku region. It begins at Bitchū Kōjiro Station on the west side of Niimi, Okayama Prefecture, connecting through Miyoshi Station in Miyoshi, Hiroshima Prefecture, and terminating at Hiroshima Station...
and Kisuki Line
Kisuki Line
is a railway line of West Japan Railway Company between Matsue Shimane Prefecture and Shōbara Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.-Stations:...
station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
located in Hattori (sometimes called "Ochiai Ekimae"), Saijō-chō, Shōbara
Shobara, Hiroshima
is a city located in northeastern corner of Hiroshima, Japan. The city was founded on March 31, 1954.On March 31, 2005 the towns of Hiwa, Kuchiwa, Saijō, Takano, and Tōjō, all from Hiba District , and the town of Sōryō, from Kōnu District , were merged into the expanded city of Shōbara.The entire...
, Hiroshima Prefecture
Hiroshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Hiroshima.- History :The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into Bingo Province and Aki Province. This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The Miyoshi Liner express service from Hiroshima Station
Hiroshima Station
is a JR West railway station located in Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Japan. Hiroshima Station is the terminal station for several lines, and all Sanyō Shinkansen trains stop here.-History:...
(one run in the evening) terminates at this station, though it is a local train between Miyoshi Station
Miyoshi Station (Hiroshima)
is a JR West Geibi, Sankō, and Fukuen Line station located in Miyoshi, Hiroshima, Japan. Along with Niimi and Tsuyama Stations, Miyoshi is one of the major central region stations in the Chūgoku region of the island of Honshū...
and Bingo Ochiai.
Bingo Ochiai was previously a switchback station for express trains, and had a lot of staff to handle the large number of trains. Now all of the traffic is handled by a CTC
Centralized traffic control
Centralized traffic control is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America and centralizes train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system consists of a centralized train dispatcher's office that...
system and the station is due to become an unmanned station. The station used to house a train garage, turntable
Turntable (railroad)
A railway turntable is a device for turning railroad rolling stock. When steam locomotives were still in wide use, many railroads needed a way to turn the locomotives around for return trips as their controls were often not configured for extended periods of running in reverse and in many...
, water tower
Water tower
A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system....
, and a coal yard, though most traces of these were removed by 2004. The area around the station now includes an old house which the train engineers used, and due to the full automation of all of the station functions, the area is generally quiet. Bingo Ochiai Station is popular among railway fans due to its elevation, and it is now one of the Hikyō station
Hikyo station
A , or "secluded station," is the name for those train stations which are located off the beaten path and considered a place good for photographers and train fans seeking photos of historical trains and spectacular nature photos. The term originates in Japan and now is also used in other areas like...
s.
Because Bingo Ochiai Station is located at the boundaries between the Okayama
Okayama, Okayama
is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan.The city was founded on June 1, 1889. As of August 2010, the city has an estimated population of 705,224 and a population density of 893 persons per km². The total area is 789.88 km²....
, Yonago
Yonago, Tottori
is a city located in the northwest of Tottori Prefecture, Japan, facing the Sea of Japan, and adjacent to Shimane. It is the prefecture's second largest city after Tottori and therefore a commercial center of the western part of this prefecture....
, and Hiroshima branch offices of JR West, the Okuizumo Orochi-gō old-style coach train is often seen there. These trains many times feature old-style wooden benches.
History
- 1935-12-20: Bingo Ochiai Station opens as the terminal stationTerminal StationTerminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...
of the Shōbara Line between Bingo Saijō StationBingo Saijo Stationis a JR West Geibi station located in Ōsa, Saijō-chō, Shōbara, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. While it was formerly an express train stop, there are currently no express trains operating east of Miyoshi Station.-History:...
and Bingo Ochiai - 1936-10-10: With the completion of the line from Onuka StationOnuka Stationis a JR West Geibi Line station located in Onuka, Tōjō-chō, Shōbara, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Onuka Station is a kantaku station.-History:...
, Bingo Ochiai Station becomes an intermediary stop on the Sanshin Line between Bitchū Kōjiro StationBitchu Kojiro Stationis a JR West station located on the west side of Niimi, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. It offers connecting service to the Geibi and Hakubi Lines.-History:*1928-10-25: The completed Hakubi Line is opened, with Bitchū-Kōjiro Station opening at the same time....
and Miyoshi StationMiyoshi Station (Hiroshima)is a JR West Geibi, Sankō, and Fukuen Line station located in Miyoshi, Hiroshima, Japan. Along with Niimi and Tsuyama Stations, Miyoshi is one of the major central region stations in the Chūgoku region of the island of Honshū... - 1937-07-01: Bingo Ochiai Station becomes part of the nationalized Geibi Line, which stretches from Hiroshima to NiimiNiimi, Okayamais a city located in Okayama, Japan.As of March 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 34,035 , 13,077 households and the density of 42.90 persons per km²...
- 1937-12-12: Bingo Ochiai Station becomes a junction station between the Kisuki Line and the Geibi Line
- 1987-04-01: Japan National Railways is privatized, and Bingo Ochiai Station becomes a JR West station
It was recently announced that Bingo Ochiai Station will become an unmanned station at some point in the near future.
Station building and platform
Bingo Ochiai Station features one station-side platform facing an island with two more platforms. The station features a kumitorishiki benjo (basically an "indoor outhouse" attached to the building).- Platform 1: Kisuki LineKisuki Lineis a railway line of West Japan Railway Company between Matsue Shimane Prefecture and Shōbara Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.-Stations:...
(toward Shinji StationShinji Stationis a JR West railway station in Matsue, Shimane, Japan. It is located on the San'in Main Line and Kisuki Line.-Layout:*1 side platform and 1 island platform-Adjacent stations:West Japan Railway Company -External links:...
) - Platform 2: Geibi LineGeibi LineThe is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company in the mountainous area of the Chūgoku region. It begins at Bitchū Kōjiro Station on the west side of Niimi, Okayama Prefecture, connecting through Miyoshi Station in Miyoshi, Hiroshima Prefecture, and terminating at Hiroshima Station...
(toward Miyoshi StationMiyoshi Station (Hiroshima)is a JR West Geibi, Sankō, and Fukuen Line station located in Miyoshi, Hiroshima, Japan. Along with Niimi and Tsuyama Stations, Miyoshi is one of the major central region stations in the Chūgoku region of the island of Honshū...
) - Platform 3: Geibi Line (toward Niimi StationNiimi Stationis a JR West station located in Niimi, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. It offers connecting service to the Geibi, Hakubi, and Kishin Lines.-History:*1928-10-25: The completed Hakubi Line is opened....
).
Environs
Hiroshima Prefectural Route 234 (Bingo Ochiai Teishajō Route) connects Bingo Ochiai station to Japan National Route 314Route 314 (Japan)
National Route 314 is a national highway of Japan connecting Fukuyama, Hiroshima and Unnan, Shimane in Japan, with a total length of 142.4 km ....
. A beauty salon and taxicab
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
service are located on this road, along with a variety of vending machine
Vending machine
A vending machine is a machine which dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, alcohol, cigarettes, lottery tickets, consumer products and even gold and gems to customers automatically, after the customer inserts currency or credit into the machine....
s. In addition, there is a ryokan for travellers ehich is frequented by those using the evening Chidori express. Due to a smaller number of customers, the ryokan also acts as a tobacco shop in order to stay in business. Across the bridge at the base of the hill is a small grocery store, another group of vending machines, and a small contract post office.
Route 314 connects to Japan National Route 183
Route 183 (Japan)
National Route 183 is a national highway of Japan connecting Naka-ku, Hiroshima and Yonago, Tottori in Japan, with a total length of 196.4 km ....
on the way toward Saijō
Saijo, Hiroshima
was a town located in Hiba District, Hiroshima, Japan.On March 31, 2005 Saijō, along with the towns of Hiwa, Kuchiwa, Takano and Tōjō, all from Hiba District, and the town of Sōryō, from Kōnu District, was merged into the expanded city of Shōbara....
. A drive-in featuring area specialties such as oden
Oden
Oden is a Japanese winter dish consisting of several ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon radish, konnyaku, and processed fish cakes stewed in a light, soy-flavoured dashi broth. Ingredients vary according to region and between each household...
and udon
Udon
is a type of thick wheat-flour noodle of Japanese cuisine.Udon is usually served hot as noodle soup in its simplest form as kake udon, in a mildly flavoured broth called kakejiru which is made of dashi, soy sauce , and mirin. It is usually topped with thinly chopped scallions...
, hot foods which are especially popular during the ski season, is found along this route.