The Sakai Line (境線, Sakai-sen) is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in Tottori Prefecture, Japan. The line connects Yonago and Sakaiminato.

Sakai Line
Nezumi Otoko Train I
Overview
Native name境線
OwnerJR West
LocaleTottori Prefecture
Termini
Stations16
Technical
Line length17.9 km (11.1 mi)
Number of tracks1
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
ElectrificationOverhead lines 1500 V DC (Yonago - Goto, only for trains that enter and exit Goto train depot)

Stations

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All stations are in Tottori Prefecture. The stations have nicknames corresponding to monsters that appear in GeGeGe no Kitaro.[1][2]

Name Nickname Between (km) Distance (km) Rapid Transfers Location
Yonago 米子 Nezumi-Otoko ねずみ男 - 0.0     Sanin Main Line Yonago
Bakurōmachi 博労町 Koro-pok-guru コロポックル 1.0 1.0  
Fujimichō 富士見町 Zashiki-warashi ざしきわらし 0.5 1.5  
Gotō 後藤 Doro-ta-bō どろたぼう 0.7 2.2  
Sambommatsuguchi 三本松口 Sodehiki-Kozō そでひき小僧 1.1 3.3  
Kawasakiguchi 河崎口 Kasabake 傘化け 2.0 5.3  
Yumigahama 弓ヶ浜 Azukiarai あずきあらい 1.9 7.2  
Wadahama 和田浜 Tsuchikorobi つちころび 2.5 9.7  
Ōshinozuchō 大篠津町 Sunakake Babā 砂かけばばあ 1.4 11.1  
Yonago Airport 米子空港 Betobeto-san べとべとさん 1.6 12.7   Sakaiminato
Nakahama 中浜 Ushi-oni 牛鬼 0.5 13.2  
Takamatsuchō 高松町 Sunekosuri すねこすり 1.1 14.3  
Amariko 余子 Konaki-jiji こなきじじい 0.7 15.0  
Agarimichi 上道 Ittan-momen 一反木綿 1.3 16.3  
Babasakichō 馬場崎町 Kijimuna キジムナー 0.9 17.2  
Sakaiminato 境港 Kitaro 鬼太郎 0.7 17.9  

History

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The entire line opened in 1902. The section to Goto was electrified in 1982, and freight services ceased in 1986.[citation needed]

In 2008, Oshinozu Station was closed and the line relocated 800 m east to serve Yonago Airport, with the new station named accordingly.[citation needed]

JR West announced an 800 million yen renovation of the line's rolling stock (22 cars) in October 2017, to be completed by spring 2019. The renovation will introduce on-board fare payment using ICOCA proximity cards (as well as Suica and other major Japanese transit cards). Most stations on the line are unmanned, requiring fares to be paid to the train conductor; the upgrade is intended to increase efficiency, and to better serve travelers from Tokyo, Osaka and other metropolitan areas where proximity cards are commonly used.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "JR米子駅 耳よりコラム 妖怪の里へ・・・ JR境線 鬼太郎列車 完全ガイド!". 米子観光ナビ [米子市観光協会] (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  2. ^ "水木しげる氏追悼 ゲゲゲの境線". HuffPost Japan (in Japanese). 2016-12-10. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  3. ^ "JR境線でイコカ 19年春から 車載型IC改札機で". www.nikkei.com (in Japanese). 2017-10-19. Retrieved 2017-11-01.