A station is not only a place for getting on and off the train.

Maybe stations tend to be thought of as just a place you pass through during a trip.
But sometimes, a station is actually the main attraction.
There are many stations in Ehime which were used as filming locations for dramas or movies.
So, why don’t you go on a new type of sightseeing trip to visit these stations?

The first one is Takahama Station in Matsuyama City.
This is the last stop on the Iyotetsu Takahama Line.
The lead character of the “Galileo” series drama, Manabu Yukawa, visited this station in the movie “Midsummer’s Equation.”
Masaharu Fukuyama, a popular actor and singer, played this role.

The building is an example of historical wooden architecture.
Inside the building you can find a posterof the movie, and a sign saying “Harigaura Station,” which is the station name in the movie.

You will find Takahama Port just across the traffic lights in front of the station.
This port was opened in 1906, and the station was relocated and renovated in this spot one year before the opening of the port.
This style of architecture was pretty modish at that time, and it still retains its beautiful appearance.

The white wooden frames of the windows and walls, the wooden benches which have been used for so many years, and even the floors…, all of them are so tasteful and charming.

The arrangement and design of the ceiling also catches your eyes.

The platform is brisk, with its white wooden framework supporting the roof, as well as its white walls.

The “Y” shaped pillars on the platform, colored orange on the bottom half, were made with old rails.

The decoration on the façade below the triangular roof is synchronized with the details on the walls on the platform!
Don’t miss this design and try to see it from the side where the railroad tracks are.

We hope this station retains this classic form as long as it can.

The next one is Baishinji Station on the Iyotetsu Takahama Line, one stop before Takahama Station.
This station appeared in a famous scene from “Tokyo Love Story,” which was a huge hit in 1991.

In the last episode, the heroin of the drama, Rika (played by Honami Suzuki) came to this station and tied her handkerchief on this fence to say goodbye to the hero, Kanchi (played by Yuji Oda).
So many fans visited this station at that time, and even now some fans come here and tie their handkerchiefs to the fence.

The station is located on the seaside, and there is a beach along the platform.

White sands, a blue sea, and clear sky…. The calm scenery unfolds in front of you.
Let’s take a relaxing walk on the beach for a while and spend some time here before going home.

JR Shimonada Station has been used as a filming location so many times.
Takuya Kimura got off the train here in the drama “HERO Special” in 2006, and Tatsuya Fujiwara and Yuta Tamamori also did in the drama “Reverse.”

One reason that this station became popular nationally might be the photo of it that was used for a poster advertising the “Seishun 18 ticket” (a seasonally available railway ticket good for 5 days of unlimited travel on non-Shinkansen JR trains).
The various photos of Shimonada Station were on the poster for 3 years in a row from 1998.

Going back further in the past, Tora-san (acted by Kiyoshi Atsumi) woke up from a dream on a bench at this station in one of series of nostalgic popular comedy movies in Japan “Otoko wa Tsuraiyo” (It’s Tough Being a Man) in 1977.

The Shimonada Station building is unmanned.
But the atmosphere of the station is sort of cute with its red post box and a wooden bench.

“Shimonada Coffee,” is a coffee stand in front of the station which provides you with good freshly-ground coffee.
This stand is open on sunny days, from 2 pm on weekdays, and maybe from the morning on Sundays and holidays.
It is nice to have a cup of coffee while you wait for the next train.

When you visit these stations, you will understand why these places were chosen as filming locations.
Please enjoy seeing these beautiful “stations” on a train trip which will fill you with the emotions of travel.

 
Photographs and text by Tomoko Yano