Road Trip on Sanko Line (Part 1)
Japan Hour
Sub Navigation
- The Weather: The Race To Forecast
- Singapore Green Plan 2030: Highlights from Parliament
- Midnight Story
- The Worlds Of Georgette Chen
- Tokyo Dreams
- Our New Normal
- Factories: Making The Future
- Colours Of The Sea
- It's In Our Nature
- Coming Home
- The Vaccine Quest
- In Search Of Precious Stones
- The Great Escapade: Homebound
- On Common Ground
- Seeing Is Believing
- Climate Change: A Wicked Problem
- The Hidden Layer: Healthcare Trailblazers
- Dream Spaces
- Undercover Asia S8
- Singapore Budget 2021
- In The Age Of AI
- Climate For Change
- Believe
- Remember Our House
- There's Something About Orchard
- Singapore Perspectives 2021: Dialogue with Minister of Education Lawrence Wong
- Inside The Probation Service
- Work.Able
- Once Upon A River
- Greening The 'Net
- Remarkable Living 3
- Contact Tracers
- Game Nation
- The Great Escapade
- Ahead Of Their Time
- When Titans Clash
- From Crisis To Catalyst
- Becoming Human Again
- The Pandemic: One Year On
- A Deadly Ascent
- Strangers In My Head
- Into The Vault 2
- Business Unusual
- Beyond the Viral Video
- Wild City: River World
- Disease Hunters
- Wizards Of Tech
- Feeding A City
- Undercover Asia S3
- 23
- Belly Of A Nation 2
- For Food's Sake! 3
- Forgotten Heroes
- Kampong Konkrit
- Rising To The Challenge
- Grounded
- The Longest Day
- Survival: Developing Countries On The Frontline
- Artists Unstaged
- Corridor of Hope
- Deciphering Japan
- The Family Affair S5
- Singapore Votes 2020: The Political Debate
- In Conversation Special
- Coronavirus Pandemic
- GRIT
- National Broadcast
- Why It Matters 4
- Faith Over Fear
- Outbreak Onboard
- Slumfood Millionaire
- #COVID19: The Social Media Pandemic
- CNA Correspondent
- One Of Us
- The Mark Of Empire
- Courage
- Race Against Pandemic
- A Frame In Time
- Carbon Conundrum
- Secret Wars
- Chasing Scarcity
- Undercover Asia S7
- Stronger: The Battle Against COVID-19
- Gadg(AID)
- Food In Our Time
- Tycoons China
- Inside The Child Protective Service
- Politics Of Climate Change
- The Singapore Perspectives Conference
- Borderlands
- In Our Time
- The Next Wave
- One Day That Changed Asia
- The Year Ahead 2020
- Migrants' Diary
- Ships That Shaped Us
- We Are Gen Z
- Crime Science
- Majulah: Symbols For Singapore
- A Billion Chinese Dreams
- CyberPunk'D
- Remarkable Living S2
- China's Growing Appetite
- In Search Of The Frog Boys
- Venturepreneurs
- The Skin We Wear
- The Millennial Investor
- Show Me The City
- Jewel: After Hours
- The Islands That Made Us
- Rishi & Sharul Try…
- Why It Matters 3
- Regardless Of Generation
- The Singapore Bicentennial Conference
- The Negotiators
- Secret Delicious
- Fighting Foreign Interference
- Hawkers In Our Centre
- HT MintAsia Leadership Summit 2019
- Coded World
- For Food's Sake! 2
- The Big Boss: A 21st Century Criminal
- Belly Of A Nation
- #DontForgetMe
- #HuntingHistory
- #Wanderlust
- Aarushi – Beyond Reasonable Doubt
- Across ASEAN
- Aerial Asia
- A Big Little Murder
- Against The Elements
- Age Of Innovation
- Algorithms
- An Astronomical Journey
- Astropreneurs: To The Stars & Beyond
- ASEAN’s Next Generation Leaders (ANGeLs)
- ASEAN Spotlight
- Asia First
- Asia First Encore
- Asian Century
- Asia in the Great War
- Back to School
- Becoming Human
- Becoming Singapore
- Bridging Giants
- Blueprint For Survival
- Bronze: A Forgotten Treasure
- Butterfly Children
- Challenge Tomorrow
- Champions For Change
- Check In
- City DNA
- City of Opportunities
- China on Film
- CNA Leadership Summit: Navigating a Post-Pandemic World
- Coming Clean About Green
- Conversation With S14
- Collaborate to Innovate
- Cool Living in an Eco-city
- Correspondents' Diary
- Cram Course Asia
- Days in Pyongyang
- Days Of Rage
- Days Of Disaster
- Deciphering Indonesia
- Deciphering The Philippines
- Destiny of a Maritime Nation
- Don't Make Us Invisible
- Electric Dream
- Edible Wild 2
- Edge of Space
- Enemy Within
- Every Woman
- Facing Dementia
- Facing Depression
- Fake News
- Finding Singapore
- Fighting Fake News
- Fighting Falsehoods
- Facing Terror
- Food Heroes
- For The King
- Forums
- Futuropolis
- Gangnam Insider's Picks!
- Get Real S17
- Going Places
- Going Underground
- How To Raise A Super Baby
- In Conversation
- Into The Vault
- India on Film
- Inside the Storm 4
- Indonesia’s Game Changers
- Inside The Children's ICU
- Inside Our Factories
- Insight
- Inside The Cryptokingdom
- In Search of Umami
- In Pursuit of Magic
- I Remember The Fall Of Singapore
- Johor: A New State of Affairs
- Japan Hour
- Just Like You
- Kashmir: A War of Stones
- Land Unlimited
- Law of the Land
- Love in A Time of Change
- Life Lines
- Luxe Asia S5: The Ultimate Access
- Made in Singapore
- Market Insights
- Maverick Politicians
- Money Mind
- National Service - The Beginning
- National Service - The Transformation
- Neighbours: Singapore-Malaysia Relations
- Nepal's Child Brides
- The New Silk Road
- Once a Refugee
- On The Red Dot
- Our Tiny Superheroes
- Palu: A Month After
- Perspectives
- Parliament Specials
- Asia Tonight
- Power And Piety
- Powering the Future
- Power List Asia
- Raffles Revealed
- Raffles: An Icon Reborn
- Real Deal
- Rebellion In Marawi
- Refugee Chef
- Regardless of Class
- Regardless of Race
- Regardless of Religion
- Roar!
- Savouring The Future
- Slackers, Shockers, Suits and Superheroes
- Singapore Food Stories
- Singapore Reimagined
- Singapore Mosaic
- Game Changers Singapore
- Singapore Tonight
- Singapore on Film
- Singapore After Dark
- Smart Cities 2.0
- Specials
- Super Octogenarians
- Start-UP S6
- Talking Point
- Taking Singapore Forward
- Tapestry: The Heart of ASEAN
- The ASEAN I Know
- The Big Questions
- The Dark Web
- The Family Affair S4
- The Great Migration
- The Last Rites
- The Past Beneath Us
- The Successors
- The Terror Trail
- The Truth About Fake News
- This is What I Hear
- The Traitor Within
- This Weekend
- This Side of The Border
- Tipping Point
- To Live
- Transformation For A New Normal
- Trash Trail
- Undercover Asia S6
- Unusual Suspects
- Vanishing Foods
- Vice & Virtue: 1800s Singapore
- Walk This Way
- When We Play
- Wild City: Forest Life
- Wild City: Secret World
- Whiter Shade of Terror
- Why It Matters 1
- Why It Matters 2
- Work Is A 4-Letter Word
- Don't Call Us Poor
- Don't Call Us Beaten
Bookmark
Japan Hour:
Road Trip on Sanko Line (Part 1)
Join us as we explore the JR Sanko Line which links the prefectures of Hiroshima and Shimane. This local line offers stunning views of Gonokawa River, the largest river in the central Chugoku region, and the Sea of Japan. The railway line, which spans from Miyoshi Station in Hiroshima Prefecture to Gotsu Station in Shimane Prefecture, has 35 stations over a 108.1km-long track. The construction of the line began in 1926 and it took half a century for the entire line to be completed in 1975.
Our journey begins from Miyoshi Station. We check the train schedule and find out only five trains operate along the line each day. We take a two-carriage train to our first destination, Koyodo Station. A passenger on the train recommends we visit the Gonokawa Canoe Park Sakugi. At Koyodo, we have more than four hours to explore the area as our next train will only depart at 2.50pm. We finally find the canoe park after walking for nearly half an hour. It offers a range of water sports which can be enjoyed on the Gonokawa River.
After a canoe ride, we want to have lunch. We drop by an administrative office to get tips and are told about a rest station by the river, Josei. It is 3km away but we are relieved to find out we can rent some bicycles and ride there. After a 20-minute bicycle ride, we reach Josei. We order a local speciality, hiyashi chuka noodles, which contain celtuce. This vegetable, also known as “stem lettuce”, gives the noodles their green colour. The noodles are served chilled and is the eatery’s most popular summer dish. We also try natural sweetfish which has been caught from the Gonokawa River in front of the restaurant. It is salted and grilled for 15 minutes.
Someone at the restaurant suggests we check out the Josei Falls. At 126m high, it is one of the highest waterfalls in Japan. We ride our bikes for 10 minutes to the entrance of the waterfall, after which we have to hike up a hill for 15 minutes. The Josei Falls flows down three rock face tiers, with the top level being hidden behind a tree grove.
After this, we return our bicycles at the canoe park before walking for over 2km to Koyodo Station. We then take a 15-minute train ride to Kuchiba Station, three stops down the line. We have over 2.5 hours to spare before our train leaves at 5.50pm. A local recommends we visit the Enmei Temple, where there are several jizo statues. It is located atop a long staircase on a small mountain. We find out from the temple’s priest that it is over 530 years old; it was built in the Muromachi period.
The priest also tells us about a nature reserve, from where we can enjoy spectacular views of the Chugoku Mountains such as Mt. Sanbe. He offers to drive us there as it is quite far away. We reach the place after a 10-minute drive. The landscape from the viewing platform features layer upon layer of mountain peaks. On clear days, one can also see a billowing ocean of clouds from here.
We go back to Kuchiba Station and head by train towards the interchange, Hamahara Station, seven stops ahead. It is located in Shimane Prefecture. Along the way, we pass by an unusual station, Uzui. Its platforms are built about 20m above the ground, hence its nickname "Station in the Sky". This station does not have an elevator and passengers have to climb a staircase with 116 steps to reach the platforms.
We finally arrive at Hamahara and rest for a while at the station before catching the 7pm train to Kasubuchi Station. It is located in the middle of the JR Sanko Line. We meet an elderly lady and ask her to recommend a hotel. She mentions a few hotels such as Utopia and Hinode, but unfortunately, there are all fully booked because of the summer holidays.
We later manage to call a business hotel in Oda which has available rooms. Plaza Sanbe Hotel is a 25-minute drive from Kasubuchi Station. We decide to walk in the direction of Oda and try our luck at hitching a ride in case a car passes by.
Tips:
1) Find out how many trains run along the railway line each day so that you can plan your time accordingly
2) Uzui Station is popular among railway fans for its platforms which are built 20m above the ground