Aki Station

Railway station in Aki, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan

33°30′17″N 133°54′23″E / 33.504596°N 133.906417°E / 33.504596; 133.906417Operated byTosa Kuroshio RailwayLine(s)■ Asa Line Distance27.7 km from GomenPlatforms1 island platformTracks2 + numerous sidingsConstructionStructure typeEmbankmentParkingAvailableBicycle facilitiesBike shed, bike rentalsAccessibleYes - elevator to island platformOther informationStatusStaffed ticket window, also JR Shikoku (Midori no Madoguchi)Station codeGN27WebsiteOfficial websiteHistoryOpened1 July 2002 (2002-07-01)PassengersFY20111,053 daily

Location
Aki Station Location within Kochi Prefecture Show map of Kochi Prefecture Aki Station Aki Station (Japan) Show map of Japan

Aki Station (安芸駅, Aki-eki) is a passenger railway station located in the city of Aki, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the third-sector Tosa Kuroshio Railway with the station number "GN27".^[1]^[2]

Lines

The station is served by the Asa Line and is located 27.7 km from the beginning of the line at Gomen.^[3] It is the main station and depot for the Asa Line and all trains, both rapid and local, stop at the station.^[4]

Layout

The station consists of an island platform serving two tracks on an embankment. Numerous sidings which form the Asa Line depot are located north of the main tracks. The station building is located at the base of the embankment and houses a waiting area, a local produce market and a staffed ticket window. Besides tickets for the line, the ticket window is also equipped with a JR Shikoku (Midori no Madoguchi) facility and can accept reservations and sell tickets for JR trains. Access to the island platform is by means of an underpass leading to a flight of steps and an elevator. A bike shed and bike rentals are available.^[2]^[3]^[5]^[6]

A view of the station platform and tracks in 2010.
A view of the depot to the north of the station with its many sidings.

Adjacent stations

«	Service	»
Asa Line
Aki-Sogo-byoin-mae	Rapid	Ioki
Aki-Sogo-byoin-mae	Local	Ioki

Station mascot

Each station on the Asa Line features a cartoon mascot character designed by Takashi Yanase, a local cartoonist from Kōchi Prefecture. The mascot for Aki Station is a figure of a singer with music note motifs on her costume named Aki Utako-chan (あきうたこちゃん). The music theme relates to Ryūtarō Hirota, a Japanese composer who was born in Aki.^[7]

History

The train station was opened on 1 July 2002 by the Tosa Kuroshio Railway as an intermediate station on its track from Gomen to Nahari.^[8]

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2011, the station was used by an average of 1,053 passengers daily.^[8]

Surrounding area

Aki Station Jibasan Market - a produce market housed within the station building selling local foodstuffs and souvenirs.^[9]
Aki City Hall

References

^ "路線図　ごめん・なはり線)" [Route Map Gomen-Nahari Line] (PDF). Tosa Kuroshio Railway. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
^ ^a ^b "安芸" [Aki]. hacchi-no-he.net. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
^ ^a ^b Kawashima, Ryōzō (2013). 図説: 日本の鉄道四国・九州ライン全線・全駅・全配線・第1巻四国東部エリア [Japan Railways Illustrated. Shikoku and Kyushu. All lines, all stations, all track layouts. Volume 1 Eastern Shikoku] (in Japanese). Kodansha. pp. 50, 86. ISBN 9784062951609.
^ "時刻表ごめん・なはり線" [Timetable Gomen-Nahari Line] (PDF). Tosa Kuroshio Railway. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
^ "安芸" [Aki]. nacl.sakura.jp. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
^ "土佐くろしお鉄道安芸駅" [Tosa Kuroshio Railway Aki Station]. Tosa Kuroshio Railway Official Website. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
^ "あきうたこちゃん" [Aki Utako-chan]. gomen-nahari.com. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
^ ^a ^b Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本の私鉄 [Databook: Japan's Private Railways] (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing. pp. 173, 303. ISBN 978-4-7770-1336-4.
^ "安芸駅ぢばさん市場" [Aki Station Jibasan Market]. www.akikanko.or.jp. Retrieved 18 February 2018.