The JR Rumoi Line, which will make its last run at the end of March, is experiencing its final hustle and bustle, and cameras followed the events. Normally, the JR Rumoi Line’s Ishikari-Numata Station is quiet.
But this month… Reporter Yuki Katayama (7th) “The Ishikari-Numata Station premises are bustling with activity as the train arrives. The return train will depart in 3 minutes.” Railway fans from all over the country are flocking here every day in anticipation of the line’s closure on March 31st. Railway fan from Tokyo (high school student) “Today, I’m going to Kushiro. I hope it will show its final brilliance.”
The JR Rumoi Line connects Fukagawa Station and Ishikari-Numata Station. It has been in operation for 116 years, but the average number of passengers per kilometer per day is less than 100.
JR Hokkaido had proposed its closure. There are just over two weeks left until the railway disappears. To entertain visiting fans, Ishikari-Numata Station sells “ekiben” (station bento boxes) and “eki soba” (station soba noodles) on weekends. In addition, they distribute “boarding certificates” that can only be obtained here, and the waiting room is crowded with people.
The person who planned this is Yoshiki Murakami, a member of the Numata Town Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team. Yoshiki Murakami, Tourism Support Officer, Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team: “There are only 24 days left (until the line is discontinued – at the time of the interview), but I want to do my best to make these 24 days a day where all the customers who come will think, ‘I’m glad I came,’ and ‘I’ll be sad when it’s gone.'”
At Fukagawa Station, there is a famous confectionary that is shocked by the discontinuation of the line. Hiroki Takahashi, President of Takahashi Shoji: “I’ve been thinking for a long time that if the Rumoi Line was discontinued, I would stop making Uroko Dango.” Uroko Dango is a Fukagawa specialty that was created in 1913. It got its name because its shape resembles the scales of herring that were once transported on the Rumoi Line. These steamed dumplings, with their chewy texture and gentle sweetness, remain popular today. Takahashi Shoji President Hiroki Takahashi: “Back then, especially in the summer, there were a huge number of customers coming to the beaches of Rumoi and Mashike. The trains to Rumoi would consist of 6 or 7 cars. Station bento boxes and uroko dango sold like hotcakes.”
President Takahashi will continue to make uroko dango. Currently, the morning trains on the Rumoi Line are used “regularly” by students attending high schools in Fukagawa City. High school students using the Rumoi Main Line: “There’s less than a month left until it’s discontinued, so I want to imprint the scenery in my memory while I’m on my way to school.” “I want to continue riding it just like before.” From April onwards, there will be substitute buses. Hokkaido is experiencing a population decline ahead of the rest of the country.
Ten years ago, JR announced a policy to discontinue the so-called “red line sections,” stating that they were “difficult to maintain on their own.” The Rumoi Line will be the last of these sections to disappear in March.
