Mitsuke Station

I haven't had a watch for the last few years. It was about 10 years ago. How is it even though it's a station? Not everyone has a smartphone or a wristwatch, so I think you should install a watch.

Born and raised in Mitsuke City, Niigata Prefecture, the starting point of my trip was always Mitsuke Station. It's a typical small rural station that is very old, but it really has a rustic appeal. The population of Niigata Prefecture has been declining since 1997, and the number of trains on the Shin-Etsu Line has decreased as it has not been able to overcome the wave of declining birthrate and aging population. As a result, Mitsuke Station was demoted to a double-track bar line station in 2004 due to the removal of the platform on Line 2. And in 2008, Mr. Kiosk was finally forced to close. Despite the installation of an air conditioner in the waiting room in 2009 and an elevator in 2010 to make capital investment, the number of passengers at Mitsuke Station is decreasing year by year. The three-dimensional bicycle parking lot completed in 1986 was unusual and novel in Niigata Prefecture at that time, but it is now significantly deteriorated. The only way to make Mitsuke Station permanent is to rebuild it into a future Hashigami station building. The current station building is too poor for the entrance station of Mitsuke City, which has a population of 40,000. The fact that Yashiroda Station and Kameda Station, which are only in the ward of Niigata City, are better is unacceptable to me. We are eager to be reborn as the most fashionable and innovative Hashigami station building at the railway station in Niigata prefecture. In October 2020, a security camera was installed at the entrance of the west exit underpass. I was shocked myself, but I wonder if there are any strange people. I want you to stay in peaceful Mitsuke City forever.

Even though the express train stops, there are few shops in front of the station and you can walk to a convenience store. In the past, it should have been two lines and three lines, but as a result of installing an elevator, it is a clean structure where one line is completely unusable.

There is a waiting room inside the station (outside the ticket gate) and on the platform that can withstand wind and snow. There is a vending machine for drinks, but there is no shop, and the nearest convenience store is about 200 meters away (exit the station and straight to the east). Basically, a taxi seems to be resident, and there is also a parking space for ordinary cars, so there is no problem in pick-up and drop-off. Although it is a little crowded in the morning and evening for commuting to work, it seems quiet during the day. The station has a ticket gate only on the east side. There are roundabouts in the east and west of the station, but please be careful when asking for a transfer because you can only move to the west side using the underground connecting road (only the stairs) adjacent to the north side of the station building. Also, since there are few automatic ticket vending machines, there is only one green window. Moreover, purchasing a ticket is time-consuming because many people are far away. If you buy a ticket, we recommend that you head to the station with sufficient time.

It is such a station that is trying to do something.