JR Shikoku will open a temporary station, “Tsushimanomiya Station,” between Kaiganji Station and Takuma Station on the Yosan Line for two days, August 4 (Mon) and 5 (Tue), 2025, and will operate special trains and make special stops on local trains.
Annual festival for the “guardian deity of children”
The main shrine of Tsushima Shrine (Mitoyo City, Kagawa), known as the guardian deity of children, is enshrined on a small island in the Seto Inland Sea, and only on August 4th and 5th each year, visitors can cross a bridge about 250 meters long to visit the main shrine. The temporary station that will be opened in conjunction with this summer festival is Tsushimanomiya Station, known as the JR station with the shortest business days in Japan, and will function as an access point for worshippers from all over the country who come to pray for the growth of their children and good health.
A total of 53 local trains will make special stops at Tsushimanomiya Station, including 16 trains departing from Tadotsu Station at 8:31-20:55, and 18 trains departing from Kannonji Station at 8:07-20:48 on 4 (Mon). On 5 (Tue), 9 trains departing from Tadotsu Station at 8:31-15:54, and 10 trains departing from Kannonji Station at 8:07-15:12, will make special stops at Tsushimanomiya Station. In addition, only on 4 (Mon), two extra trains will be operated: one departing from Tadotsu Station at 20:02 for Kannonji Station and one departing from Kannonji Station at 20:56 for Tadotsu Station, both of which will stop at Tsushimanomiya Station.
To get two types of commemorative tickets…
In conjunction with the opening of Tsushimanomiya Station, commemorative entrance tickets with special mounts that can only be purchased on-site will also be on sale. The price is 280 yen (for both adult and child sets), and only 2,000 sets will be sold each day, and will end when they are sold out. The design on the front combines the station sign and a photo of a train running on the Yosan Line, but different designs will be available on 4 (Mon) and 5 (Tue), so you will need to visit on two consecutive days to get both.
During the hours when trains stop at Tsushimanomiya Station, a commemorative station sign featuring the rare character “Tsushimanomiya Eki-chan” will be installed on the back of the station sign on the platform as a photo spot. In addition, as the ticket counter at the station is expected to be crowded, JR Shikoku is calling for people to use the ticket app “Shikoku Smart Eki-chan,” which allows you to purchase tickets to and from Tsushimanomiya Station one month in advance.
