Back to explore
elminium, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Obasute Station
姨捨駅Nagano · Chubu
姨捨駅 sits on a mountainside at 547 m, and the platform looks straight out over the Zenkoji Plain and the Chikuma River below — it is named one of Japan's 'three great train windows' (日本三大車窓) for that view. It opened in 1900 and still operates as a switchback: because of the steep grade, trains climbing the line pull into the station, then reverse out of it to continue upward. The view is rated for both directions of the day — daylight over the terraced rice fields of the valley, and after dark, the lights of Chikuma City spread out below the platform.
- Best season
- Year-round
- Crowd level
- Hidden gem
- Admission
- No admission — a working railway station. You need only a valid ticket or IC card to pass onto the platform.
- Nearest station
- Obasute Station (JR Shinonoi Line) · at the site
How to get there
On the JR Shinonoi Line, about 30 minutes by local train from Nagano Station or 40-45 minutes from Matsumoto Station. It is a switchback stop, so trains reverse direction here on the climb.
Tags
scenic-stationstationviewpoint
Location
More in Chubu
Continue exploring
Your turn
Plan a trip like this — free
Built from 2,650+ verified hidden places — real routes, ferries, and events matched to your dates. Yours takes about a minute.
No credit card, plan your first trip now!