Katsuyama St. in Dinosaur Kingdom

Retro-looking traditional station guarded by dinosaurs

Takako Sakamoto Apr 23, 2015 - 1 min read

<p>A life-size dinosaur replica in front of the station watching over the traffic and passersby</p>

<p>Retro-looking Katsuyama Station of Echizen Railways. It was originally built in 1914, and was designated as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan in 2004. The current building was renovated in 2013.</p>

<p>A dinosaur bus bound for Fukui Dinosaur Museum in Katsuyama City</p>

<p>A baby dinosaur set in the traffic circle in front of the station</p>

<p>Inside view of the station building</p>

<p>You can see dinosaurs here, too. Katsuyama City is 'ruled' by dinosaurs in a good sense.</p>

<p>Echi-tetsu Cafe inside the station building. Echi-tetsu is the abbreviation of Echizen Railways.</p>

<p>Glowing coffee siphon in the café</p>

<p>Menu board displayed in front of Echi-tetsu Café</p>

<p>A couple enjoying a romantic day-out inside the café</p>

<p>A train stopping at Katsuyama Station</p>

<p>Electric Locomotive 'Teki 6' displayed in the station. This is the oldest electric locomotive in Japan that can still run (it was built in 1920).</p>

<p>Intrigued, a boy was trying to look inside Teki 6, but sadly the door was closed and locked securely.</p>

The other day when I visited Benten Sakura Festival held on the banks of Kuzuryu River in Katsuyama City, I dropped by at Echizen Railway Katsuyama Station, which is located near the riverbank. The station was retro-looking but new. I later learned it was renovated in October 2013. As expected, dinosaur replicas were standing guard in front of the station. They must have been set in place when the traffic circle was built in 2011. However, this station is actually old (built in 1914), and designated as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan. From the station, dinosaur buses bound for Dinosaur Museum depart regularly. The traditional station is decorated with dinosaur goods, and as soon as you set foot on the platform you'll know Katsuyama is surely the Dinosaur Kingdom!

Takako Sakamoto @takako.sakamoto

I was born in and grew up in Tokushima prefecture, and have lived in many places since then: Nishinomiya, Kyoto, Nara, Mie, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Fukuoka and Fukui. I am currently living in Yokohama City. All the places I lived, all the places I visited, I have loved dearly. The histor...