is a closed railway station on the defunct Hiroo Line in

Obihiro, Hokkaido is a Cities of Japan, city in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. Obihiro is the only designated city in the Tokachi Subprefecture, Tokachi area. As of July 31, 2023, the city had an estimated population of 163,084. The next most populou ...

, Japan. Now owned by the Kofuku town residents' association, even after its closure in 1987, it remains a popular sightseeing spot because of its name, which means "happiness" in Japanese.

Lines

Kōfuku Station was served by the now-closed 84 km

Hiroo Line The was a railway line in Hokkaido, Japan operated by the Japanese National Railways The , abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, ...

between and Hiroo Station in Hiroo, and was located 22.0 km from the starting point of the line at Obihiro.

Station layout

The original station building remains standing, and many people paste business cards and messages on the walls of the waiting room, hoping for happiness. File:Koufuku station 05.JPG, The former platform, with preserved rolling stock, August 2009 File:Koufuku station Happy-Bell.JPG, The "Happy Bell" at the station, August 2011

History

The station opened on 1 November 1956. It closed in 1987 when the entire line closed just before privatization of

Japanese National Railways The , abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pre ...

(JNR). The station become famous after it was featured on a Japanese

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

TV travel documentary programme in 1973. In fiscal 2012, it was visited by about 175,000 people, making it one of the top tourist attractions in the area. The ageing station structure was scheduled to be renovated by Obihiro city government between September and November 2013, at a cost of 33 million yen.

Surrounding area

The station takes its name from the name of the area in which it is located. Although the area was originally called Kōshin, it was changed to Kōfuku in around 1910 by combining the "Kō" of Kōshin with "Fuku" from Fukui, denoting the farmers from

Fukui Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui Prefecture has a population of 737,229 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,190 Square kilometre, km2 (1,617 sq mi). Fukui Prefecture border ...

who moved to the area around 1902 after being displaced by flooding.

References

External links

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Tourist information provided by city of Obihiro
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kofuku Station Railway stations in Hokkaido Prefecture Railway stations in Japan opened in 1956 Obihiro Tourist attractions in Hokkaido Railway stations in Japan closed in 1987