Original Article can be found here.

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Ooboke Station and Totoro Station? A Collection of unique “Station Names” throughout Japan

There are many instances of train stations in Japan having such interesting names that it makes you wonder “Does it really exist!?”. Here’s a collection of “Unique Station Names” that even non-train junkies will enjoy.

■ The most interesting station names?

There are lots of unique station names, including those which read funny, those which are interesting when read out loud, as well as those with interchangeable syllables.

Here are some entries from throughout Japan. We’ve picked up some impressionistic ones to introduce here. Firstly, we have those which sound like lines from your everyday conversation.

• 朝来駅 – Asso eki = “Oh, really” Station
• 小前田駅 – Omaeda eki = “It’s you” Station
• 南蛇井駅 – Nanjai eki = “What is it?” Station
• 後免駅 – Gomen eki = “Sorry” Station
• 笑内駅 – Okashinai eki = “Ain’t that funny?” Station

“Okashinai” is a phrase from the Kansai dialect, but this station is located in Akita Prefecture and is served by the Akita Inland Line.

There are some stations which utilize body parts too.

• 日本へそ公園駅 – Nihon heso kouen eki = Japan Bellybutton Park Station
• 尻手（しって）駅 – Shitte eki = Butt and Hand Station

“Nihon heso kouen” is located at East Longitude 135 and North Latitude 35, in a park that rests right in “Japan’s Bellybutton”.

There are also lots of stations which sound different from their written forms. It’s hard to say such names out loud.

• 大歩危駅 – Ooboke eki = Big Idiot Station
• 小歩危駅 – Koboke eki = Little Idiot Station
• 及位駅 – Ozoki eki = Peeping Tom Station
• 半家駅 – Hage eki = Bald Station
• 増毛駅 – Mashike eki = Hairy Station

There are also stations named after historical figures, or sound like names of popular fictional characters and even a Kyoto-born band.

• 宮本武蔵駅 – Miyamoto Musashi Station
• 土々呂駅 – Totoro Station
• 久留里駅 – Kururi Station

Lastly, we have this station name. What a way to name a station!!

• 天王寺駅前駅 – Tennoji eki mae eki – Station in front of Tennoji Station

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■ The longest station names in Japan?

Do you know what is the longest station name in Japan?

One of the longest known station names when written in hiragana is located along Kumamoto Prefecture’s South Aso Railroad, where one station is named 「南阿蘇水の生まれる里白水高原駅」 or “Minami aso mizu no umareru satohaku suikougen eki”. Another one is located along Ibaraki Prefecture’s Kashima Coastal Railroad, named 「長者ヶ浜潮騒はまなす公園前駅」 or “Choujaga hamashiosai hamanasu kouen mae eki”. The longest station names in terms of number of characters goes to 2 stations within Disneyland, named 「東京ディズニーランド・ステーション駅」 or “Tokyo Disneyland Station and 「リゾートゲートウェイ・ステーション駅」 or “Resort Gateway Station”.