History
Yoichi Station opened on 10 December 1902 as an intermediate station on the private Hokkaido Railway's segment between Shikaribetsu and Ranshima. The line was extended north to Otaru Chūō (now Otaru) on 28 June 1903 and connected to the Hakodate-bound network on 19 October 1904, making Yoichi a through stop. Following the nationalisation of the Hokkaido Railway on 1 July 1907 and the establishment of the Hakodate Main Line on 12 October 1909, the station served as a regular stop for the limited express "Hokkai" and the express "Niseko". Operations passed to JR Hokkaido on 1 April 1987 with the privatisation of JNR, and in 1996 the station building was rebuilt into a Scottish-styled reinforced-concrete structure combined with the Yoichi tourist information centre "Elra Plaza".
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-06-09.
Notes
When the Hokkaido Shinkansen reaches Sapporo in spring 2031, the Hakodate Main Line between Oshamambe and Otaru is scheduled for abolition. Seven towns along the Otaru-to-Yoichi segment formally approved a bus conversion in March 2022, putting Yoichi on the timetable for closure as part of that handover.