History
Kobari Station opened on 1960-06-01 as a passenger-only halt on the JNR Echigo Line, inserted between Terao and Sekiya stations. The local community covered the full cost of construction, and the first station building was of concrete block. In 1966 the building was rebuilt and a passing loop entered service. With the electrification of the Echigo Line on 1984-04-08 the station was placed under contracted operation, and after a refurbishment in July 1986 it passed to JR East at the 1987-04-01 privatisation; a north entrance was added at the same time. Track ballast washed out between Kobari and Terao during the 1998-08-04 Niigata heavy-rain disaster. Refurbishment for accessibility and seismic resistance began in 2017, and lifts and a multifunction toilet on both sides of the gates entered service on 2019-02-02.
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-18.
Notes
Because the station sits on the southern slope of the Niigata Sand Dunes, there is a height difference between the south entrance and the plaza in front of it, so a flight of steps runs up to the door.