History
Aizu-Yanaizu Station opened on 20 November 1928 as the terminus of the initial eastern section of the Japanese National Railways Tadami Line from Aizu-Wakamatsu. The line was extended westward to Aizu-Miyashita on 28 October 1941, making Aizu-Yanaizu an intermediate stop. Located in the town of Yanaizu in Fukushima Prefecture, the station stands 33.3 kilometers from Aizu-Wakamatsu with one side platform serving a single bi-directional track. Freight ended in 1971, parcels in 1984, the station passed to JR East on 1 April 1987, and the depot itself was donated by JR East to Yanaizu Town on 12 April 2023 for renovation into a tourist information facility, reopening on 13 April 2024.
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-18.
Notes
The renovated depot houses a workshop for Yanaizu's famous Aka-Beko papier-mâché cows, and in October 2024 the building was given the public-vote nickname "Aibeko"; an Aka-Beko named Yanagimaru has served as honorary stationmaster since the renovation.