History
Kita-Otari Station opened on 15 August 1957 as part of Japanese National Railways, when the Ōito Line was extended between Nakatsuchi and Kotaki, finally closing the long gap that had separated the Matsumoto-side and the Itoigawa-side sections of the route. Freight and parcel handling were eventually withdrawn in 1973, and the station became unstaffed year-round. It passed to JR West on 1 April 1987 with the privatisation of JNR. In July 1995 a torrential-rain disaster sent debris flows into the station yard, burying it for more than two years until restoration was completed, and the 2014 Kamishiro Fault earthquake forced another temporary closure of the surrounding section.
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-18.