History
The first incarnation of Karugahama Station — originally Karuga Temporary Stop — opened on 10 July 1928 in what is now Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, after Noma Hachirō pledged a 4,000 yen donation to the Moji Railway Bureau for the construction of a seasonal halt serving the adjacent beach. The station resumed service following the post-war occupation in 1952, was demolished in 1955, and abolished entirely on 1 August 1967. JR West signed an agreement with the city of Kure on 3 April 1997 to construct a replacement, and the present Karugahama Station opened on 7 February 1999. ICOCA service began on 1 September 2007, and the station now carries the designation JR-Y11.
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-18.
Notes
The station owes its existence to private patronage — businessman Noma Hachirō repeatedly petitioned the Moji Railway Bureau through the 1920s and ultimately funded the original 1928 halt himself, with a celebratory opening party held that same week inside the adjacent beach pavilion's main hall.