Hokkaido · MinamifuranoNo.963★★Open in map →
Ikutora Station
— Horomai Station from the film Poppoya
A wooden station in central Hokkaido that was made up as "Horomai Station" for a film and never changed back. The railway that served it has gone; the building, the sets and the railcar nose in the forecourt are still there.
- FromFurano Station
- ~1 hrFurano Bus, 6 a day
- Get off atIkutora-ekimae (Furano Bus, Nishitappu Line)
- On foot
- Ikutora Station
The sweet spot
Nobody arrives here by accident any more, because no train passes through — everyone standing in the forecourt came on purpose. This is a well-known location rather than a hidden one, and it draws a steady stream of film fans. What keeps it calm is the bus timetable, which spreads arrivals thinly across the day.
Where it is
102 more notes in Hokkaido · open the map →What to look for — in walking order
- The Horomai Station signthe film's invented station name still fixed over the entrance of the real building
- The former station officethe room the town runs as an exhibition of props, production photographs and cast signatures
- Daruma Shokudothe diner front built for the film, standing with its neighbouring shopfronts in the forecourt
- KiHa 40 764the sectioned nose of the railcar rebuilt for the film, mounted on a plinth beside the sets
- The old platformthe trackside edge where the Nemuro Line ran, now the quiet end of the site
How to actually get there
- Furano Station → Ikutora-ekimae (Furano Bus, Nishitappu Line, about an hour).
- Step off into the forecourt and read the facade — the sign over the entrance is the film's station name, not the real one.
- Walk left past the diner and the shopfronts to the sectioned railcar, then back along the old platform edge.
- Look through the exhibition in the former station office before your return bus.
- Furano Bus, Nishitappu Line, direct from Furano Station
- Furano Station →(Furano Bus, Nishitappu Line, about an hour)→ Ikutora-ekimae, which stops in front of the station building itself. The route was extended to Ikutora and stepped up to six round trips a day when the railway closed. Departures from Furano Station are spread across the morning, early afternoon and evening, so a day trip works either way round.
- Return from Ikutora-ekimae
- Buses back toward Furano leave from the same stop in front of the station. Departures run from early morning to mid-evening, with a long gap in the middle of the afternoon. Because this is a rural route with only a handful of runs, fix your return departure before you settle in, and check the posted timetable at the stop.
About the place
Ikutora is a settlement in the upper Sorachi valley, in the town of Minamifurano in central Hokkaido. Its low wooden station house was reworked for the film Poppoya (Railroad Man) and given the name of an invented terminus, Horomai. The sets built around it were never taken down. A diner, Daruma Shokudo, and the shopfronts beside it still face the forecourt, and the sectioned nose of the railcar used on screen stands on a concrete plinth among them. When the railway through the valley closed, the town arranged to take the building over from JR Hokkaido and keep the exhibits running. What is left is a station that stopped being a station and stayed a film.
How to enjoy it
The morning bus from Furano leaves at 7:16 and a later one at 10:26; returns from Ikutora go at 12:05 and 15:50, which makes a clean half day with time to spare. Take the outdoor sets first while the light is on the wooden fronts, then the exhibition room, then the platform — the order runs naturally from the bus door. Snow changes the place completely, so winter and summer are worth treating as two different visits.
Background & history
The film Poppoya, starring Takakura Ken, was released in 1999 and used Ikutora as its fictional terminus. Rail service through the valley was suspended after a typhoon damaged the Nemuro Line in August 2016, and buses covered the gap from then on. The Furano–Shintoku section was formally abandoned on 31 March 2024, ending Ikutora's life as a railway station. Minamifurano Town then took the building on from JR Hokkaido to keep the film exhibits open.
Before you go
- Cash
- Ikutora has no ticket window any more, and the fare on the Nishitappu bus is paid on board, so carry cash rather than relying on a card. The buildings around the forecourt are film sets, not working shops, so buy food and drink in Furano or at Michi-no-Eki Minami-Furano before you come.
- Before you go
- This is inland Hokkaido and the forecourt is fully exposed; winter here means deep snow and hard cold. The exhibition inside the former station office keeps its own hours, so check locally rather than planning the day around it. The outdoor sets and the platform can be looked at from the forecourt.
- Another way
- From Tomamu Station on the JR Sekisho Line, which limited expresses serve, town-run and village-run buses reach Ikutora-ekimae via Ochiai — three round trips each, with the village service not running on Sundays. The North Liner intercity coach between Asahikawa, Furano, Shintoku and Obihiro also calls at Michi-no-Eki Minami-Furano, a short way from the station; reservation is required.
- After you get off
- The Ikutora-ekimae stop is on the station forecourt, so there is no walk to speak of. The wooden facade with the Horomai sign faces you; the film sets and the railcar nose are off to the left.