For some reason, I’ve always been drawn to “edges” and “the ends of the earth.” When I was in junior high, I once took a train to a place called Yubetsu, which felt like one of those remote corners. Recently, while on a skiing trip to Engaru Rock Valley Ski Resort, I suddenly remembered that journey from Engaru to Yubetsu. Feeling nostalgic, I looked it up and found that there’s a monument at the site of the former Yubetsu Station, and the station building one stop before it, Naka-Yubetsu Station, is still preserved! So, I decided to go and see them.
When I was in junior high, I remember stopping in Yubetsu, then taking the Yumō Line south to Abashiri. Nowadays, neither the Nayoro Main Line that went from Engaru to Yubetsu nor the Yumō Line that went from Yubetsu to Abashiri exist anymore. But it’s strange how I still vividly remember the somewhat desolate atmosphere of that area.
A fire station now stands on the former site of Yubetsu Station, and there was a small monument there. It’s pretty common for all traces of a closed station to disappear, so I was a little happy that Yubetsu Station, even with just a small monument, still had a trace of its past.
I didn’t really have the time or luxury to go all the way to Abashiri, but I suddenly felt like seeing Lake Saroma. So, I headed to Sanrihama Campsite, a remote spot nestled between the Sea of Okhotsk and Lake Saroma. There was absolutely nothing around, just a fierce wind and biting cold – it truly felt like the end of the world.
The wind was strong, the sea was rough, and the boats were neatly pulled ashore, making me really feel the wildness of the winter ocean. There was hardly a soul around, which actually made it feel a little spooky.
I’m not entirely sure if I ever got off at this station for a transfer or anything else when I was in junior high, but for some reason, that blue station sign feels familiar. I never imagined I’d revisit places I’d once traveled to decades later, but it brought back such a nostalgic feeling.
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