踏切が残る 足尾線の廃線跡に行ってきた
Whoa! What? Tracks all of a sudden! Tracks all of a sudden? The fact that there’s a railroad crossing here
means… Whoa! Oh! Wow! Amazing! It’s a tunnel! It’s a signal for the tunnel! Amazing! Hello everyone, this is Ayako Suzukawa. Today, here in Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture, we’ve come to Matō Station on the Watarase
Keikoku Railway. This is the very end. Kiryu Station and this Matō Station on the
Watarase Keikoku Railway are at each end, and there’s a train behind me now. That’s right,
this is bound for Kiryu. It’s a train car, but today, from this Matō Station,
actually, in the past, the tracks continued beyond here, so there are
quite a few abandoned railway tracks sections left that we can walk around and
explore, so today we’re going to go see the abandoned railway tracks. The
Watarase Keikoku Railway is famous for its
torokko train. I haven’t ridden the torokko train yet, though. Oh, and Tochigi’s Tochimarukun. From the National Sports Festival, I wonder? Tochimarukun. And Watetsu’s Wassy. And Watarase Keikoku Railway also has Nikko
City’s Nikko Kamen, another wonderful local character, I guess? “A station where you can see serows.” Does that
refer to this illustration? I wonder if they’re
really here? Book by Professor Miyawaki Timetable: 20,000 km to the Last Station, chapter
13. Amazing. It’s the 110th anniversary of the opening of the
entire Ashio Railway line, This Watarase Keikoku Railway used to be the
Ashio Railway. Some of you may know this area as Ashio, but it’s
home to the Ashio Copper Mine, where the copper for 10 yen coins was mined. Copper was mined here. The copper mine was very famous. It was Japan’s number one copper producer. It was a very famous copper mine. That’s why freight and such… That’s how the railway developed. That’s how it developed in various ways. So, should we go to this observation deck? I’d like to go up there. Facing this way, Facing this way, there’s one of those 100 yen
telescopes. It’s facing this way? Is it for looking at the mountains? It’s already closed now, isn’t it? The Ashio Copper Mine is no longer in operation. Wow, it’s great. I like it. It’s really nice. There are no overhead wires. It’s very clear and the nature is even more blended in, so to speak. Yeah, with the railway cars. It’s like a single landscape. Nice. I wonder if there’s something up ahead? I wonder if that’s something different? We’ll be departing soon. Oh, Really. There’s no bell ringing. Have a good trip! I wonder if the people on the train are locals? They have quite a lot of luggage. I wonder if they’re tourists? Have a good trip! Have a good trip! Wow, that’s great! The headmark is so cute! Oyu (hot water) Onsen (hot spring) Hey, The train has just departed. That way is towards
Kiryu Station, right? It’s really going downhill. It’s kind of curving,
and here too, Yeah, you can see that we’re in the mountains. If
you look on the other side, There’s a bumper over there. And there’s Wassy,
Watetsu’s mascot! Ah. This is the boarding location for the Torokko
Wassy train. So, this is the boarding location for the Torokko
Wassy train. So, Watetsu’s Wassy is over there? Cute! It’s cute, isn’t it! I like how they’ve set up that stopping position
marker. We can’t go any further because of the bumper, but
the tracks used to continue far beyond. Since it used to be connected, let’s head in that
direction. I think I’ll go. This is a guide to the different
walking areas of Ashio Town. It’s right in front of the station; we’re here
now, at Mato Station. This line that’s kind of gray. This line that’s kind of gray. Ta-da! Abandoned section. So, It’s clearly marked on the map. Yeah, yeah, yeah, like this smelter, right? I guess this station used to be here. Well, these things are usually near copper mines. Amazing! I wonder if you can still see things like this. It says ‘Ashio Town’. Up there. At the street light. Nice. Oh. It’s a bus stop. Shimomato, Nikko City Bus. Huh. Does it go to JR Nikko as well? Kiyotaki. Now, let’s check the timetable. Well, there are quite a few. Wow, amazing! Besides cash, you can use PayPay and D-払い. Very convenient! It’s the northern gateway, apparently. Although there was only a little agriculture
being done, the redevelopment of the Ashio Copper Mine led
to dramatic development, This area also became a major commercial
district. There’s a station. A little further up, there’s something like a
railway track. Yeah, that spot up there. We’re going this way. Indeed. There was a fork in the road before that. Ah, I see. It’s a little above the above. Ah. There was that place where tires were piled up,
right? I said further ahead, but… Actually, it was a little closer to here, wasn’t
it? The freight-only line, you see. I see, I see. That shop, you know, Everything was like, what kind of shop, Like confectionery retail, Food and drink, and… Barber shops, and… And also, like, lodging. Rice and sake. Dried goods. Udon, nice. Wow, amazing. So, after the railway opened, you see, As a settlement, it became, Quite a large one. It’s Kaminohira. Is this a good place to go for sightseeing? Huh? This? Maybe… This one? It’s this! Amazing! Look, because there’s something like 3-1 below. See, it’s numbered. This too. Ah. Wow. Amazing! This is the Ashio Copper Mine company housing for the people who worked at This company housing? Wow, isn’t it amazing? Well, I don’t know much about the specifics, but Well, it’s like a warehouse or something. Look, there’s a lot of stuff left on the shelves in
the back. The tiles on the bottom look really old. Wow, what’s that? It looks like a bath, but not
quite. Or maybe it’s a place to wash something. Because there’s a water pipe. Maybe it’s a place
to store water. Is it Kaminohira Bridge? Or Uenohira? Which one
is it? That’s Yeah, it seems like it. This road, this width of the
road. The width definitely suggests that, according
to the map, it looks like there’s a railway track under here. and we’re crossing over it with this bridge. That’s the feeling I get. You can’t really see the rails with the naked eye. There are sleepers over here. Are there? Really? Yeah, you’re right. Are those sleepers? Definitely, definitely. Cars often pass by here; cars do. But there aren’t many people walking around. There’s no one around here. A railroad crossing. Suddenly. Wow, so sudden. Suddenly. Hey, there’s something written here. It says ‘Site of Mato railroad crossing’ here. Wow, suddenly a railway track. Suddenly a railway track? Oh, Eh, Oh, so it came this way. Well, since there’s a
railroad crossing here. Eh! I’m surprised! Amazing! This crosses the river. With a bridge. Isn’t it amazing? This railroad crossing is… What’s that thing in the middle? That. Did any letters appear on it? Huh?! And the other side too. It feels like it’s pretty much still there. Well, of course, it’s been outside for years, so
it’s deteriorated. So, even though there’s rust, it’s not like
anything’s missing. Right. Suddenly. Hahaha. Wow. That square thing in the middle of the railroad
crossing alarm… It looks like something might be displayed
there, but that’s a railroad crossing failure
indicator. It displays a message to let you know that the
railroad crossing is currently out of order. That’s where it’s displayed. Earlier, we were over there at Mato Station. So, here, under that bridge earlier… What we said looked a bit like sleepers under the
bridge earlier, it probably is. With this feeling, around there too, these pieces
of wood are evenly spaced horizontally. I think you can see them lined up. There’s a fence here. Of course, you can’t go any further. It’s the Watarase Keikoku Railway’s property. Don’t go in here. It’s like they cut through the mountains. That’s a big one too. It’s amazing that so much of it is still here. And and the other side. Well, here too, there’s that railroad crossing we
saw earlier. There are railroad crossing alarms and warning
lights. And and it starts here. This is amazing, look. Why is it so intact here? Look, the sleepers are
like this. They’re still here. It’s amazing that they’re
still here like this. And then there’s that railway bridge. That place
also has a lot of history. Towards the direction we’re looking now. There’s a copper refinery. Or at least, it used to be here. And the river flowing below us now is the Mataki
River, I believe. This is the Mataki River, which is said to be the
source of the Watarase River. And now, this abandoned railway track Crosses the river and goes to the other side. That’s where it goes. It’s a dead end, though. Up to here. Is this it? Wow! You can see it from the side. Wow, that’s amazing. Inside this fence are the mine facilities. No entry for the general public. Oh, wow. But isn’t that bridge over there new? This pedestrian one. That railway bridge over there has a very old,
historical feel to it, but This, The one we have in front of us now feels new. But that stone part of the foundation, Looking at that, it seems a bit old. The one we can see in front of us now that people
walk across, Is that the Mato Bridge, perhaps? Mato Bridge at Mato Station. Oh, that’s right, this is it. Oh, no, it was the site of the power plant. Uh, You know, around here, Um, Money was found, right? Like Wado Kaichin or something, Something That’s right, Were you looking to the right over there? Something was there, right? This Ashi, Isn’t that it? Or is it different? This, well, You know, I’ve seen it before. This Kanei Tsuho coin was made at the Ashio
Copper Mine. The old, uh, What do you call it, Like, small change, A typical one made in the Edo period, this one. It’s money. Coin, coin. So this is it, the site of the Mato Hydroelectric
Power Plant. Until then, was the power source for the copper
mine firewood or charcoal? Wasn’t it Siemens from Germany? Huh. It says Siemens from Germany here. Of the Siemens Electric Machinery
Manufacturing Company, Recommended by engineer Hermann Kessler, They ventured into hydroelectric power for the
first time. In December of Meiji 23, They completed the power plant, the
hydroelectric power plant. This hydroelectric power plant was the first in
Japan. It’s the first hydroelectric power plant in
Japan. This current Mataki River. Upstream. This was the site of Japan’s first
hydroelectric power plant. And here we have the Mato Hydroelectric Power
Plant Site Observatory. According to the detailed guide, Oh, there’s something over there. Hey, isn’t that amazing? Around here, that amazing thing must be it, right? The power plant, it said earlier, it said so. It
definitely says it’s in the riverbed. Using this elevation, I see. Amazing. But Siemens, Was also involved in hydroelectric power, huh. You know a lot! You really know a lot. As we walk around, There’s so much information. Like that walking tour we did earlier, The tourism… Tells you what’s up ahead. There are quite a few maps and things like that. There are all sorts of spots to see as you walk
around. It’s interesting to see all the different
things. This is Kami-Mato. Amazing, back in the day. This area is a road now, right? It’s downtown! Kami-Mato downtown. It’s from 1916. The population at its peak in Taisho 5 (1916) was 38,428 people, second only to Utsunomiya City. It was expected to become a city, but Well, it never happened. So, what is Futomono, anyway? What could Futomono be? Could it be that? Kimono… Like a roll of fabric? Yeah, that’s right. It’s a general term for silk fabrics and fabrics
for Japanese clothing. Futomono is at a manju shop! But besides manju, they also have other sweets. Hmm, the transport company… wait, let me see. Because, you see, the rickshaw parking is here
because there’s transport here. They probably parked them here, since it’s here. If you go from Kami-Mato towards the refinery
upstream, You’ll see the mining company housing with its
characteristic blue roof on the left. You’ll see the Minami-hashi district. This post-shaped postcard… I think most post offices have them. It has the name of the post office on it. This post-shaped postcard. I bought it for 189 yen. Ashio. Whoa, this place! It’s so high! Be careful. It’s a whoa-inducing height. Ohohohoho. Scary. Amazing. Hey, it’s the site of the Ashio Copper Mine School. There’s a semaphore signal. I was surprised. For a second, I thought it was a red
flag. Isn’t that a semaphore signal? Over there. Today I’m glad I wore my glasses. I can see so well. Minami Bridge, wait, that’s not right. It is Minami
Bridge. It’s Minami Bridge. During the Edo period, Minami Bridge was a
passage to Honzan, where copper ore was
discovered, but After that, since there was only a small bridge
over the Mataki River, the Chokuri Bridge was
built upstream. But it burned down. After that, one of Japan’s first Eh, one of Japan’s first It’s a road iron bridge. Furukawa Bridge. Huh. And downstream is this Minami Bridge. Wow, there are eight company housing buildings.
This, this is company housing. This is the company
housing that was mentioned in the explanation
earlier. This is it. I see, I see. This is it. The one with the blue roof. Indeed,
indeed. I can’t really see it, but This top part now, This is the railway track. The abandoned railway track. It keeps going and going, still connecting to the
right. Isn’t that what we saw earlier? Yeah, Doesn’t it connect to that signal? Wow! It’s still there! Wow, and it’s made of stone. The bridge pier. Okay, we can see it over there. That upper part, it’s
on top. With the railway track. It’s on top. Amazing. Isn’t it beautiful? That. Reddish. Semaphore. If we get a little closer. There’s quite a lot of grass. It’s growing so well. Oh, wow. A tunnel. At the tunnel. There’s a signal. Amazing. It’s made of brick. They must have thought, ‘We definitely need a
tunnel here,’ and dug one. And we’ll go inside the tunnel. We’re exiting the tunnel. There’s no signal on
this side? Oh, there’s the exit. Over there. Can’t we see it up close over there? So, that place is. Isn’t that a refinery? A copper. Isn’t it? Maybe. I think there’s probably a sign. If that’s the case. Look, because the railway track connects to that
place. Wasn’t that a station? Ah. We can go underneath. Oh, something’s written there. Degawa Bridge… Degawa Bridge? It’s the Degawa Bridge. That was Ashio Station. Ashio Liaison Office. So that’s Ashio Station. Amazing! I still think this used to be a refinery, right? It’s really big. Um, So, should we go around this area? What year? What year is it? About this… Oh, this side too. Amazing. Is there something there? Oh, you’re right. That spot up there. Isn’t that a platform? I knew it. Well, not really a platform, but… It’s a station. So, now, up ahead… All around. Going around this way. I thought we could go, but… We had to turn back because it was blocked off. This is the Minami Bridge. Where we walked earlier. Let’s head further towards the refinery again. This time, I’d like to go straight down this main
street. Wow, wow, wow, wow, we’ve come all this way. From here, isn’t it… Isn’t it considered mountain climbing from
here? You need to submit a mountain climbing card. Furukawa Bridge, to prevent accidents or
getting lost. Furukawa Bridge is an extremely valuable
bridge that still exists on site as a road iron
bridge constructed by the mid-Meiji period. It is a proud industrial heritage of the Ashio
Copper Mine. Originally, At Ashio Copper Mine in 1885, the predecessor of
Furukawa Bridge was a wooden… It was written about earlier. Chokuri Bridge? was built, but it was destroyed in a major fire in
April of the same year, so an iron bridge was… That’s when they finally decided to make it an
iron bridge. Because the wooden one burned down in a fire. The following year, the first practical
electric railway line in Japan was built on the
bridge. They say they laid a single track. On this? The first in Japan. Electric railway. Train tracks. Also as a railway bridge. That’s… Look over there. It looks like it was for cargo… Or rather, a station for cargo… A yard, maybe? That looks like a large chimney. I think it was on a map or something. Isn’t it? It’s still there. Amazing! Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Like… No, Plus, Like this… They’re trying to preserve it properly. Putting up fences and stuff. Some of it is being preserved, It’s really… Just as it is… On the contrary, they haven’t done anything to it. They’re leaving it like that. Well, maybe… Maybe it’s being managed in various ways. It’s amazing. There’s a rail! You’re right. There’s a rail. So this is… Does that mean there are overhead wires too? Is this an overhead wire? Isn’t it? Like earlier, the view from up there, The one I saw when I went to the other side once, Right, that railway track connected to the
refinery, This used to be an arch, huh? Now only the lower rail part remains, but, It used to be like this arch. Not at all, when you look at it now, it’s really a
lush green mountain, but there’s nothing at all
in this era. Simply, it was operating normally as a copper
mine, and also, Well, at least from this factory, I wonder if there was also pollution from the
smoke and such. Furukawa Bridge. Crossing Furukawa Bridge, here, that railroad
from earlier, the remaining abandoned line, it’s still like this now, right? These three, these tanks, it says 1, 2, 3, but these, Right, you can see them over there. Amazing. And
look around here. Around here, right? Yeah. Even now, There are quite a few buildings, but, Still, this feeling of liveliness. So, So, today, Here in Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture, around
the Ashio Copper Mine of Watarase Keikoku
Railway, The former Ashio Line, The abandoned railway of the former Ashio
Railway, I tried walking around it. I tried walking around the abandoned railway,
and as I said earlier, Yes, I can really feel the history of this Ashio
Copper Mine, even while walking. With the panels and the actual buildings that
remain, I can see the state of things back then, I was able to learn a lot about various things, and
it was very educational. As for the railway, it’s the first electric
railway that was put to practical use in Japan. A single track is on this bridge. Like the electric railway was built on top of
Furukawa Bridge. And also, over there… Private railway line, Speaking of freight lines, There are still various semaphore signals left, And also, my favorite railroad crossings are
still there. It was a very fun abandoned railway to walk
around. So, We’ve seen various abandoned railways near the
Ashio Copper Mine. Thank you very much.
いまも踏切が残っています。活気に溢れていた頃の様子が所々に残っています。
この動画は保護者の方がこの施設に行く際、または商品を買う際の参考になるように作っています。
13歳以下の方がご視聴される際は保護者の方とご一緒にご覧ください。
This video is for adults to refer to when going to this institution and purchasing products.
If you are 13 or younger, please watch it with your parents.
鈴川絢子：千葉県出身。主に鉄道が好きです。乗り物全般、旅行が好きです。
家族との動画など色々あげています。鈴川の家族ビデオブログと思ってください。
宜しくお願い致します。
◆現在連載中
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東京都新宿区新宿5-18-21
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鈴川絢子宛て
※ナマモノ（飲食物・生物・植物など）や危険物等はお受取出来かねます。
I’m Suzukawa Ayako.
I’m from Chiba prefecture in Japan.
I am giving various videos with my interests, videos with my son, mainly on railway related.I post family video.
It is loose feeling, but thank you.
My published book, “A Little More Iron.”
second book,”Tokyo railway
walk”
Ayako Suzukawa’s Game ch
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