Kitsu-onsen Station (木津温泉駅)
Kitsu-onsen (hot spring) Station, located in Kitsu, Amino-cho, Kyotango City, Kyoto Prefecture, is a stop on the Miyazu Line, which is operated by Kitakinki Tango Railway (KTR).
The pronunciation of '木津' is not 'Kizu' but 'Kitsu.'
Summary
Tango-kitsu Station was its station name in the eras when the station was owned by Japanese National Railways (JNR) or West Japan Railway Company (JR West), but the present station name came to be used when its ownership was transferred to Kitakinki Tango Railway.
In the past, only local trains stopped but the limited (or some of the rapid trains) didn't stop at this station except in the summer sea-bathing season and the winter matsuba-gani (literally pine-needle crab: in fact snow crab) season, but now all trains stop at this station everyday according to the train schedule change implemented on March 18, 2007.
As at Amino Station, the management of the station and ticket-related work are entrusted to officers at the local Amino-cho Tourist Association, making it a station whose simple station jobs are outsourced as at the adjacent Tango-Kanno Station.
Station layout
It is located on the ground level, with a platform serving a track. In the past, inbound trains and outbound trains met here to switch the tracks, but the facilities to enable such a function have been removed. Another platform, which was once used to enable such a track-switching function, remains on the premises. Although reconstructed, the station house is an attractive Japanese-style one.
The construction of a footbath named 'Shirasagi-no-yu' on the platform was completed on April 1, 2007. The warm water of the footbath, usable from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., comes directly from a hot-spring source (so-called "gensen kakenagashi" in Japanese). The footbath can be used free if you have a ticket on the train line, but if you don't have a ticket you must purchase a platform ticket in order to use the footbath.
Station surroundings
An open air bath of Kitsu-onsen Hot Spring
A footbath using warm water from Kitsu-onsen Hot Spring (within the premises of this station)
A small statue of Gyoki (in the premises of this station)
The Hamazume sea-bathing beach (located in Hamazume, about five or six minutes by taxi from this station)
Kitsu-onsen Hot Spring (a walk of one to two minutes from this station)
The Tango Kitsu post office
Kyotango Municipal Tachibana Elementary School
Kyotango Municipal Tachibana Junior High School
Kyotango City Amino Local Museum
National Route 178
Taxis
Nihon Kotsu Co., Ltd. (Fukuchiyama City)
Passenger use
In fiscal year 2006, the average daily number of persons who boarded at this station was 123.
(According to the Kyoto Prefecture Statistics Report)
Many sea-bathing beaches are located along the Miyazu Line, and with Kitsu-onsen Station also located near to the Hamazume sea-bathing beach (five or six minutes by taxi from the station), the limited express trains stop here.
History
May 25, 1931: The Minetoyo Line started operating between Amino and Tango-Kitsu (the present-day Kitsu-onsen).
August 10, 1932: The operation between Tango-Kitsu and Kumihama started, completing the planned construction of the line. The names of Mineyama and Minetoyo lines were changed to Miyazu Line.
April 1, 1987: Due to the division and privatization of Japan National Railways, it became a station of West Japan Railway Company (JR West).
April 1, 1990: The Miyazu Line was transferred to Kitakinki Tango Railway, and it became a station of that railway company. The station name was changed to Kitsu-onsen Station.
Adjacent stations
Kitakinki Tango Railway (KTR)
Miyazu Line
Amino Station - Kitsu-onsen Station - Tango-Kanno Station