Hikyō station

A hikyō station (秘境駅, hikyō eki), or "secluded station", is the Japanese language name for railway stations that are little used and isolated. Photographers and rail fans visit the stations to take photos of historical stations and trains or photos of nature.

The Japanese term was invented by Takanobu Ushiyama and his friends when he began a website in 1999 dedicated to these stations. He subsequently wrote two books: Hikyo-eki e Iko! ("Let's Go to Hikyō Stations!"), published by Shogakukan Inc. in 2001 and Motto Hikyo-eki e Iko! ("Let's Go to More Hikyō Stations!"), published in 2003. The term is now also used in other countries like Taiwan, especially among train fans.