What other travelers are saying about Former Tsuruga Port Station Lamp Hut
One of the oldest railway buildings
I went there in early August 2024 while exploring Tsuruga.
The information board reads
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Old Tsuruga Port Station Lamp Shed
(Kanagasaki Station Lamp Shed)
This building was completed in November 1882, when the railway was laid between Tsuruga and Nagahama, and is one of the oldest railway buildings in Japan, along with the old Nagahama Station building.
The building was donated to Tsuruga City by the Japan Freight Railway Company on February 5, 2014, and restoration work was carried out in 2014 and 2015, including restoring the roof to tiles and repairing the joints.
There are two rooms in the building, which display panels related to the lamp shed and a restored interior of the lamp shed at the time the railway opened.
Opening hours
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
However, it is closed every Wednesday and during the New Year holidays.
Admission fee
Free
*Opening may be suspended in the event of bad weather.
March 1, 2023
Tsuruga City Board of Education
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The well-maintained building gave a sense of what it was like back then, and there were also information boards related to the use of lamps, which helped me to gain a deeper understanding.
It is rare to see a lamp shed that you can enter inside a building. This place is unmanned and open for free during the day, so you can open the door yourself and enter freely. It has two doors and two rooms, one of which shows the real scene of a lamp shed at that time, and the other is an exhibition space. It is said that the lights of the early railways were all oil-fired, not electric like today. I see, it is certainly true that in the Meiji period when electricity was not yet widespread. If you look closely, the lamp light is unique and flickers back and forth like a candle. I happened to be alone, so I lost track of time for a while and was mesmerized by the charming lights.
In the exhibition space next door, there is an explanation of the lamp shed, and there are old drawings and photos. There is a lamp shed in the photo, which is interesting.
Incidentally, although this place is a railway-related facility in Tsuruga, it is a little far from the Tsuruga Railway Museum. It is located around the back of the Red Brick Warehouse, a tourist facility that stands out in the area. Or the Kanagasaki Park No. 2 Parking Lot. In other words, it is located at the entrance to Kanagasaki Castle. If you mainly walk around the port area, it may be a little far away and difficult to find, but it is a historically interesting spot, so it is worth stopping by during your stroll.
Just for your reference.
On the way to Kanazaki Shrine, I was curious and decided to take a look. I was able to experience the wisdom of the ancients. At the same time, I felt that this method would lead to misunderstandings.
Visited in January 2023. Before the widespread use of electricity, there was a time when oil-fueled lamps were used to indicate train movements with color patterns, and lamp huts were apparently found all over the place at the time.
Only a handful remain, and although they have great historical value, they are rather plain and not the kind of thing that would get children excited when they see them.
However, for old guys like me, it's quite appealing, and if I ever go to Tsuruga again, I'd like to stop by.
Kanegasaki Station Lamp Hut
It's located next to the Kanegasaki Park parking lot, next to the tracks of the former Tsuruga Port Line.
The hut is located on the left side, slightly lower than the road leading to Kanazaki Shrine, and tourists are likely to overlook it, preoccupied with the sights to the right (Kinzenji Temple and Basho's Bell Tomb).
Completed in 1882 (Meiji 15), the lamp hut is said to be one of Japan's oldest railway structures.
Donated to Tsuruga City by JR Freight in 2014, it has been restored and is open to the public for free.
Though small in scale, the hut is home to lamps used at the time, as well as drums, oil cans, and photographs of Tsuruga Port, making it an interesting spot even for non-train buffs.
The Former Tsuruga Port Station Lamp Hut is a historic railway structure located in Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. This preserved lamp storage building was part of the original Tsuruga Port Station complex and served as storage for railway signal lamps during the Meiji and Taisho periods.
The Former Tsuruga Port Station Lamp Hut is typically open for viewing during daylight hours as an outdoor heritage site. There is no admission fee to view this historic railway building. However, access may be restricted during maintenance periods or special events.
To reach the Former Tsuruga Port Station Lamp Hut, take the JR Hokuriku Line to Tsuruga Station. From Tsuruga Station, it's approximately a 10-15 minute walk to the historic lamp hut site near the port area. Local buses also connect Tsuruga Station to the port district.
The Former Tsuruga Port Station Lamp Hut represents an important piece of Japan's railway heritage from the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was part of the critical Tsuruga Port Station complex that connected railway transportation with maritime shipping routes, serving as a gateway between Japan's main islands and Hokkaido before modern ferry systems.
Near the Former Tsuruga Port Station Lamp Hut, visitors can explore Tsuruga Port, the Tsuruga Railway Museum, Kehi Jingu Shrine, and the Tsuruga Red Brick Warehouse. The historic Kanegasaki area offers scenic waterfront views and additional railway heritage sites within walking distance of the lamp hut.
