Film
POPPOYA -RAILROAD MAN- (Tetsudoin (Poppoya))
Northern Hokkaido area
A film adaptation of a short story by Jiro Asada, who won the Akutagawa Prize, one of Japan's most prestigious literary awards. Ken Takakura plays Otomatsu Sato, a railroad worker at an end-of-the-line station in northern Hokkaido who is earnest to the point of awkwardness. The film was also acclaimed for its colorful cast of supporting characters played by actors such as Shinobu Otake, Ken Shimura, Nenji Kobayashi, and Ryoko Hirosue in a breakout role. Ikutora Station in Minamifurano Town, on the JR Nemuro Main Line, appears in the film as Horomai Station, a station at the end of a local line that is about to be closed down. Sadly, life imitated art and Ikutora Station itself was closed at the end of March 2024.
©︎ 1999, POPPOYA -RAILROAD MAN- Production Committee
- Year released
- 1999
- Starring
- Ken Takakura, Shinobu Otake, Ryoko Hirosue, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Nenji Kobayashi, etc.
- Director
- Yasuo Furuhata
- Screenwriter
- Yoshiki Iwama, Yasuo Furuhata
- Distributor
- TOEI
STAMP SPOT!
Ikutora Station
Ikutora Station appears in the film as Horomai Station, an end-of-the-line station that is about to be closed. Although Ikutora Station itself is now closed, memorabilia such as costumes, stills from the movie, and photos remain in the station, and the station continues to draw fans. Outside the wooden building with a green tin roof, props such as the KiHa 40 series diesel train (the Poppoya train) and the red mailbox still stand, preserving the world in the film. Inside you'll see film sets, the original author’s autograph, photos, and more.
- Address
- Ikutora, Minamifurano Town, Hokkaido 079-2400
- Phone
- 0167-52-2178 (Industries Section, Minamifurano Town Office)
- Access
- Around 50 minutes by car from JR Furano Station
- Open hours
- -
- Open period
- -
- Closed
- -
- Admission
- -
- Notes
- -
