In Japan, these days, social demand for the preservation and conservation of station buildings is growing. There are even examples of entire railway lines being registered as a network of cultural properties that includes station buildings and other related facilities as well, an approach that applies to advantage the character of a railway line. Meanwhile, registering station buildings as tangible cultural properties is also viewed as a regional opportunity. Expectations are high that more of these station buildings able to become symbols and tourism resources that contribute to regional activation will be preserved and conserved, for the sake of Japan’s regional vitalization, hereafter.

 Amid this social environment, this study specifically examines station buildings registered as tangible cultural properties throughout Japan. By looking at both station buildings still operating as stations and former station buildings which have been given new roles, it endeavors to clarify their architectural concepts when first built and their current conditions, and to contribute thereby to the preservation and conservation of station buildings in our country.

 This paper (2) focuses on 16 former station buildings no longer in service among the station buildings registered as tangible cultural properties. It analyzes each station’s historical transitions, architectural concept, its state of preservation and state of reuse. On this basis, it examines them in comparative verification in terms of station, station building, and related facilities.

 If we look at the state of the stations, they can be divided in two categories, stations still in service, though the former station buildings have been retired, and stations totally closed down. Moreover, the state of the former station buildings varies considerably. Some are preserved at the same location and others are preserved by transporting them whole to, or reassembling them at, a different location. Among the stations closed and no longer in service, moreover, there are station buildings preserved by transporting them whole to a different location. Their methods of reuse at present also vary but there are relatively many cases of them being converted to exhibiting facilities, restaurants and meeting halls.

 What is important, when thinking about the preservation and reuse of former station buildings, is enabling people to imagine the station building when it was still in use. This is achieved by preserving not only the original building’s exterior appearance but also the waiting room decor and components of the ticket windows and wickets, and moreover the platform and other exterior facilities.

 It is hoped this study will become a guidepost for considering the preservation and reuse of former station buildings no longer in service, hereafter.

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 In Japan, these days, social demand for the preservation and reuse of station buildings is growing. There are even examples of entire railway lines being registered as a network of cultural properties that includes station buildings and other related facilities as well, an approach that applies to advantage the character of a railway line. Meanwhile, registering station buildings as tangible cultural properties is also viewed as a regional opportunity. Expectations are high that more of these station buildings able to become symbols and tourism resources that contribute to regional activation will be preserved and conserved, for the sake of Japan's regional vitalization, hereafter.
 Amid this social environment, this study specifically examines station buildings registered as tangible cultural properties throughout Japan. By looking at both station buildings still operating as stations and former stations which have been given new roles, it endeavors to clarify the architectural concepts of the stations when first built and their current conditions, and to contribute thereby to the preservation and reuse of stations in our country. This paper (1) reveals the current situation of railway stations registered as tangible cultural properties and studies the preservation and conservation of stations in the context of the entire railway line.
 First, I make clear the present overall picture of nationwide station buildings registered as tangible cultural properties—60 still in operation as stations and 16 closed and being used in new ways. I present an analysis of their locations and regions, structures and scale, and trends in criterion being taken as standards for registering operating station buildings and former station buildings, respectively.
 Next, based on the field survey we conducted of 20 tangible cultural property station buildings on three railways registered in entirety as networks of cultural properties (stations and related facilities)—Watarase Keikoku Railway (38 sites), Tenryu Hamanako Railway (36 sites), and Wakasa Railway (23 sites)—I outline our information on the current status of each station building’s preservation or conservation, and examine the characteristic features of each railway line.
 Finally, I undertake comparative verification of the three railway lines and their tangible cultural property station buildings and reveal elements common to all three. The three railways all have base stations with head offices attached and facilities necessary for railway operation in the surrounding area. All are also single-story wooden buildings built before World War II. Then, all the station buildings, except Oomama station on the Watarase Keikoku Railway, basically remain in the form in which they were originally built. Moreover, the platforms of all the stations on the Watarase Keikoku Railway and Wakasa Railway are separately registered as tangible cultural properties, a fact that made me realize the importance of preserving facilities besides station buildings.
 In terms of other functions currently established in the station buildings, some spaces in stations on the Tenryu Hamanako Railway and Wakasa Railway are actively employed as shops. Most display a plate that reads “Tangible Cultural Property,” a device I feel to be quite effective in the preservation and conservation of the buildings.
 It is hoped this study will become a guidepost for considering the registration of existing station buildings as tangible cultural properties for preservation and conservation in the future.

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4年間にわたる「『人口減少×新幹線』社会の再デザイン」プロジェクトの結果を報告するフォーラムを開催した．JR津軽線の利用状況と存廃の議論，青森県内各地の移住・定住施策，山形県の仕事・移住に関するプロモーション活動，金沢大学と信州大学の留学生地元就職プログラム，さらに函館市の人口動向などがテーマとなった．東北新幹線開業から20周年を迎えた八戸市に関する検討も行われた．

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