Destination nowhere: A mysterious train station teaches you to slow down
There’s actually a station in Japan that’s built in the middle of nowhere; there’s nothing on it and you can’t go anywhere. What would it be like to visit?
Imagine you’re on a train in Japan, passing through a beautiful forest, with lush green mountains on one side and a gently flowing river on the other.
Suddenly the train slows down and comes to a halt, in the middle of nowhere.
Intrigued, you get down at the station, named Seiryu-Miharashi—literally “river viewing platform”. The train leaves.
You look around. It’s a ghost station: no gates, no shops, nowhere to go.
The mist washes over you. The river babbles on its merry way. The mountainous landscape towers all around, a tiny reminder of your scale in existence.
You sit and admire the view, and listen to the birdsong. There’s nothing else to do.
From nowhere, you are gradually transported to “now, here”.
You drink in the pristine beauty of nature, and it melts your cares away.
You breathe deeper, slower, and gently sink into meditative bliss.
You’ve glimpsed another way to live, and you regret you soon have to leave.
In some time, the whistle of the next train breaks your reverie.
You’re refreshed, and it’s time to go.
You look out fondly as the train moves away …
… knowing that while you may leave Seiryu-Miharashi, the mysterious station in the middle of nowhere will always live within you.
And even if you never pass this way again, that secret glimpse into “now, here” will be with you forever.
Photo: ダイヤモンドライフ YouTube Channel