KANNOURA STATION (TOYOCHO, KOCHI PREFECTURE)

Hamlet reborn as divers' spot

Photos by Yomiuri Shimbun Photographer Toshiaki Shimizu

By Hajime Someya

Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

Despite its being only 8.5 kilometers long, 17 tunnels are scattered along the Asakaigan Railway line.

Whenever a train emerges from one of them, the sea can be seen from a train window.

By the time my train arrived at the Kannoura Station terminus in Toyocho, Kochi Prefecture, my eyes were tired from continually adjusting to the darkness of the tunnels and brightness outside.

The small station is located close to the Kochi-Tokushima prefectural border.

The chirping of insects, the smell of summer grasses and the sound of waves welcome dismounting passengers, and sunlight bathes the seaside village.

Nobuhiro Fukui, 42, who runs a diving supplies store in Toyocho, was born and raised in the village. Like other young people, he left for the big city to find work.

"There was nothing in the village. We couldn't imagine that marine sports would become popular here," he said.

He became a scuba-diving enthusiast after starting to work in the Kansai region. When Fukui returned to his hometown, he realized that the sea there was perfect for marine sports.

He quit his job 11 years ago and returned home, opening the diving supplies store in the village.

Since then, the sea close to Kannoura has become popular with scuba divers.

The village's natural charm appeals to everyone, and even young windsurfers carrying the latest mobile phones seem at one with the surrounding landscape.

In the summer, the train is fitted out with a Japanese-style interior. Curtains are replaced with reed blinds, and morning glories are placed throughout the carriages.

Completing the summer scene, wind bells hang from the ceiling, chiming whenever the train goes into a bend.