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Tottori Station Will (Finally!) Get Automated Ticket Gates in 2025
But did you know the country still has some train stations where you need a physical ticket?
Japan is living in the future. Or so many people who’ve never been to Japan (or have maybe spent five days in the country) say. Truth is, technology in Japan lags in some critical areas.
One of the more charming instances of this is that, while most train ticket gates in Japan are now fully automated, a few still require buying a paper ticket and handing it to a station employee. Now, local media reports that one such station — Tottori Station in (sensibly enough) Tottori, Tottori Prefecture — will finally catch up with the rest of the country next spring.
Tottori is in western Japan, which puts Tottori Station under the management of JR West. The station is a stop for the San’in Main Line and the Inbi Line. It’s currently the only station run by JR West where your ICOCA, Suica, PASMO, and other national transportation cards are no good.
The station’s lack of basic 21st-century technology has long been a sticking point for residents. You can find numerous videos on YouTube and TikTok — posted with a sort of “I can’t believe I have to do this” air — showing the uploader handing a paper ticket to a station attendant to board the train.
