Same Week, Three News Stories

Last week, three significant news stories related to transportation and tourism in the Hiroshima and Yamaguchi areas emerged almost simultaneously.

• JR West Japan announced that the number of unmanned stations it has converted in Hiroshima and Yamaguchi prefectures has reached 30.
• The entrance fee for Kintai Bridge in Iwakuni City has been revised from 310 yen to 500 yen starting in September.
• The renovation of the plaza in front of JR Shin-Iwakuni Station has been postponed to the end of November due to delays in material procurement.

Each of these developments has its own context: issues related to cost structures, rising maintenance expenses, and material shortages — all of which are pressing decisions for the parties involved. However, when viewed together, a certain outline emerges: while there is a call for visitors to come, the entry points for those visitors are simultaneously narrowing — this is the structure at play.

In the same week, a conference of city mayors from the four Setouchi prefectures confirmed the need to strengthen “secondary transportation.” There is a noticeable gap between the call for action and the reality on the ground.

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What Disappears with the Increase of Unmanned Stations?

First, let’s clarify the situation regarding the increase of 30 unmanned JR stations.

An unmanned station is one without a station attendant. Ticket vending machines and IC card readers remain, but ticket counters are eliminated. JR West Japan is pursuing this policy as part of a broader effort to enhance overall operational efficiency, and the number of unmanned stations has expanded in Hiroshima and Yamaguchi over the past three years.

While the number “30 stations” may seem straightforward, the real issue lies in what has been lost at those 30 stations.

With the absence of station staff, the information function disappears. Assistance with transfers, responses during delays, and support for boarding and alighting with wheelchairs or strollers — these are all functions that relied on having people present. For locals familiar with the routes, the absence of staff may not be a concern, but for first-time visitors, an unmanned ticket gate can feel a bit daunting. This is especially true for foreign tourists, as the lack of a language-speaking counter directly heightens their anxiety about traveling.

Another often-overlooked aspect is the role of the station as the “face of the community.” When there are people at the station, local brochures are available, and visitors can receive recommendations like, “That restaurant over there is delicious.” These small interactions have supported tourist satisfaction. The move to unmanned stations not only cuts costs but also relinquishes the first point of contact that connects the community with visitors.

There is a rationality to JR West Japan’s decision from a business perspective. Continuing to incur personnel costs at stations with daily passenger numbers in the dozens is not sustainable for a private company. However, whether this rationality aligns with the goal of “attracting visitors to the region” is a separate question.

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Kintai Bridge Fee Increase to 500 Yen — The Cost of Maintenance vs. The Cost of Visiting

Next, let’s discuss the revision of the entrance fee for Kintai Bridge.

Kintai Bridge is a representative tourist resource of Iwakuni City, and its structural beauty as a wooden arch bridge is highly regarded both domestically and internationally. The entrance fee has been raised from 310 yen to 500 yen, marking an increase of approximately 61%.

The background of this revision lies in the high maintenance costs associated with the wooden bridge. Regular replacements and repairs are essential, and the rising prices of timber and the difficulty in securing skilled craftsmen have increasingly weighed on the project. The fee increase is a decision made to “preserve the bridge,” and its urgency is understandable.

However, from the perspective of tourists, the situation looks a bit different.

To visit Kintai Bridge, many tourists typically take a bus from Iwakuni Station or a taxi from Shin-Iwakuni Station. Access via public transportation is not particularly convenient, and both time and costs are incurred just for travel. With the entrance fee now at 500 yen, the threshold for a casual visit has been raised. For a family of four, crossing the bridge alone costs 2,000 yen — when combined with transportation costs, it becomes a significant expense for a half-day trip.

The key point is not whether the fee increase itself is justified. What matters is whether there is an experience design in place that makes visitors still want to come despite the increase. What awaits beyond the bridge? Are there mechanisms to extend visitors’ stay? Is there collaboration with nearby dining and local products? If fees are raised, it is essential to simultaneously design a “rich experience” that justifies the cost; otherwise, the numbers will only run ahead.

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Further Delay in Renovation of Shin-Iwakuni Station — Waiting for Guests While the Entrance Remains Closed

The third issue is the further delay in the renovation of the plaza in front of Shin-Iwakuni Station.

Shin-Iwakuni Station is a stop on the Sanyo Shinkansen and serves as the “gateway” to the Iwakuni area. The plaza renovation project includes the reorganization of the rotary, improvements for barrier-free access, and enhancements to information functions, all considered essential groundwork for accommodating tourists.

However, due to delays in material procurement, the construction timeline has been postponed to the end of November. As indicated by the term “further” delay, this is not the first postponement.

Tourists arriving by Shinkansen are greeted first by a construction site in front of the station — a situation that has persisted for some time. First impressions set the expectations for the area. A scene under construction can be interpreted as “things will improve soon,” but repeated delays can shift that perception to “nothing ever changes.”

Here, too, a structural problem is evident. The plaza renovation is a project of Iwakuni City, but the station’s operation is managed by JR West Japan, bus routes are operated by private companies, and tourism policies are handled by the tourism departments of the prefecture and city — the players involved are fragmented. To prepare a single “gateway,” multiple entities must align their efforts. While the cause of the delay is a material issue, the impact is exacerbated by this dispersed structure.

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The Distance Between Words and Reality in the Same Week’s “Strengthening Secondary Transportation”

In the same week as these three news stories, a conference of city mayors from the four Setouchi prefectures (Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Okayama, and Ehime) was held, confirming the need to strengthen “secondary transportation” to attract foreign tourists visiting Japan.

Secondary transportation refers to the means of transport that move from major hubs like airports and Shinkansen stations to tourist destinations and accommodations. This includes buses, taxis, rental cars, and ferries. This segment, often referred to as the “last mile,” is a crucial factor that influences tourist satisfaction and length of stay.

The direction discussed in the conference is indeed correct. However, when juxtaposed with the reality of increased unmanned stations, delayed station renovations, and rising bridge fees, it becomes clear that there is a distance between words and the ground reality.

When we say we will “strengthen secondary transportation,” specifically whose travel are we making easier, and how? There are multiple stages before the conference’s resolutions reach the on-the-ground systems. Often, a cycle emerges where the next meeting is held while some stage of that process remains stagnant — a recurring theme in local transportation and tourism policies.

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Who Benefits from This Structure?

What emerges from examining these three events is not so much a “contradiction” but rather a structure where the directions for optimization are disparate.

JR is optimizing its operational efficiency by increasing unmanned stations. Iwakuni City is optimizing maintenance costs by raising the entrance fee. Construction is delayed due to the material market’s circumstances. Each decision is rational from its respective standpoint. However, there is no optimization that starts from the perspective of “people visiting this region.”

This is not an issue limited to Hiroshima and Yamaguchi. It reflects a structural challenge faced by tourist destinations across Japan. Transportation operators, local governments, tourism associations, and private facilities — each is doing its best in its own domain, yet when viewed as a whole, a paradox arises: “it is becoming inconvenient for those who come.”

The key to solving this lies not in someone simply trying harder. It is about creating a system where the flow of visitors is viewed as a single line, and everyone along that line shares the same map. From the moment they disembark from the Shinkansen, take a bus, cross the bridge, have a meal, buy souvenirs, and head home — whether that entire experience can be shared as a single blueprint is crucial.

Whether the “strengthening of secondary transportation” discussed at the Setouchi four-prefecture mayors’ conference ends up as mere words in the conference room or transforms into an on-the-ground system is likely determined not at the next meeting, but at the next station, the next bus route, or the next information board.

When the design of those small points of contact changes — that is when the words “we want you to come” will finally resonate with warmth.