Konoha Station

Konoha Station (木葉駅) is a railway station on the Kagoshima Main Line, operated by JR Kyushu in Gyokutō, Kumamoto, Japan.

Lines
The station is served by the Kagoshima Main Line and is located 176.7 km (109.79 mi) from the starting point of the line at Mojiko.

Layout
The station consists of a side and an island platform serving three tracks with a siding. The station building is a wooden structure in traditional Japanese style and serves as a local community interaction space. Access to the island platform is by means of a footbridge. The station is unstaffed by JR Kyushu but some types of tickets are available from a kan'i itaku agent on site who manages the ticket window.

History
The privately run Kyushu Railway had opened a stretch of track between Hakata and the (now closed) Chitosegawa temporary stop on 11 December 1889. After several phases of expansion northwards and southwards, by July 1891, the line stretched from Kurosaki south to Kumamoto. Konoha was opened a few months later, on 1 April 1892, as an additional station on the track between Takase (now Tamana and Kumamoto. When the Kyushu Railway was nationalized on 1 July 1907, Japanese Government Railways (JGR) took over control of the station. On 12 October 1909, the station became part of the Hitoyoshi Main Line and then on 21 November 1909, part of the Kagoshima Main Line. With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR), the successor of JGR, on 1 April 1987, JR Kyushu took over control of the station.

Passenger statistics
In fiscal 2016, the station was used by an average of 375 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), and it ranked 278th among the busiest stations of JR Kyushu.