Oto Town

A never-opened section's bridge remains

Hikosan Bridge, Yusubaru Line

Photo by Muyo (CC BY-SA 3.0)

01 ／ Soeda Line Station Sites

At the Ōtō Station site, where the Yusubaru Line was to pass,signals and rails now stand among the play equipment.

The Soeda Line (添田線) closed in March 1985. The Ōtō Station site became the Traffic Park in 1988, with signals and rails used at the time placed among the play equipment. The former line is now the Ōtō Chūō road, fully open since 1997. The photo shows the Imato Station site.

Soeda Line closed: March 1985
Traffic Park completed: March 1988
Ōtō Chūō road (former Soeda Line) fully open: May 1997

02 ／ The Shijimi (Freshwater Clam) Protection Ordinance

Taking the clams of the Hikosan River basinis prohibited by ordinance.

The Ōtō Town Shijimi Nurture and Protection Ordinance, enacted on December 22, 1995, designates the Hikosan River basin within the town as a protected area and provides that no one may take shijimi there, except where the mayor deems it especially necessary. The town regards shijimi as a symbol of environmental protection and town revitalization.

1995 Ordinance No. 161
Protected area: the Hikosan River basin in the town
Exception: where the mayor deems it especially necessary

03 ／ The Daigyōji Stone Weir and Nōno Naoshichi

A weir built of only stone and tataki mortarserved for over a century through repeated repairs.

The Daigyōji stone weir, which channels water from the Hikosan River to the fields, was begun in the 4th year of Keiō (1868) and completed in the early Meiji era. Nōno Naoshichi (南野直七), the village headman, led the work in person, overcoming political unrest and lack of funds, the town records. It served for over a century with partial repairs, and is now covered in concrete.

Begun in 1868 (Keiō 4)
Built using only stone and tataki (lime-and-earth mortar)
Led by headman Nōno Naoshichi

Living here

The Hikosan River flowsnorth to south through the town's center.

about 5,000 people
Rural district town

A town of 14.26 km² in northeastern Fukuoka, near the center of Tagawa District. It lies in the Tagawa Basin, through which the Hikosan River flows, ringed by hills. There is no railway station in the town; the town's community bus "Hana to Shijimi no Sato" (free) runs from JR Tagawa-Ita Station to Yakuba-guchi in 13 minutes.

People living here: 5,008people
Area: 14.26km²
Households: 2,040households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 0 hospitals ／ 6 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —3 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Oto Town in Japan33.612°N 130.854°E

to Tagawa-ItaLocal bus13min

Travel times follow 大任町社会福祉協議会（コミュニティバスの運行主体）の時刻表『コミュニティバス（狐塚伊田間）』（令和6年3月27日作成のPDF）。復路（伊田駅→狐塚）：伊田駅 6:58→役場口 7:11、7:44→7:57、8:35→8:48、9:11→9:24、10:02→10:15、10:38→10:51、11:32→11:45、13:41→13:54、15:18→15:31、16:07→16:20、16:58→17:11、17:48→18:01、18:38→18:51、19:26→19:39。往路（狐塚→伊田駅）：役場口 6:29→伊田駅 6:42、7:15→7:28、7:56→8:09、8:42→8:55 ほか。全便とも伊田駅〜役場口は13分（海洋センターは伊田駅から12分） (checked 2026-09-30). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 5 municipalities.

Territory of Oto Town

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

7.2km

赤村, 田川市, 添田町, 川崎町, 香春町

Oto Town isthis kind of town.

01The Hikosan Bridge in Ōtō is a bridge of the Yusubaru Line (tentative name) planned by Japanese National Railways, completed in 1967. In the town's section the line never opened, and the bridge still stands in the river.
02The site of Ōtō Station on the Soeda Line, closed in 1985, is now a Traffic Park. The town treats the Hikosan River's shijimi as a symbol of environmental protection and town revitalization, and a 1995 ordinance prohibits taking them in the river basin within the town (except where the mayor deems it especially necessary).
03The Daigyōji stone weir was completed in the early Meiji era under the direction of village headman Nōno Naoshichi. The town also has a prefecturally designated natural monument, an ichii-gashi oak at Sugawara Shrine, and the Kentokuji Tumulus, now a park.

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Oto Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗