The stairway to "Heaven's Station" is a hell of a climb

suzugamine_mama

Nicknamed "Heaven's Station," Uzui Station's platform is a 30 meter climb up 10 flights of stairs, making it the tallest in Japan. Located in Ōnan, Shimane Prefecture, the second least populated prefecture in the country, Uzui Station currently gets less than one passenger a day on average, down from its peak of 4 in 2003. The rural station has no lifts or escalators and no vending machines to replenish your fluids after your agonising ascent. There is, however, a single bench upon which to rest as you wait... and wait... and wait... for one of the four daily services to pick you up.

All aboard the Evangelion Shinkansen

From this Autumn, to commemorate both the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Sanyō Shinkansen line and the 20th anniversary of Evangelion's first television broadcast, Hideaki Anno has teamed up with mechanical designer Ikuto Yamashita to design the "500 Type Eva" shinkansen for JR West.