[Aomori Prefecture] The station [ART STASION] is immersed in the world of artist GOMA, and the contrast with its exterior is astounding!

In May 2020 (Reiwa 2),
while the world was being tossed about by the coronavirus, art by artist GOMA was displayed inside the Inakadate Station building of the Konan Railway Konan Line.

In this article, we will introduce ART STATION, a train station that was suddenly transformed into art by artist GOMA in 2020 

Konan Railway Konan Line

The Konan Railway Konan Line is the northernmost electrified private railway line on Honshu Island.
Inakadate Station is one of the stations on the Konan Line.
The Konan Line connects Hirosaki Station in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture, to Kuroishi Station in Kuroishi City, Aomori Prefecture, and is affectionately known as the "Rice Paddy Railway."
The two-car local train runs through endless rice paddies, with the wide base of Mount Iwaki visible in the distance.
The line is 16.8 km long (13 stations) and has an average of 5,549 passengers per day (according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's National Land Numerical Information Download Service, published July 25, 2022), and is frequently used by students and the elderly. 

History of the vehicles running on the Konan Railway Konan Line

The trains currently in use are the silver 7000 series, which are one-man operated trains and are Japan's first all-stainless steel trains.
The 7000 series trains that run on the Konan Line were originally used on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, which opened just before the 1964 Japan Olympics, and entered service on the Konan Line in 1988. These
trains once ran in Tokyo.

The Konan Line opened in 1927, and at the time of its opening, steam locomotives pulled passenger and freight cars.
Electrification was completed in 1948, and the steam locomotives were replaced by electric locomotives, and at the end of 1949, electric trains were introduced.
Freight operations were conducted at stations such as Tsugaru-Onoe Station and Hiraga Station, and apples and rice were transported to various places via the Ou Main Line.
For this reason, agricultural warehouses were located near the stations. Some
agricultural warehouses still remain around Inakadate Station.

Due to the rationalization of the Japanese National Railways, freight operations on the Konan Railway Konan Line were discontinued

Inakadate Station

Inakadate Station can be seen on the right side of Prefectural Road 268, which faces the Inakadate Village Office, when heading towards Kuroishi.
Inakadate Station opened in 1950 (Showa 25).
The station building, constructed more than 70 years ago, is an unmanned station with a retro Showa-era appearance.
When the railway was first built, there were concerns that "building the station in the center of the village would cause young people to go to the city to have fun, which is not good," so it was built in its current location, a little distance from the center.

At the time, the station building housed a small cafe called "Kakurenbo" (Hide-and-Seek) which used the station office.
However, it has since closed down, and the unisex flush toilets have also been removed.

Next to Inakadate Station is "Tanbo Art Station."
From June to October, rice paddy art is displayed, and a free shuttle bus runs from Tanbo Art Station to the venue.

About the artist GOMA

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A post shared by GOMA【Official】(@artistgoma_official)

Are you familiar with artist GOMA?
Artist GOMA was born in 1985 (Showa 60) in Hirosaki City (formerly Soma Village), Aomori Prefecture, and currently resides in Hirakawa City. He is an artist who draws pictures using oil-based pens without any preliminary sketches.
Artist GOMA has two developmental disorders.
One is ADHD, a brain function disorder characterized by a lack of concentration and an inability to sit still.
The other is dyslexia, a learning disorder that makes it difficult to read.
It seems that the way people with dyslexia see letters varies, but for GOMA, letters appear to be broken down into smaller pieces.
He can read letters if he traces them with his finger, but he can't read them if he moves them a little distance away.

GOMA was diagnosed with a developmental disorder when he was in elementary school.
In his teens, he suffered greatly from not being accepted by those around him due to two developmental disorders, and he even lost his will to live.
At one point, GOMA started drawing pictures.
Imaginary cities and other things in his mind.
Drawing calmed him down, and he continued to draw relentlessly.

After graduating from a local junior college, GOMA spent three years working as a nursery school teacher.
Although GOMA enjoys working with children, her desire to study art grew stronger, and in 2010, she enrolled in Akita Public College of Arts and Crafts. Soon
after enrolling, she began to receive more and more art-related work, and in 2011, she received an offer from Miami, USA, and moved there.
After returning to Japan, she was flooded with work requests and established a live art style where she paints on a single sheet of plywood in 20 minutes.

In 2012, the year she graduated from Akita Municipal College of Arts and Crafts, she performed at JAPAN EXPO in Paris, France, and gained popularity among the local audience.
Although she was supposed to perform spray art, due to unforeseen circumstances such as the booth not being prepared, she hastily performed live art using oil-based pens.
This experience led her to expand her activities as an artist who uses oil-based pens, and she is now actively performing both domestically and internationally.

Artist GOMA x Inakadate Station

In 2019, GOMA, wanting to encourage local people during the COVID-19 pandemic, consulted with an employee of the local Konan Railway, whom he had known for some time, about painting art on a train station.
They decided on Inakadate Station, which has a decent amount of space and a parking lot so that it can accommodate tourists, and the project began.

The inside of the station building was painted white, and the entire building was treated as a canvas.
After a period of nine days, the "ART STATION" was born.

From the ceilings and walls to the chairs and trash cans, art fills every nook and cranny.
Stepping inside the station, you are enveloped in the world of artist GOMA.
It's as if you've entered another dimension.
It's a world you wouldn't imagine from its retro Showa-era exterior.

There is a large eyeball on the ceiling! It is meant to be an eye watching over local children and those working in the fields

On the other hand, countless hands and cute flowers are smiling

Numerous buildings and "Gomangelion" instead of Evangelion

Evangelion was the theme for the 2019 rice paddy art project, but it was canceled and never realized.
It is depicted along with GOMA's heartfelt message.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Inakadate Rice Field Art "Evangelion" was cancelled. GOMA, an Evangelion fan, was very saddened. Hoping that the rice field art "Evangelion" will be revived someday, he drew "Gomangelion." He hopes that it will rise again without succumbing to the coronavirus. GOMA, the first person to line up at the Evangelion exhibition held at the To-o Nippo Building from the night before,

*I'm sorry to everyone involved with Evangelion for drawing this without permission!!!

Finally

Inakadate Station [ART STATION] is an ordinary, old, unmanned station located in the countryside, but the inside of the station building is a work of art in itself.
It's amazing that GOMA can create such works without any preliminary sketches.
The real thing is even more impressive than it looks in photos, so why not come and experience art at Inakadate Station?

Inakadate Station <Information>

• Name: Inakadate Station
• Location: Takahi Miyamoto, Inakadate Village, Minamitsugaru District, Aomori Prefecture

Google Map

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