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It has been almost 10 years since the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, and the hollowing out of the city center is happening in Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture. The area in front of Shin-Takaoka Station has developed, with an Aeon Mall opening, but the area in front of Takaoka Station, which is now a parallel conventional line, has declined. The station has lost its liveliness as it has become a local third-sector station, leading to the closure of department stores. Many shopping districts have also closed, and shuttered streets are noticeable. Meanwhile, the development in front of the Shinkansen station has put Takaoka City in financial difficulty. They have requested that the Kagayaki train stop there, but this has not yet been realized. Connections via the Johana Line are also sluggish. The inconvenience of only one train per hour is affecting this. Many people who use the train from the city center to travel to and from Tokyo on the Hokuriku Shinkansen do not use Shin-Takaoka Station, but rather use the Ainokaze Toyama Railway to Toyama Station. #HokurikuShinkansenReferences・Fukui Shimbun Online, "Shintakaoka and Takaoka, current locations of two stations 1.5km apart. Aeon expansion reverses land prices, city promotes itself as a tourist hub", June 8, 2023, https://www.fukuishimbun.co.jp/articl... ・Takaoka City, "Chapter 2: Current situation and issues of Takaoka City", https://www.city.takaoka.toyama.jp/ma... ・See various other reports, etc. <Image sources> ・Geospatial Information Authority of Japan Map, https://maps.gsi.go.jp/ (posted with some editing)