However, if travelling northbound in the direction of Niigata, the station takes on a vastly different character. The northbound platform is a 15 minute walk away from the main station building. A majority of this walk consists of a 70m descent down almost 500 steps into the Shin-Shimizu tunnel. The descent is terrifying, with little vision of what awaits you at the end as you venture further and further into the depths. Water from the nearby rivers can also be heard trickling into the tunnel at a faster and faster rate as you near the bottom.