The Best Rest Stops in Japan

Roadside stations on national routes

Roadside Station Wakasa Mihama Hamabiyori stands beside JR Mihama Station on National Route 27 in Fukui. Roadside Station Obira Nishin-banya lies on the Orolon Line (National Route 232) in Obira, Hokkaido, and its building is modelled on a herring fishing hut. Roadside Station Kitashinshu-Yamanouchi is on National Route 292 near the Togari-Yudanaka Interchange, and Roadside Station Kihocho Umigame-park is on National Route 42 beside the Kumano Sea in Mie. Saijo Nonta-no-Sakagura, opened in 2022, sits beside the Route 2 Saijo bypass in Higashihiroshima.

Stops in villages and coastal towns

Roadside Station Chihayaakasaka is in Chihayaakasaka Village, Osaka's only village, at the foot of Mount Kongo. Its second-floor cafe serves curry, and the building has a handmade wooden look. Roadside Station Senzakitchen lies on the coast at Senzaki in Nagato, Yamaguchi, beside a fishing port, and sightseeing boats leave from the same site. Sakai Rest Area in Sakai Town, Ibaraki, has Kengo Kuma-designed buildings and an Okinawan antenna shop tied to Kunigami Village.

Awaji Service Area

Awaji Service Area is on Awaji Island, the first stop after crossing the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge from Honshu. It has a Ferris wheel and views of the bridge and Osaka Bay.