Japan's Michi-no-Eki

About this book

Japan has more than a thousand michi-no-eki — roadside stations that are part farm market, part seafood hall, part museum, part hot spring — and they are the best-kept secret of travelling Japan by road. This guide covers 200 of the finest, from a crab market under Hokkaido's drift ice to a footbath facing an active volcano in Kagoshima, from a station inside a closed elementary school to one built around houses buried by a volcano.

Every entry tells you what the station is, what it sells and serves, what its building and views offer, and what to check before you go — the station and its setting, its facilities, food and local goods, its architecture and scenery, and practical notes for the stop. Organised by region, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, it is the companion for planning a Japan road trip around the places where Japan actually eats, shops and rests.

200 real stations. Every region. No filler — each entry written in full, with honest guidance on seasons, crowds and what to confirm locally.

Written and created in Japan by Japanese author Aki Wakamatsu. Published by Takikawa TOKOTOKO Kids LLC, a Japanese publisher in Hokkaido, Japan. Authentic Japanese content, carefully made in Japan — not mass-produced.