#Michinoeki

[jinsei-pika-pika]

[okamehachimoku]

[lets-take-a-break]

道の駅 かわうち湖　Michinoeki Kawauchiko

青森県むつ市　Mutsu-shi, Aomori, Japan

2024/08

[cryptidjapan]

Gatagon

ガタゴン（Gatagon）

In June 1992, strange footprints were found in a bean field in Yamagata Village, Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture.

The footprints were 22 cm long and 15 cm wide, and were spaced 30-40 cm apart over a distance of 20 meters.

They had five fingers, four of which grew forward and one backward.

Even though the creature that left these footprints was not sighted at all, it was imagined as a Bigfoot-like creature and named gatagon.

Today, gatagons are used to promote the town, and sweets based on recreated gatagons are sold at a roadside station, where visitors can also see the recreated footprints.

This image at the top is a recreation for tourism purposes, not the actual footprints.

（http://kuji-tourism.jp/michinoeki/yamagata/2012/09/09/%E3%82%AC%E3%82%BF%E3%82%B4%E3%83%B3%E3%81%AE%E8%B6%B3%E8%B7%A1%E7%99%BA%E8%A6%8B、https://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/articles/-/4722?page=1）

（I am Japanese and use deepl translation for translation. Sorry if the text is wrong.）

[tinychatchat]

MEMO 24.02.04-02

あんこ好きさんへ　「おうちでおやつ編」

・菓子工房　美好屋　「くまの最中」 https://www.miyoshiya-mochi.com/ 左）「くまの最中」入浴中。おしるこになります。

・パフェ佐藤　「北海道 熊もなか（ピスタチオ餡と小��餡）」 https://pfsato.official.ec/ 中）最中を外してもクマ。中はピスタチオ。

・道の駅あいおい　「元祖クマヤキ」 https://michinoeki-aioi.com/kumayaki/ 右）おなかに名前　おしりもかわいいい。

[obento2]

Yesterday was rainy day.

I went to the park for a walk with an umbrella.

Kogakubou park is in Koga in the eastern part of Ibaraki prefecture.

after that I went to the michi no eki Sakai, bought some fruit sandwiches named Sakai sand. oishii!!

[shokolalife]

#道の駅 #朝霧高原 ここのハムとソーセージがすごい美味しかった‼️色んな施設があるっぽいのでもっと遊びたい🗻🌈 #michinoeki local market is one of the best spots for road trip in Japan 🚙☀️ (朝霧高原) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiyijMFJNpt/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[jayyoungman]

蛍街道西ノ市の櫓。青空に映えます。 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shot by #fujifilm #xt10 #fujinon #xf35mmf14 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #道の駅 #櫓 #蛍街道西ノ市 #青空 #空 #富士フイルム #富士フイルム普及委員会 #sky #bluesky #michinoeki #wp_japan #igersjp #ig_japan #whim_life #team_jp_ (道の駅 蛍街道西の市)

[xqzme]

Stone Treasure Hunt

Everytime we visit this area “Michi No Eki” this Stone Treasure is closed. Finally, this time it was open. We have time to have bonding moment with our kids.

But first we have to get water to drink, fresh from the Mount Fuji. This is safe to drink. And our kids love it, than the water in Yokohama. They know the difference. (*roll eyes*)

Picture taking in the stone first and foremost…

What are…

[walkingbikingjapan]

BRP in Michi-no-eki. Spider? Cool! #brp #canam #canamspyder #bike #bikelife #japantravel #explorejapan #michinoeki https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz71bvGHgdk/?igshid=yri4vhfv5e9d

[lets-take-a-break]

道の駅 よこはま　Michinoeki Yokohama

青森県上北郡横浜町　Kamikita-gun, Yokohama-cho, Aomori, Japan

2024/08

[narochimi]

#day before yesterday #I challenged to eat extremely spicy noodles #There is no reason #Because it's there... #Yakusinuri urushi Craft Museum #Michinoeki Yamabikokan #Kitakami mountainous district Folk Heritage Museum #IGersJP #photograph #Early spring #travel #kawauchi #kawai #Miyako #Iwate prefecture https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw3riZzlZT0/?igshid=51640s6wwmv3

[toshinakamuraphotography]

I'm in Michinoeki-Sakurajima (道の駅桜島).   Sakurajima is famous  as it's very active volcano.  You see.  The plume is not steam but volcanic ash.  My car is covered in ashes. The observatory announces it's definitely safe but I feel pretty scary.

PS) Michinoeki (道の駅) is like a rest space for car drivers.

Sakurajima - wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakurajima 

[sarafujimura]

I love going to michi no eki (truck stops). You can always find fresh, cheap, in season vegetables and also regional specialties. Son had mikan (tangerine) soft serve, a local favorite. Today, I bought some cucumbers, green beans, apples, and some pretty pink somen noodles. This michi no eki is special because it has a hot spring foot bath (2nd pic). They were also selling kabuto mushi (beetles) today, a summertime pet for lots of kids. . . #Japan #travel #michinoeki #kabutomushi #writerinspiration #authorsofig #truckstop

[kawajiiima]

Michi-No-Eki Fukushima

Michi-N0-Eki, or roadside station, Fukushima opened before Golden week. We went there today. There were a lot of people there in spite of the covid-19 pandemic. Michi-No-Eki Fukushima is located near an expressway interchange and has a large parking lot that can accommodate about 300 cars. It is said that the number of the visitors reached one hundred thousand in 11 days. We bought some vegetables from Fukushima.

[jenesys-ph-blog]

Environment and Community

by Anya, Crismer, Mark

After having our breakfast, we boarded the chartered bus and visited two SMEs. In the morning, Group B visited Chida Clean Corporation while Group C visited Michi-no-Eki. In the afternoon, the groups switched venues.

Chida Clean Corporation

When we got to Chida Clean Corporation in Osaki City, we were welcomed by the company president himself, Mr. Nobuyoshi Chida. His company manufactures Bio Diesel Fuel (BDF) from rapeseed oil and used corn oil. Not only that, they also collect used oils (from cooking) in the big restaurants and hotels in the city and convert them as well to BDF.

It was interesting to know that originally the land used to plant rapeseed were not good for farming as it was damaged by the previous tsunami, Y. Nakai. However, with the collaboration among the universities, government, the community and the company itself, they were able to improve it to become perfect for farming under the Rape Blossom Project. This collaboration is continuous and now focuses on how to increase the productivity of the manufacturing plant. The company in fact is partially funded by the Japanese government given the country’s commitment in renewable energy.

After the talk, the delegates had the chance to immerse in the gas oil mixing facility. We spent roughly 30 minutes in seeing the facilities used to recycle the used oil and rapeseed oil to become BioDiesel Fuel. During the Q&A, they highlighted that the company needs to maintain certain split of produce between Bio Diesel Fuel and Fossil Fuel to ensure continuous support from the government including preferable tax rates.

In this visit, we’ve realized the commitment of Japan and its people to conserve the environment and produce sustainable energy.

A • La • Date na Michi no eki

We also went to Michi no eki in Iwadeyama, Osaki City. We were welcomed and oriented by the representative director, Mr. Satoru Endo. Each michi no eki (aka roadside station) has three functions: (1) Rest/Refreshment; (2) Community promotion and linkage; and (3) Dispatch of information. Generally, this venue accommodates a farmers’ market, restaurant, and some shops where travellers can stop for a while and rest. When these people drop by, they can also learn about the community through cultural and recreational facilities. The michi no eki also serve as a source of information regarding services in the community.

The michi no eki is also an example of government-industry-academia collaboration. Each establishment is registered at the Road Bureau of the Ministry of Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), and provided for by the local government. They also allow internship of university students, working on the sales performance and coming up with new activities that attract customers. At present, A • La • Date na Michi no eki is orienting their goals based on the internship proposals, which includes creating their own tour courses and offering experience-based attractions such as body-armor wearing. They also aim to improve customer service for their foreign travelers by reducing the language barrier.

For our cultural experience, the staff (mostly seniors) at the michi no eki invited us to make our own onigiri for lunch. First they showed us the ingredients we had, which were Japanese rice, fillings (today we had shrimp mayo, dried and salt-cured seaweed, salt-cured prune, and salmon), and seaweed. Then they demonstrated how the onigiri was made by hand. Finally, it was time for us to make ours. When we were done, they joined us for lunch. We were also able to visit the stores of the michi no eki. There we found farmers’ produce, crafts by locals, and the restaurant.

Today was one of the most important days of our stay in Japan. We learned that 99% of the business in Japan comprised of SMEs. We were fortunate to learn about two of them today. Perhaps the most important thing about these companies is that they have oriented their actions and goals toward contributing to society. The collaboration among key stakeholders such as the academe, government, industries and the community can really yield great results for the benefit of the community at large.