3️⃣ A・Ra・Date Michi-no-Eki – The Sweet and the Sour
- By Zen Gaijin
- Nov 6
- 1 min read
From the Road: Tohoku in Four Movements.
Detouring from the Naruko Gorge traffic jam, we pulled into a roadside station promising snacks and sanity.
On our way back from the failed Naruko Gorge attempt, we stopped at A・Ra・Date Michi-no-Eki, hoping for a quiet coffee break. Instead, we found shoulder-to-shoulder crowds and parking-lot chaos.
The lone saving grace? Royce’ chocolate—a Hokkaidō luxury that melts like velvet and is rarely seen this far south. But everything else was a miss. The toilets were shockingly filthy and the air almost unbearable. It then took forty-five minutes just to exit the lot.
Verdict: On weekends, skip this michi-no-eki. Even Royce’ can’t sweeten that experience.
Salvation awaited nearby: [Akiu Great Falls – Power and Grace →]
