Minokamo Highway Oasis

This is what I experienced when traveling from Mino JCT to Toki. It's adjacent to the Minokamo Service Area. It's used in conjunction with the highway exit, so you can exit both the service area and Highway Oasis at Minokamo Interchange. However, you cannot enter the service area from the Highway Oasis. The Highway Oasis had a bathhouse. They even had beer on the menu! It's perfect for people camping in their cars. (This was the first time I'd seen one on the highway.) I often stop at service areas, but despite being nice facilities, they're usually deserted. Since it's a great facility, make sure to use it! It even has a bath! I've seen several people coming out of the bath looking refreshed. 、あまりお勧めしません。 This is where I'll deviate from the review (^^; I had some time after work, so I took lots of photos. When I got home, I wrote lots of comments on the photos, but the Side Sense feature on my SONY Experia 1 accidentally kicked in when I changed hands, and they all disappeared. Of course, I have no intention of typing again, so there are no comments on the photos. Neither smartphones nor Google have an undo function, I see. IoT??? AI??? Humanoid robots??? ABe and others shouldn't complain so loudly when they can't even solve such a common problem. The CAD I normally use has an infinite undo function. Ah, maybe I should write a letter to the editor in the newspaper instead of here. The service area is good, but the smartphone environment and functions are a total disaster. Since this is about the highway, I have one last complaint. Right after the accident, I got on the highway without knowing and got stuck in a huge traffic jam! I can't check my smartphone all the time, and even though I have the alerts set, they keep ringing even when I'm not on the highway. That's why I set it to not notify, and that's why I rely on the electronic bulletin board. It's pretty much the same as 30 years ago, so totally outdated. Hmm, hmm, is this really the information society? Here are my predictions: Will Level 5 fully autonomous driving be possible in 50 years? (Road cameras will be monitored and a 5G-level communications infrastructure will be developed to transmit the information with no delays, all vehicles will be equipped with a variety of functions (this is improving every day, where do we draw the line?), the issue of responsibility in the event of an accident, what about dogs, cats, wild boars, and deer jumping out into the street? (The decision will have to be made like a human reflex, and communication and cloud-based decision-making is not possible; decisions will have to be made on each device without communication, in other words, a brainless response is required...) What about sudden tire bursts? There are so many other issues to be resolved, the number is infinite.) Knight Rider 100 years from now? Terminator 300 years from now? Maybe it will never be possible. For example, in Back to the Future, aside from time machines, there is a skateboard that appears to have anti-gravity. Even a hovercraft would not be able to do that due to the energy requirements. I have seen many movies, including Back to the Future, that predict such amazing and impossible technologies, but no cell phones appear. Only walkie-talkies. I guess the future is full of unpredictable things. Sorry for going off on a tangent.

I stopped off for lunch. From the service area, you can enter Gifu Seiryu Satoyama Park (Showa Village) for free. It's a recreation of a satoyama from the early Showa period, and it felt like I was returning to a nostalgic hometown! ❗ Back at the service area, I had a Torichan Donburi. I bought a ticket from the ticket machine, sat down, and waited until my number was called. I was intrigued by the mention of Okumino Kojidori (old chicken). The bowl was made with rice topped with a layer of green onions and then richly seasoned chicken. The meat, seasoned sweet and spicy, was very tender and juicy, making it a perfect meal with rice. The miso soup and pickles that came with the set were also delicious. Thank you for the meal! 🙏

This is the old Showa Village. It's now a park. I didn't go inside the park, but I did some shopping at the shop in front. They have a wide selection of miso, and they also sell a fair amount of pears. They even have some pears that are so big I've never seen them before. The two mysterious straw dolls really stand out. There's a cafe, but the terrace seats are occupied by elderly people who didn't buy anything there. Move! It's a short walk from the parking lot to the facility. There seems to be a hotel as well. There are many areas where pets are allowed, so I saw a lot of people with their pets. It seems to be a highway oasis, so I imagine it gets crowded on weekends.

It's a large service area, and there was a traffic controller there (though perhaps not usually, as it was Gujo Odori festival season, but the parking lot is large). It's a beautiful facility. The ramen is average, but I liked that they used local ingredients. Perhaps it feels more average because the noodles are medium-thin, curly noodles, but it's much tastier than the old SA. The chicken chandon had a strong flavor, but there wasn't much meat, so even though I ordered a regular portion of rice, it wasn't enough, which was disappointing.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, everything is closed except for the JA shop at the entrance. Of course, admission is free, but no matter where I looked there was no sign saying that the park was closed, which I thought was quite unfriendly. To make matters worse, walking areas have been restricted due to maintenance work being carried out during the self-restraint period, and the pond has been drained, so it's no longer suitable for a sightseeing stroll.