Roadside station Shizukuishi Anekko

This roadside station is located in Shizukuishi Town, Iwate Prefecture, near the border with Akita Prefecture. Surrounded by mountains, it's a great place to view the beautiful autumn foliage. I recently enjoyed a long-awaited trip to Tohoku in the fall of 2025, and stopped by this roadside station. I always stop here when traveling from Iwate to Akita, or vice versa, crossing the mountains from Akita to Iwate. It's also a great place to stop off during a drive or tour. They have a wide selection of Iwate Prefecture specialties, like Wanko Soba, but they also sell many products from neighboring Akita Prefecture, making this an interesting roadside station with a mix of Iwate and Akita. The restaurant serves hiyashimen (cold noodles) and jajamen (jajamen), and I think they even had kiritanpo (grilled rice balls). The station also has a hot spring facility where you can enjoy the soothing, thick waters of the hot springs. Apparently the free foot bath was installed during the three years since I last visited, so it was great to be able to fully soothe the fatigue of a long drive. I hope I can go again. This roadside station. Shizukuishi Town. Iwate Prefecture. Next door, Akita Prefecture. Tohoku region.

20251007 On the way to Nyuto Onsen, I stopped off for a restroom break. I also checked out the merchandise section, which sold processed souvenirs, fresh produce, local sake, prepared foods, and more. This was my second roadside station on my trip to Tohoku, and compared to my local Kyushu roadside stations, the products on offer were almost entirely unfamiliar, which I enjoyed. (Sorry, I didn't buy anything because it was my second day of travel and I had to get going.) However, the sake selection was much more extensive than at my Kyushu roadside stations.

I stopped here on my way to Morioka, where I was staying, after sightseeing in Kakunodate and Lake Tazawa. I was surprised by the spacious parking lot. Apparently there's also a hot spring facility. The farm-fresh sales area is lined with local products like apples and vegetables, as well as souvenirs. As you'd expect from a sake-producing area, they also sell a variety of sake. There's a river running behind the facility, but it's a shame it's hard to see. It would have been nice if they'd built it so you could see the river.

This is a large roadside station located just before Sengan Pass. In season, it is packed with locally grown vegetables and is popular with customers. It also has a popular hot spring facility on site. Soft serve ice cream is a bargain at 350 yen. The Hitomebore soft serve is made with roasted rice, which is unusual. Personally, I prefer the milk soft serve.

The rest area in Shizukuishi, Anekko, is very polar with people travelling between Iwate and Akita préfectures. On the way to Akita, it's the last stop before reaching the mountain pass. There is also a hot spring and a campground. If you drive an EV, it's the last charging station before the mountains.