[Yamagata Prefecture] Traveling within Yamagata Prefecture is now convenient! Enjoy a comfortable drive using the free section of the newly opened Tohoku Chuo Expressway

Good news for those who want to enjoy driving in Yamagata Prefecture!

The Tohoku Chuo Expressway's Higashinekita IC - Murayamamoto Iida IC and Shinjo Sakegawa IC - Shinjo Mamurogawa IC have opened one after another, directly connecting Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture to Shinjo City, Yamagata Prefecture.

With this opening, it only takes about 50 minutes to travel from Yamagata City to Shinjo City!
What's more, the section from Higashine IC to the final stop, Shinjo Mamurogawa IC, is free.

You have to try this!

So, this time I will introduce how I drove from Higashine City to Shinjo City using the free section of the Tohoku Chuo Expressway.

Free section starts from Higashine IC

Now, let's drive from Higashine IC, where the free section starts.

Higashine IC is an interchange located in Higashine City, which is home to Yamagata Airport, the air gateway to Yamagata Prefecture. It is located very close to Yamagata Airport, about 5 minutes by car from Higashine IC.

Tohoku Rokken trivia media: NEFT

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It's been about 5 minutes since I started driving on the highway. The sign for Higashinekita IC, which just opened in October of this year, came into view.

Although there are some two-lane sections, it is basically a one-lane, two-way road.

There is no service area on the free section of the Tohoku Chuo Expressway, so for a break, you will need to get off the expressway and use the nearest roadside station.
As you travel, you will see a sign indicating the distance to the roadside station, so use it as a reference when taking a break.

About 15 to 20 minutes after starting from Higashine IC, we quickly reached the Oishida-cho area.

Oishida Town is one of the best soba restaurants in Yamagata Prefecture.

If you want to take a sweets break in this area, we recommend Senbon Dango, a very popular dango shop in Oishida-cho.
If you are heading to Senbon Dango, get off at Oishida Murayama IC.

Click here for an article about Senbon Dango, a shop with endless lines.

Roadside station Obanazawa Sleeping break

During this drive, we will take a break at ``Roadside Station Obanazawa Nemaru,'' which is adjacent to the Obanazawa IC exit.

Obanazawa City is famous for its watermelon production.
Furthermore, Yamagata's summer tradition is the Yamagata Hanagasa Festival, and Obanazawa City is said to be the birthplace of Hanagasa.

The roadside station is stocked with watermelon-related products such as bread, daifuku, and dried fruits! It's fun just looking at it.

Make whole watermelon into pickles⁉Click here for the article on “Pesorazuke” which is loved by local people

INFORMATION

• Name Roadside Station Obanazawa Nemaru
• Address 1195-1 Ashizawa, Obanazawa City, Yamagata Prefecture
• Phone number 023-724-3535
• URLRoadside Station Nemaru official website

GOOGLE MAP

Beyond navigation

After taking a break and returning to the Tohoku Chuo Expressway, we headed straight for the final stop.

Look at the navigation screen.

In the screen above, "Shinjokita IC" is the final stop.

In November 2020, the name of Shinjo-kita IC was changed to "Shinjo Sakegawa IC", and a new terminal point "Shinjo Mamurogawa IC" was completed 8.2 kilometers ahead.

Now, ahead is the expressway that just opened on November 20th! Let's go beyond navigation!

Arrived at Shinjo Mamurogawa IC!

It took about 50 minutes from departure, including a break, before the final stop, Shinjo Mamurogawa IC, was in sight.
Of course, there was no toll booth in sight, and before I knew it, I was merging onto a general road.

Thanks to the opening of the Tohoku Chuo Expressway, not only has it become more convenient to travel across Yamagata Prefecture, but it has also made traveling to Akita Prefecture much closer.

Construction is currently underway at Kanayama IC (tentative name, Kanayama Town, Yamagata Prefecture), which is located beyond the Shinjo Mamurogawa IC and is scheduled to open in 2025. Let's look forward to the completion!

Shinjo’s local ramen “Torimotsu Ramen”

When you come to Shinjo City, what is the one thing you must eat?

Yes, it's the local ramen "Torimotsu Ramen"!

A classic ramen with thin noodles mixed with a light soy sauce-based soup made with chicken stock.

Plenty of chicken giblets are placed on top.

It contains various parts and has a fun texture.

It was a delicious bowl packed with all the flavor of the chicken.

Now that you've warmed up your mind and body with the delicious Tori Motsu Ramen, that's it for this drive!
It was a comfortable drive from beginning to end.

INFORMATION

• Name Umeya
• Address: 3-16 Senmoncho, Shinjo City, Yamagata Prefecture
• Phone number 023-322-3910

GOOGLE MAP

summary

Finally, we will summarize information about the Tohoku Chuo Expressway as of December 2022.

・Current end point is Shinjo Mamurogawa IC
・The free section is Higashine IC - Shinjo Mamurogawa IC
・As there is no SA, use the nearby roadside station for toilet breaks etc.

The Tohoku Chuo Expressway is perfect for driving within Yamagata Prefecture! Enjoy a great drive by using the free section!