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[Yamagata Prefecture] Traveling within Yamagata Prefecture has become more convenient! Take a comfortable drive using the newly opened free section of the Tohoku Chuo Expressway

Great news for those who want to enjoy a drive in Yamagata Prefecture!

The Tohoku Chuo Expressway has opened two new sections: "Higashine Kita IC to Murayama Hon-Iida IC" and "Shinjo Sakagawa IC to Shinjo Mamurogawa IC," directly connecting Soma City in Fukushima Prefecture to Shinjo City in Yamagata Prefecture.

This opening means that travel from Yamagata City to Shinjo City takes only about 50 minutes!
What's more, the section from Higashine IC to the final stop, Shinjo Mamurogawa IC, is free of charge.

This is something you just have to experience!

So, this time, I'll share my experience of driving from Higashine City to Shinjo City using the free section of the Tohoku Chuo Expressway.

The free section starts from Higashine IC

*Photo taken from the passenger seat (same below)

Now, let's start driving from Higashine IC, where the free section starts

Higashine IC is an interchange located in Higashine City, which is home to Yamagata Airport, the gateway to Yamagata Prefecture. It is very close to Yamagata Airport, about a five-minute drive from Higashine IC

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National Route 48 (commonly known as Yonpachi), connecting Miyagi and Yamagata prefectures, is an essential route for exchanges and logistics between the two prefectures. This article introduces Sekiyama Otaki and Otaki Drive-In Izumiya, located in Higashine City, Yamagata's gateway to the prefecture border and famous for its cherries. Accessing Sekiyama Otaki: Sekiyama Otaki and Otaki Drive-In Izumiya are adjacent to each other, and both locations require the use of Izumiya's parking lot. (For long-term parking, such as when swimming in the river, use the parking lot across the road.) From the Sendai area, it's about a 50-minute drive from the Sendai-Miyagi Interchange on the Tohoku Chuo Expressway, and from the Yamagata area...
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About five minutes into the highway, we came across the sign for Higashinekita IC, which just opened this October

There are some two-lane sections, but it is generally a one-lane road with two opposite directions

Since there are no service areas on the free section of the Tohoku Chuo Expressway, you will need to exit the highway and use the nearest roadside rest area for a break.
Signs indicating the distance to the nearest rest area will appear along the way, so use them as a reference when deciding where to take a break.

After leaving Higashine IC, we quickly arrived near Oishida Town in about 15 to 20 minutes


Oishida Town is one of the best soba noodle-producing areas in Yamagata Prefecture.

If you're looking for a sweet treat in this area, I recommend "Senbon Dango," a very popular dango (rice dumpling) shop in Oishida Town.
When heading to Senbon Dango, take the Oishida Murayama Interchange exit.

Read the article about Senbon Dango, a shop that always has a long line of customers, here

Take a break at Obanazawa Roadside Station

On this drive, we will take a break at Obanazawa Nemaru Roadside Station, which is adjacent to the exit of Obanazawa IC

Obanazawa City is famous as a major producer of watermelons.
Furthermore, Obanazawa City is considered the birthplace of the Hanagasa Festival, a summer tradition in Yamagata Prefecture.

The roadside station is filled with watermelon-related products such as bread, daifuku, and dried fruit! It's fun just to look at them

Whole watermelon pickled?! Click here for an article on the local favorite "Pesora Pickles"

INFORMATION

GOOGLE MAP

Beyond navigation

After our break, we returned to the Tohoku Chuo Expressway and continued straight towards our final destination.

Please check the navigation screen.

In the image above, "Shinjo Kita IC" is shown as the terminus. In

November 2022, Shinjo Kita IC was renamed "Shinjo Sakagawa IC," and a new terminus, "Shinjo Mamurogawa IC," was completed 8.2 kilometers further on.

Now, up ahead is the expressway that just opened on November 20th! Let's go where the navigation system tells us to!

Arrived at Shinjo Mamurogawa IC!

About 50 minutes after departure, including a rest stop, we quickly came into view of the final destination, Shinjo-Mamurogawa Interchange.
As expected, there was no toll booth to be seen, and before we knew it, we had merged onto a regular road.

Thanks to the opening of the Tohoku Chuo Expressway, travel within Yamagata Prefecture has become much more convenient, and travel to Akita Prefecture has also become significantly easier.

Currently, construction is underway on the Kanayama Interchange (tentative name, Kanayama Town, Yamagata Prefecture), located beyond the Shinjo Mamurogawa Interchange, with an opening planned for fiscal year 2025. Let's look forward to its completion!

Shinjo's local ramen "Chicken offal ramen"

If you're visiting Shinjo City, what's one thing you absolutely must try?

That's right, the local specialty ramen, "Torimotsu Ramen" (chicken giblet ramen)!

A classic ramen with thin noodles that cling well to a light soy sauce-based soup made with chicken bones

It is topped with plenty of chicken offal

It contains a variety of parts and has a fun texture

It was a delicious bowl of ramen that packed in every last bit of the chicken's flavor.

With my heart and body warmed by this delicious chicken giblet ramen, this concludes our drive!
It was a comfortable drive from start to finish.

INFORMATION

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

GOOGLE MAP

summary

Finally, here is a summary of the information regarding the Tohoku Chuo Expressway as of December 2022:

• The current terminus is Shinjo-Mamurogawa IC
The section that is free to use is from Higashine IC to Shinjo-Mamurogawa IC.
• There are no service areas (SAs), so please use nearby roadside rest areas (Michi-no-Eki) for toilet breaks.

The Tohoku Chuo Expressway is perfect for driving in Yamagata Prefecture! Take advantage of the free sections and enjoy a great drive!

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