[Miyagi Prefecture] Let's stay at a roadside station! Introducing roadside stations with accommodation facilities in Miyagi Prefecture!

As car camping trips at roadside stations are experiencing a quiet boom, an increasing number of roadside stations are being built with auto campgrounds and hotels where you can stay overnight

Unfortunately, there are no roadside stations with attached accommodation facilities in Miyagi Prefecture yet, but one station has been built with RV park

RV parks are parking spaces for overnight stays in cars that are certified by the Japan RV Association . They are beginning to be installed at roadside stations, accommodation facilities, hot spring facilities, etc. across the country, and the number of such parks is increasing every year.

In this article, we will introduce roadside stations with RV parks in Miyagi Prefecture, as well as popular roadside stations where sleeping in your car is semi-officially permitted

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Mitakido Roadside Station (Tome City: National Route 398, Sanriku Expressway, National Route 45)

It is directly connected to Mitakido IC, which is on the toll-free section of the Sanriku Expressway, and opened on April 1, 2017 as the 13th roadside station in Miyagi Prefecture

A spacious RV station (RV park) with power outlets

There is a dedicated parking space for six RVs, where you can use tables and chairs, and the toilets in the roadside station information center are available 24 hours a day

The clean restrooms are a little far from the RV station, but there is a roof over the walkway along the way, so you don't need an umbrella if it's only light rain, and the walkway is well-lit even at night, so you can feel safe

All spaces are equipped with 100V (10A) power outlets, and there is water available 24 hours a day in the nearby square, but barbecues, bonfires, and cooking over fire are not permitted

The RV station is located away from the large vehicle parking area, so you won't be bothered by the idling noise of refrigerated trucks

Procedures for using RV stations

After paying the fee at the register in the local product sales area and receiving your designated garbage bag, drive your car into the station through the designated entrance and have a staff member unlock the power outlet for you

At this time, the pole at the entrance and exit of the park will be removed, but the staff will instruct you on the procedure, so you will need to remove it yourself when entering or exiting the park

Please note that reservations are given priority for station use, so we recommend making a reservation in advance

There is no need to go through any check-out procedures, but please remember to return the pole at the entrance to its original position

A local produce sales corner where you can purchase ingredients and bento boxes

Not only is there a wide selection of fresh local vegetables and produce, but the farm-fresh goods section is also popular for its wide selection of bento boxes and side dishes

At mealtimes, a wide variety of bento boxes are lined up in a large corner, and there is also a wide selection of freshly baked bread and mochi such as zunda mochi

It's open until 7pm, so it's convenient when you're sleeping in your car and can have dinner even if the restaurants are closed

A food court-style restaurant where you can enjoy local cuisine

There is a wide variety of menu items available, from the pricey but filling Tome beef steak set meal to a 500 yen bowl of soba noodles

We recommend the aburafu (deep-fried gluten), a local dish made from deep-fried gluten. The aburafu donburi, which is made by covering aburafu with egg like a katsudon, has a fragrant aburafu that is even more satisfying than a katsu

"Hatto," made by kneading wheat flour with water, is served in a soy sauce-based pot with chicken meatballs and mushrooms, and has a simple, comforting taste

Glad it was open! Family Mart Mitakido PA store

There is a 24-hour Family Mart right next to the RV station, so you can conveniently get food and drinks even in the middle of the night, and the lights are on, so you can feel safe

You can also bring food and drinks purchased at this store into the food court, so you can enjoy a wide variety of meals by combining them with food court menu items and locally sourced bento boxes

A free dog run perfect for travelling with your beloved dog

The dog run located on the premises near the RV station is free and open to the public

The play area is large and is divided into areas for medium and large dogs and small dogs, so you can safely let your small dog play freely

There is a designated water area where you can give your dog water to drink and wash its paws, so if your dog gets dirty running around on the ground, you can clean it off before getting in the car

Roadside Station Mitakido <Information>

• Facility name: Roadside Station Mitakido
• location:
• Phone number: 0220-23-7891
• Opening hours: Shop 9:00-19:00, Restaurant 10:00-17:00 (Last orders 16:30)
• Convenience store hours: Family Mart Mitakido PA store: Open 24 hours
• Regular holidays: Open all year round
• URL: Roadside Station Mitakido Official Website

GOOGLE MAP

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Roadside Station Johin no Sato (Ishinomaki City: National Route 45)

Sato is a roadside station where you can bathe in natural hot springs, but there are no accommodation facilities.

However, with local police regularly patrolling the parking lot, it is a popular roadside station where you can sleep in your car safely

The free rest area at the Traffic Information Center is open from 6:00 to 20:00 (last order 19:30), and has a raised tatami area where you can relax

Where is the best place to park your car?

You can sleep in your car anywhere in the large parking lot, which can accommodate 246 cars (231 standard cars, 11 large vehicles, 3 disabled parking spaces, and 1 electric vehicle parking space), but there are advantages and disadvantages depending on the location

As for places to sleep in your car, the free rest area on the left side of the road after entering from the national highway is convenient as it is close to toilets and a convenience store, but there is a parking space for large vehicles and you will hear constant idling noises

There are no large vehicles parked in the space on the right where Futago no Yu is located, so this is recommended for those who are concerned about noise .

Day trip natural hot spring "Futago no Yu"

The orange hot spring water is known as an "iron chloride spring" and is effective for treating skin and gynecological diseases. The iron and salt content of this popular hot spring warms the body from the inside out

The facility has private rooms (for a fee), a free resting room, a soft chiropractic clinic called " Mori no Kaze " where you can receive chiropractic and relaxation treatments, and a free foot bath outside on the parking lot side.

Bathing is available from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, and the restaurant " Kirara " within the facility recommends the " Kinka Mackerel Pickled Rice Bowl ." You can also order food from the food court menu.

A food court like a restaurant with partitions between the tables

The large food court is open from 10am until 8pm (last order 7:30pm), making it a great place to stay if you're staying overnight in your car. There are also two restaurants that use ingredients from Ishinomaki

Dining Tamariba offers a wide variety of Japanese, Western, Chinese, and Asian food, and the recommended dish is the whole stone-grilled tomato pasta .

Kobayashi Shokudo , Saba Dashi Ramen is made with mackerel broth, a soul food of northern Ishinomaki , and is rich in the flavor of mackerel.

Farm produce direct sales store "Hitakami"

As a place to promote the charm of Ishinomaki, the store displays a wide variety of seasonal harvests delivered directly from local farmers, as well as fresh flowers, rice, prepared foods, processed foods, sweets and other flavors of Ishinomaki

In addition to local ingredients, they also sell medaka, which have recently become popular to keep as pets

There are three convenience stores and one gas station in the area

There are three convenience stores on the roadside station grounds or nearby, all of which are located very close to the parking lot, making them very convenient for sleeping in your car

The Yamazaki Daily on the premises is open until 7pm, but the Lawson in the adjacent gas station and the 7-Eleven across the national highway are open 24 hours a day

Roadside Station Johin no Sato <Information>

• Facility name: Roadside Station Johon no Sato
• Address: 1-1 Kofunagoe Futako Kitashita, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture
• Phone number: 0225-62-3670
• Opening hours: Farmers' market 9:00-19:00, hot spring resort 9:00-21:00, food court 10:00-20:00 (last orders 19:30)
• Convenience store hours: Yamazaki Daily 6:00-19:00 (Seven-Eleven and Lawson outside the facility are open 24 hours)
• Regular holidays: Open all year round
• URL: Roadside Station Johin no Sato Official Website

GOOGLE MAP

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summary

There are only two roadside stations in Miyagi Prefecture where you can stay overnight (sleeping in your car), in the northern part of the prefecture, as introduced in this article, but in addition to these, various types of RV stations are increasing in number throughout the prefecture

Miyagi Prefecture is home to many famous hot spring resorts, such as Akiu Onsen and Naruko Onsen, as well as tourist destinations such as Zao and Matsushima, and it is expected that the number of accommodation facilities that cater to car travelers will increase further