This site is an online media that delivers all sorts of trivia about the six Tohoku prefectures, from sightseeing and gourmet spots to local customs, history, and more
The soft serve ice cream at roadside stations makes the most of the flavors and aromas of local ingredients, making it a popular gourmet treat that is essential for a break while driving. In this article, we'll introduce the local soft serve ice creams that each station boasts, along with reports from the area, that we tried at all 39 roadside stations in Iwate Prefecture
Please note that the prices listed in this article are current as of May 15, 2025
Choose your toppings for soft serve ice cream at Roadside Station Morioka Shibutani "Tamitto"! (Shibutani, Morioka City: National Route 4)
The six buildings are all single-story and stand on a hill along Route 4 Bypass. Mount Himekami is visible in the background
Tamitto ," opened in Shibutami, the hometown of the poet Ishikawa Takuboku
Mount Iwate in the distance on the other side
" Gather, connect, and weave together " embodies the desire to make the station not just a roadside station, but a place where residents can gather as a regional hub.
Not only does it offer a spectacular view of Mt. Iwate and Mt. Himekami from the station, but it also has a wide selection of gourmet food, and has been attracting many visitors since it opened
Gankui mame soft serve ice cream: 480 yen
Milky soft serve ice cream, glossy black beans, and Tami-chan cookies on top
The milky cream, which has a rich milky flavor, is garnished with sweetly boiled black beans (雁魚豆), creating an exceptionally delicious combination. To eat the cream and black beans together, we recommend taking the spoon provided on the counter and using it.
Onigurumi soft serve ice cream: 480 yen
The little dots are all about the Oni
Small pieces of Onigurumi, a special treat in Iwate, are kneaded into the milky cream. The cream has a strong milk flavor, and the fat from the Onigurumi adds richness to the flavor, creating a rich taste that leaves a lingering aroma of walnuts after it melts in your mouth
We recommend toppings for your soft serve!
This is the only place where you can buy Tami-chan Cookies as souvenirs
Toppings available include Tami-chan Cookies " (50 yen) and " Nambu Senbei
are sold at the direct-from-producer shop " Toki no Ya,
Nanbu Senbei comes in a variety of flavors: Mentaiko Mayo , Burnt Butter , Corn Potage , Salted Lemon , Wasabi Mayo , and Plain
Vanilla soft serve topped with mentaiko mayonnaise rice crackers is delicious when you use the rice crackers to scoop up the cream!
Both the cookies and the rice crackers taste even better when you eat them while scooping up the cream
Gelato and smoothies also available
On the east side, there is a terrace with wooden tables and chairs where you can enjoy takeout food while looking out at Mount Himekami
also the gelato and cheese shop Morioka Milk Station and the smoothie shop BON JEWEL , both of which have a stylish atmosphere and are popular with women.
Morioka Milk Station Menu
Morioka Milk Station offers a daily changing flavor of gelato, two types of French bread sandwiches called "Cascouts," as well as craft sodas
BON JEWEL menu
BON JEWEL offers 12 types of smoothies and salad bowls, both of which can be taken out and enjoyed while looking out at Mt. Iwate and Mt. Himekami
Roadside Station Morioka Shibutani "Tamitto" ＜Information＞
Facility name: Roadside Station Morioka Shibutami
Address: 80-42 Shibutani, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
Amazing soft serve ice cream packed with nutritional value and made with local specialties from Nishine Roadside Station! (Osuke, Hachimantai City: National Route 282)
The left side is direct from the farm, the right side is the restaurant
The name " NishineNishine Town ." Hachimantai City, located at the foot of Mount Iwate, is home to many specialty products such as wild grapes and honey, but the Nishine area is known as a renowned producer of spinach.
Spinach soft serve ice cream: 350 yen
Spinach soft serve with a vibrant grass-like color
This beautiful, vibrant green soft serve ice cream, sold in restaurants, has spinach into the cream
The restaurant's recommended dish is spinach cutlet curry
There are also plenty of other gourmet menu items that use spinach, including green spinach curry and spinach ramen, which are recommended for spinach lovers
We also recommend the big-sized "Mochiri Pork Bun"!
One big pork bun is enough to fill you up
This big-sized pork bun is made with Hachimantai's specialty Tochuu tea pork and log-grown shiitake mushrooms, and is filled with fillings inside a soft and fluffy skin, making it very satisfying to eat. It is sold in the local specialty corner spinach bean buns and other items, but they can sell out quickly.
Nishine Roadside Station <Information>
Facility name: Nishine Roadside Station
Address: 154-36, Oobuke 2nd District, Hachimantai City, Iwate Prefecture
Phone number: 0195-75-0070
Opening hours:
Direct from the farm/shop 8:30-17:00
Restaurant 11:00-16:30 (soft serve ice cream until 17:00)
Roadside Station Shizukuishi Anekko's Rice Field Soft Cream? (Shizukuishi Town, Iwate County: National Route 46)
On the left is the entrance to the day spa, in the center is the restaurant, and on the right is the Kobiru Kitchen and the direct-from-farm shop
Located near the border with Akita Prefecture, this roadside station is one of the most popular in Iwate Prefecture, with hot spring facilities, an auto campground, a dog run, and more. It has a wide selection of local produce and products, four restaurants, and its spacious parking space, which can accommodate 73 standard-sized cars and 15 large vehicles, is always crowded
Shizukuishi Town's tourism mascot, "Shizuku-chan"
By the way, " anekko " is a dialect used in the Shizukuishi region to refer to a young woman of marriageable age.
Hitomebore soft serve ice cream: 350 yen
Hitomebore Soft & Kobiru Kitchen
" Hitomebore " rice is kneaded into the rice to create a fragrant roasted flavor, adding an accent to the light-tasting cream. It's a soft serve ice cream that's not too heavy and is refreshing to eat after a bath. " Kobiru Kitchen " ("Kobiru" refers to breaks during work in the rice fields) also offers seasonal flavors of soft serve ice cream.
Besides soft serve ice cream, the Anekko Burger is also popular for takeout! It's very filling!
Next to the "Anekko Burger" is the "Moonlit Anekko Burger" which comes with a fried egg and is available in limited quantities every day (for a limited time)
While handmade soba noodles, tomato noodles, and other noodles are popular at each restaurant, Kobiru Kitchen recommends the Shizukuishi menchi-katsu, which allows you to fully enjoy the flavor of beef along with the soft serve. The popular "Anekko Burger " (650 yen) is made with minced meat topped with a sweet sauce and sandwiched between a moist, chewy bun sprinkled with fragrant sesame seeds.
A generous amount of cabbage is placed underneath the thick Shizukuishi beef minced cutlet
The burger is filled with plenty of shredded cabbage and is quite filling, with just one burger being enough to leave you feeling full
Shizukuishi Anekko Roadside Station <Information>
Facility name: Roadside Station Shizukuishi Anekko
Roadside Station Shiwa offers mellow soft serve ice cream perfect for adults! (Shiwa Town, Shiwa District: National Route 396)
The Akasawa Farmers' Center and the building on the left are the restaurant Karintei and the Shiwa Town Products Center where you can buy local wine and sake
Shiwa Town, located south of Morioka, is a town of fruits, wine, and sake, and is a thriving producer of grapes as well as apples and peaches. Near the roadside station Shiwa Fruit Park , and the wines made at Shiwa's grape winery, " Homegrown Wine Shiwa ," are highly acclaimed.
The winery sells their own wine and you can sample it (of course, drivers are not allowed)
soft serve ice cream are sold at the Akasawa Direct Sales Center and the Karintei Restaurant
Grape soft serve ice cream: 400 yen
Vivid purple grape soft serve
This soft serve ice cream has a beautiful purple color from the grape juice, and after the sourness of the grapes spreads in your mouth, you are greeted by the just-right sweetness of the milky cream
In addition to soft serve ice cream, Akasawa Farmers' Center also sells 20 types of gelato, mainly fruit flavors
The soft serve ice cream grape , vanilla , and mixed . However, seasonal fruit soft serve ice cream is sometimes available.
Wine soft serve: 450 yen
The color is closer to wine red than the purple of the grape soft serve
This is a recommended soft serve at Restaurant Karintei, and the aroma of wine spreads throughout your mouth, followed by a slight acidity and a fragrant aroma that reaches your nose, making it irresistible for wine lovers
Karin-tei takeout menu
However, the alcohol content is said to be 0.5%, so drivers who are sensitive to alcohol should be careful
Japanese Walnut Soft Serve: 450 yen
Although you can't see the walnuts, you can somehow feel the color of the walnuts in this Japanese walnut soft serve
This soft serve ice cream has a light taste and a subtle walnut scent, and can also be purchased at Karin-tei
Personally, I would have liked a stronger walnut flavor, but the cream adds a fragrant aroma and makes for a delicious soft serve
Rich and aromatic grape juice
At the Akazawa Direct Sales Center, a variety of grape juices made by different grape farmers are lined up
There are many grape and apple juices available directly from the farm, but we recommend the additive-free, unsweetened " Six-month aged Shiwa Town grape juice " (1,200 yen).
Aged for 6 months for a very mellow taste and flavor
The juice is squeezed from Campbell's Early and aged for six months, giving it a rich sweetness even without added sugar, and the aging process mellows the acidity, resulting in an elegant, mellow taste
Phone number: 019-671-1300 (Shiwa Town Products Center)
Opening hours: Restaurant Karin-tei (April to November) 11:00-16:00, (December to March) 11:00-15:00
Opening hours: Akasawa Farmers' Center 8:30-17:00 (may vary depending on the season), Shiwa Town Products Center (shop) 9:00-17:00
URL: Iwate Prefecture Roadside Station Liaison Committee Official Website (Roadside Station Shiwa)
GOOGLE MAP
Roadside Station Kukai Kogen Beef Village: Refreshing soft serve ice cream perfect for a hot day in Kukai! (Miyako City: National Route 106)
The yellow building appears to be unused, and the white triangular roof building to the right is the food court
This roadside station is located in Kuzakai, about 30 minutes by car from Morioka city, and is also the trailhead for Kabutomyojindake although it is now part of Miyako city.
As we visited at lunchtime, there were many customers in the food court
Since the Miyako-Morioka Crossing Road opened in March 2021, the number of drivers stopping by has decreased, but many people still visit during the tourist season to enjoy driving on the old road
Shiso apple soft serve ice cream: 350 yen
The first thing you notice is the scent of apples in the shiso apple soft serve
This soft serve ice cream is made with the juice of apples from the ward border and red shiso (perilla) from the former Kawai village, and has a texture similar to sorbet with a refreshing aftertaste. It has a beautiful, subtle pink color, and you can immediately taste the sourness of the apples, and then the aroma of shiso spreads throughout your mouth
A food court with a wide selection of dishes
A small shop and the food delivery area at the back
crispy fries are said to be the item that attracts many repeat customers .
Food court menu
Other popular dishes that attract many repeat customers include Kukai soba and daal ramen, which stands out for its spiciness and delicious flavor
Roadside Station Kukai Plateau Beef Village Kukai ＜Information＞
Facility name: Roadside Station Kukai Plateau
Address: 2-434-2 Kukai, Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture
At all of the roadside stations we introduced, soft serve ice cream sells like hotcakes and is recognized by users as the station's signature delicacy. One way to enjoy roadside stations is to sample the unique soft serve ice creams and experience the unique characteristics of each area
I'm a former Edokko man who loves Morioka and the six Tohoku prefectures, and I also love history, food, travel, sports, alcohol, and singing. I'll be introducing you to the interesting, delicious, and great things about Tohoku!
