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[Iwate Prefecture] Soft-serve ice cream with sake, miso and wasabi flavor! Why are the soft serve ice cream eaten at roadside stations so delicious? There's also school lunches!
[Iwate Prefecture] Soft-serve ice cream with sake, miso and wasabi flavor! Why are the soft serve ice cream eaten at roadside stations so delicious? There's also school lunches!
In central Iwate Prefecture, between Morioka City and Oshu City, there are roadside stations dotted around the area that sell local soft serve ice cream in unique flavors
Another feature of this area is the large number of roadside stations with unique concepts, such as a station with a museum that teaches about Nanbu Toji brewers, and a station that uses an abandoned school building to serve school-style lunches
In this article, we will introduce these roadside stations in central Iwate Prefecture
Please note that the prices (tax included) listed in the article are current as of the end of May 2025
[Ishidoriya Roadside Station] Sesame-scented soft serve ice cream and sake-scented ice cream! (Ishidoriya-cho, Hanamaki City: National Route 4)
Sake Shokan seen from the parking lot, Rindoutei is behind this building
the hometown of the Nanbu Toji brewers , the roadside station is home to the Nanbu Shrine Tradition Museum, the History and Folklore Museum, and the Agricultural Tradition Museum
The Sake Master's Hall is packed with souvenirs and local sake
As the first roadside station in Iwate Prefecture, the building was old, so it was renovated in July 2023, and the new building includes the Sake Shokukan, which sells local sake and other souvenirs, the direct-from-the-farm Mori no Kura, and the restaurant Rindoutei
Sesame soft serve ice cream: 380 yen
Sesame Soft Serve from "Sake Brewery"
the Standing Soba Sakagura restaurant attached to Rindotei , you can enjoy black sesame flavored soft serve ice cream, based on the rich milk flavor of Koiwai Milk soft serve ice cream.
The grey cream, which has sesame paste mixed in, has a nice sesame flavor, and the flavor of Koiwai milk spreads throughout your mouth
On the menu at Sakagura, the yellow soba noodles in Japanese-style dashi ramen are unusual
The shop " Sakashokan " also sells black sesame ice cream, so it might be interesting to try the two and compare them.
Sake ice cream: 450 yen
Sake ice cream served in a cup
It's a little different from soft serve ice cream, but we'd like to introduce you to the original sake ice cream that you can only get at this roadside station and is a must-try
Inside the Sake Master Hall, you can find a wide selection of local sake, including Nanbu Seki, and you can sample them at the Denshokan (traditional sake hall). (The sake cake on the left is a popular product from Sunadaya in Morioka City.)
It uses "Nambu Seki" special pure rice sake from Kawamura Sake Brewery in the town
When you put it in your mouth, the flavor of milk and koji expands, giving it a taste similar to sweet sake, which may be due to the use of sake lees
There are 14 types of gelato sold at Sakeshokan
The alcohol content is less than 0.5%, so children and drivers can eat it, but those who are sensitive to alcohol should be careful
Rindotei, a restaurant popular with local families
The detached "Rindoutei" and "Sake Brewery"
The specialty " Taroshi Udon " is somewhere between regular udon and soba noodles, and is easy to swallow. We recommend the "zaru udon" style, which is eaten with a sweet broth.
Taroshi Udon: A smooth and delicious dish
Other popular dishes include the "Densho Ramen" with thin noodles and a fish broth soy sauce flavor, the "Sakesho Ramen" with miso flavor and shrimp and snow crab, and the "Seafood Ramen" with salt and shellfish such as scallops, octopus, and wakame seaweed
Densho Ramen and Sakesho Ramen are made with roasted pork from Hanamaki City's brand of pork, Hakkinton (Platinum Pork)
In addition to these, we also recommend Iwate's local dish, the Hittsumi Set Meal
There is also an all-you-can-drink self-serve soba soup service, and the restaurant is visited by many local families at lunchtime
Soba soup is self-service and all-you-can-drink
Ishidoriya Roadside Station <Information>
Facility name: Ishidoriya Roadside Station
Address: 17-3 Nakaderabayashi 7th District, Ishidoriya-cho, Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture
[Roadside Station Towa] Miso soft serve ice cream, a combination of local miso and cream! (Towa Town, Hanamaki City: Tohoku Expressway Kamaishi-Akita Line, Towa IC, Prefectural Route 39 Kitakami Towa Line)
The shop is in the foreground, and Ajidokoro Touwa is in the back left
The facility building is small, but it is home to Towa Onsen and Hotel Folkloro Hanamaki Towa, making it a roadside station where you can take a day trip to bathe or stay overnight
There is a restaurant called "Hidakami" inside the Towa Onsen hot spring facility on the premises
Its nickname is "The Village of Bishamonten and Yorozu Tetsugoro," and it comes from the Bishamon-do Hall of Narushima Mikumano Shrine, where the National Crying Sumo Tournament is held every May, and Yorozu Tetsugoro, a Western-style painter from the town, whose memorial art museum is located
Miso soft serve: 350 yen
The aroma of miso whets the appetite
Its color is a lighter version of white miso, and when you put it in your mouth, you can taste the umami of the aged miso, and the sweet and salty flavor spreads across your palate, blending with the sweetness and saltiness of the cream
We recommend the miso soft serve alone, which allows you to enjoy the aroma and flavor of miso more than the mix
Once the cream melts in your mouth, it leaves an aftertaste similar to that of miso soup, and you can also enjoy the flavor of the country miso brewed by the local Sasanaga Brewery
Towa Town's Dorayaki "Towayaki"
Sales will end once stock is sold out
Sato Kashiho, located in Towa Town, sells mottled dorayaki, which are filled with a moist, baked pastry filled with walnut-flavored bean paste that has the sweetness of fragrant brown sugar
If it is sold out, you may be able to purchase it at Sato Confectionery in Towa Town
Brown sugar dorayaki is a popular treat in the local town of Towa, thanks to its just-right sweetness
Closed: Open every day (Towa Onsen: First Wednesday, except second Wednesday in January and May, and the following day if the Wednesday falls on a public holiday)
Miyamori Roadside Station, which also has a home improvement store and drugstore
Nicknamed "Night on the Galactic Railroad," this station is located near the Miyamorigawa Bridge on the JR Kamaishi Line, which is said to be the motif for Miyazawa Kenji's fairy tale of the same name. Inside the station, there are exhibits of illustrations related to Miyazawa Kenji.
The museum is filled with exhibits related to Miyazawa Kenji, and is visited by Kenji fans as a "holy place."
" Megane Bridge ," has been certified as a "Lovers' Sanctuary" and a "Japanese Night View Heritage Site," and is a popular photo spot visited by many people.
Megane Bridge (Miyamorigawa River Bridge) is located right next to the roadside station. As if timed to coincide with our visit, a Sanriku Railway train was passing by
Miyamoricho is also known as the number one wasabi producing area in the Tohoku region, where you can purchase fresh wasabi as well as enjoy wasabi dishes and processed products.
Wasabi soft serve: 350 yen (mini soft serve 270 yen)
At first glance, it looks like melon soft serve ice cream, but don't be fooled by its spiciness
The wasabi soft serve sold at Gingatei Restaurant is a vibrant light green, and at first you can enjoy the harmony of a light spiciness and sweetness while tasting the aroma of wasabi. However, as you continue to eat it, the flavor and spiciness of the wasabi gradually lingers in your aftertaste, the spiciness felt on your tongue becomes stronger, and the wasabi aroma that wafts through your nose becomes increasingly vivid
I love wasabi and like to put lots of it on my sashimi, but I struggled with this soft serve and it took me a while to finish it
You can purchase tickets for the soft serve ice cream here. If you're not confident about your spiciness, try the vanilla or Amaou soft serve ice cream
For those who don't like the spiciness of wasabi or for children, we recommend the mini size or mixed size
A gourmet menu featuring fresh wasabi
You can adjust the spiciness by grating your own fresh wasabi (you can take any leftover fresh wasabi home with you)
Restaurant Gingatei offers a variety of menu items that allow you to taste fresh wasabi, including the signature " Wasabi Ramen ," a soy sauce-flavored ramen that comes with fresh wasabi and a plate for grating it.
Adding grated fresh wasabi or pickled wasabi stems to the ramen will bring out the wasabi flavor and add a pleasant spicy kick
Miyamori Roadside Station <Information>
Facility name: Roadside Station Miyamori
Address: 30-37-1 Shimomiyamori, Miyamori-cho, Tono City, Iwate Prefecture
Phone number: 0198-67-2929
Opening hours: Shop 9:00-17:00
Opening hours: Restaurant Gingatei Roadside Station Miyamori branch 9:30-16:00
[Roadside Station Tono Kaze no Oka] Soft serve ice cream made with black sesame seeds from a natural farm and freshly squeezed milk! (Tono City: National Route 283)
Tono Kaze no Oka Roadside Station is located on top of a hill. Look for the windmill in the back right
Located on a hill near the city of Tono, known for Kappa and the Tono Monogatari, it reopened in April 2021
This roadside station is a great place to relax and unwind, with a large observation deck overlooking the Sarugaishi River that flows behind it and the JR Kamaishi Line, as well as a food hall with a calm atmosphere that can also be used as a cafe
Tada Natural Farm Sesame Soft Serve: 400 yen
The sesame soft serve ice cream has a delicious texture, with black sesame seeds thoroughly mixed in. The queue at the back is at the counter of Tada Natural Farm
The gray sesame soft serve ice cream, which is made with black sesame paste, has a much stronger sesame flavor than the sesame soft serve ice cream at any other roadside station
Tada Natural Farm's menu includes not only soft serve ice cream but also delicious gelato, shakes, and sundaes
The cream base is rich and tastes more like cheese than milk, making this a popular soft serve ice cream with many repeat customers
The most popular flavor is said to be a mix of vanilla and sesame, but for first-timers, we recommend trying the sesame soft serve on its own
Kirisensho: A simple local B-grade gourmet dish
Kirisensho is a soul food for the people of Iwate Prefecture, so be sure to try it!
It is a simple, filling rice cake made from kneaded rice flour and steamed, and has been loved in the central region of Iwate Prefecture as a snack for celebrations and during agricultural work such as rice planting
[Roadside Station Mitakai Branch School] "School?" Enjoy delicious and great value Iwaizumi milk soft serve ice cream! (Iwaizumi Town, Shimohei District: National Route 455)
The appearance of the Mitagai Branch School is reminiscent of a nostalgic rural school
the site of the former Mitakai branch of Iwaizumi Municipal Kado Elementary School which has since closed , and recreates the atmosphere of an old school.
The store is not particularly large, but it has a good selection of local products, including Iwaizumi yogurt
The store is open all year round on "open days (business days)," and timetables and world maps are posted inside the school (store), reminding you of your elementary school days
Iwaizumi milk soft serve ice cream: 300 yen
Iwaizumi Milk Soft Serve Ice Cream has a milky taste that is obvious from the outside
Made with Iwaizumi milk, the same ingredient used in the popular Iwaizumi yogurt, this soft serve ice cream has a chewy texture and is moderately sweet with a rich milk flavor and aroma, a smooth texture and a refreshing aftertaste
The steel pipe desks and chairs in the cafeteria evoke childhood classrooms
While many local soft serve ice creams are priced at around 400 yen, this one is highly rated and popular among Iwate Prefecture's "milk soft serve ice creams" due to its cost-effective price of 300 yen
Eat school lunch and take home some fried bread!
School lunch menu for the day of attendance (visit)
offers Iwaizumi's soul food, horumon hotpot set meals and ramen, as well as a daily changing "school lunch-style set."
Compared to my childhood, school lunches are more luxurious, but I miss milk in cartons and I'm happy about it
The menu on the day I visited included fried salmon, fried chicken, shredded cabbage, and tamagoyaki (rolled omelet) as side dishes, along with rice, miso soup, pickles, and a carton of milk, which reminded me of nostalgic school lunches
When a classmate took a day off, the remaining fried bread became a rock-paper-scissors battle among volunteers
Also, the nostalgic "fried bread (200 yen)" available at the "purchasing department (store)" is coated with soybean flour, giving it a fragrant flavor, and is softer than the fried bread served in school lunches in the past
The croquette in the front and the minced meat in the back are both large and delicious with plenty of meat
Other recommended deep-fried dishes include "Tankaku Beef Croquettes" and "Black Pork Minced Cutlets," which are also hearty
Roadside Station Mitakai Branch School <Information>
Facility name: Roadside Station Mitakai Branch School
The roadside stations in the central region of Iwate Prefecture are characterized by their unique atmosphere and cuisine, and many of them make you want to stay for a long time
In addition, stations near tourist destinations can be used as bases for gathering tourist information, and stations with facilities such as museums can be places to learn about the area
Even if you're looking for soft serve ice cream or gourmet food, there may be other treats waiting for you
I am a former Edo guy who loves Morioka, loves the six prefectures of Tohoku, and loves history, gourmet food, travel, sports, alcohol, and singing. We'll introduce you to some interesting, delicious, and good things about Tohoku!
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