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[Aomori Prefecture] Apples, quince, rice, soybeans, black garlic, and even clams! The soft serve ice cream at roadside stations in Aomori Prefecture is amazing!
[Aomori Prefecture] Apples, quince, rice, soybeans, black garlic, and even clams! The soft serve ice cream at roadside stations in Aomori Prefecture is amazing!
Aomori Prefecture is surrounded by the sea on three sides and is blessed with natural resources such as volcanoes, hot springs, caldera lakes, and brackish lakes, and is rich in seafood, mountain produce such as wild vegetables, and agricultural products such as rice, fruit, and garlic
The soft serve ice cream at roadside stations in Aomori Prefecture each makes use of the flavors of local specialties
In this article, we will introduce some recommended roadside station soft serve ice creams
Please note that the prices (tax included) listed in the article are current as of early July 2025
[Roadside Station Ikarigaseki Tsugaru Sekinosho] I've never seen such a color before! The yellow soft serve ice cream made with local specialty "Quince" (Hirakawa City: National Route 7)
The gate at the entrance is reminiscent of a strict checkpoint
Located in Ikarigaseki, a hot spring resort that was also a checkpoint for the Tsugaru domain and was patronized by the domain, this roadside station is like an Edo period theme park, with the exterior of the checkpoint recreated
A spacious and bright specialty product store
In addition to the Cultural Tourism Center, which has a specialty product shop and a restaurant, there is also a hot spring facility (Okariya Palace) on the premises, which includes a foot bath where anyone can relax and enjoy the hot springs.There is also the Sekisho Museum, so you can spend the whole day relaxing here
Quince soft serve ice cream: 400 yen
Quince soft serve ice cream reminiscent of corn color
Soft serve ice cream made with locally produced quince is sold at the restaurant " Irori " inside the Cultural Tourism Center
"Sari" where you can get takeout dishes such as Chinese noodles
It is said to have a pleasant aroma and a strong sour taste, but also has a pear-like flavor, and has a texture similar to sorbet, which tastes like crushed quince topped with milk and sugar, making it a refreshing soft treat
Takoyaki filled with plenty of wild yam
Fluffy and chewy takoyaki made with the stickiness of wild yam
" Yam Takoyaki (6 pieces for 600 yen)" is a popular menu item at " Takekko-an, " located in the food court . The outside is fluffy and chewy, while the inside is gooey, allowing you to feel the stickiness of the yam.
Takekkoan not only has a takoyaki menu, but also a wide variety of fried and grilled takeout dishes
It is filled with chewy octopus and comes in both sauce and soy sauce flavors, both of which are delicious, but we recommend the soy sauce flavor, which allows you to get a stronger taste of the Aomori wild yam
Roadside Station Ikarigaseki Tsugaru Sekinosho ＜Information＞
Facility name: Roadside Station Ikarigaseki Tsugaru Sekinosho
Address: 13-1 Ikariishi, Ikarigaseki, Hirakawa City, Aomori Prefecture
[Roadside Station Namioka Apple Hill] Enjoy apple-infused delicacies on a hill surrounded by apple orchards! (Namioka, Aomori City: National Route 7 Namioka Bypass)
Roadside Station Namioka Source: Wikipedia (File name: Michinoeki-namioka.jpg, Photographer: Sasuku)
In the 2022 "Jalan National Roadside Station Satisfaction Ranking,"it was ranked No. 1 in Aomori Prefecture and No. 5 nationwide.
Located on a hill called " Apple Hill ," overlooking the town of Namioka and its apple orchards , this shop offers a wide selection of souvenirs and locally sourced specialty products.
The souvenir corner where you can purchase souvenirs not only from Aomori but from all over Japan
This roadside station is full of stalls selling brown rice soba noodles, soba curry, hand-baked rice crackers, daifuku, and oyaki, making it a great place to enjoy both shopping and dining
Apple soft serve ice cream: 380 yen
Apple soft serve ice cream that lets you fully enjoy the flavor of apples
Sold at the " JA Fruit Shop " located on the premises , this soft-serve ice cream is made with plenty of apple extract from Namioka apples, allowing you to fully enjoy the apple flavor. It has a good balance of tartness and sweetness, making it a refreshing treat
Unique apple dumplings
Eye-catching apple gyoza POP
the standing soba noodle shop "Michikusa-an," while Hirosaki's specialty "Ika Menchi" (squid cutlet) is also recommended, the item you absolutely must try is the "Apple Gyoza," which contains 11% apple pulp and no garlic.
Freshly fried apple gyoza can be enjoyed in-store or taken out
The dumplings are fried after you order them, so they take a little time, but the thick, chewy batter and the flavor of the diced apples combine sweetness and sourness, making them delicious even without any condiments
It's hard to tell from the photo, but there are lots of diced apples inside the gyoza
It's great as a topping for soba noodles, but you can also take it out for 150 yen for two pieces
Namioka Apple Hill Roadside Station <Information>
Facility name: Roadside Station Namioka Apple Hill
Address: 2-3, Megazawanojiri, Namioka, Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture
Phone number: 0172-62-1170
Opening hours: JA Fruit Shop 9:00-18:00 (April-October), 9:00-17:00 (November-March)
Business hours: Standing soba restaurant "Michikusaan" 7:00-17:00 (LO 16:30, March 16th to November 15th), 7:00-18:00 (LO 17:30, November 16th to March 15th)
Business hours: Please check the official website for other store opening hours
Closed: Please check the official website for the closing days of each store
[Towada Roadside Station Towada Pia] Black garlic and Gentare sauce are now available as soft serve ice cream and cider! (Towada City: National Route 4)
The spacious entrance
The Nanbu Ironware Preservation Society and Teletrack Towada are also located on the premises
The direct sales area is popular, selling a wide variety of rare agricultural products, including garlic and nagaimo, which are the top-growing crops in Japan, as well as Chinese and European vegetables and ostrich meat
Local specialties and agricultural produce direct sales corner in the center house
Additionally, the company that manufactures "Stamina Gen Tare," a yakiniku sauce said to be found in almost every household refrigerator in Aomori Prefecture, also produces related products.
Black garlic soft serve ice cream (Masshigura rice soft serve ice cream): 350 yen
Black garlic soft serve ice cream in a cup
Black garlic powder has a fragrant aroma, but does not have a strong garlic smell
The rice soft serve ice cream, made with " Masshigura " rice from Towada , leaves a sweet and lingering rice flavor in the aftertaste, reminiscent of eating plain white rice.
"Nou Ice" is located inside the center house
Black garlic is said to have immune-boosting effects, and you can buy it at " Nou Ice " inside the roadside station
It definitely tastes like cafe au lait
If you mix the black garlic powder with cream and eat it together, you can enjoy a flavor similar to cafe au lait, so we recommend the cup, which is easier to mix to your liking than the cone
Soy milk soft serve ice cream made with Towada-grown soybeans "Osuzu": 350 yen
It looks the same as regular soft serve ice cream
the rice soft serve, "Farm Ice" also offers a popular soy milk soft serve ice cream made with 100% soy milk squeezed from soybeans grown in Towada.
This soft serve ice cream has a strong flavor similar to that of thick soy milk and a refreshing aftertaste
"Nou Ice" menu
In addition to these, Nou Ice Cream also offers seasonal flavors such as soft serve ice cream made with ground cherries and blueberries
Stamina Source Cider
It was just released on July 1st and is displayed in the most prominent place (the one on the left is not a cider but a sauce)
" Stamina Gen Tare Cider (378 yen)," a collaboration between Kamikita Agricultural Processing, the maker of "Stamina Gen Tare," and Hachinohe Ice & Refrigeration, the maker of Hachinohe's local cider " Mishima Citron ," was released on July 1st.
There are many different types of sauces on the market, but this is the classic "Stamina Gentare" sauce
It was developed to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the release of "Gentare," which uses in-house brewed soy sauce, Towada garlic, and apples and onions grown in the prefecture
Luckily, I happened to be visiting a roadside station right after that, so I bought some and tried it right away
The label states, "This is cider."
When poured into a glass, the flavor of "Gen Tare," which we often eat at home, spreads. When you take a sip, you can initially taste the moderately sweet taste of cider, but the strong flavor of "Gen Tare," with its ginger and garlic, soon emerges and lingers in your nose
You can also taste the delicious flavor of Gen Sauce, making this a cider that fans should definitely try
Towada Roadside Station Towada Pia ＜Information＞
Facility name: Roadside Station Towada Towada Pia
Address: 37-2 Denpohirakubo, Towada City, Aomori Prefecture
Phone number: 0176-28-3790
Business hours: Center House 9:00-19:00
Business hours: Nou Ice 10:00-17:00
Opening hours: Please check the official website for other facilities
[Roadside Station Lake Ogawara Koyukan] What does clam-flavored soft serve ice cream taste like? Try it first! (Tohoku Town, Kamikita District: Prefectural Route 8 Hachinohe-Noheji Line)
The exterior of the roadside station
This roadside station serves as the gateway to Lake Ogawara, the largest lake in Aomori Prefecture, and sells agricultural products from the Kamikita region as well as seafood and processed foods from Lake Ogawara, such as clams, whitebait, and smelt
"Gourmet Ship Kamikita"
In the pond at the " Waterfront Park " located within the station grounds, large carp swim, and nearby, the " Gourmet Ship Kamikita ," a former floating restaurant on the lake, is on display, and visitors can tour the inside of the ship.
Clam soft serve ice cream: 350 yen
At first glance, it looks like a normal soft serve ice cream, but the delicious flavor of clams is hidden inside
This soft-serve ice cream uses " Aoi Mori no Milk ," a brand of milk from the Kamikita region , and is infused with clam extract from Lake Ogawa, resulting in a sweet and salty flavor
The restaurant counter where you can buy soft serve ice cream, and the popular Hakkoda Milk Soft Serve, which lets you taste pure Aoi Mori no Milk
At first, it tastes like regular salted soft serve, but the aftertaste leaves a strong savory and mineral flavor of the clams, making it stand out, and it tastes even better when eaten with corn
Lake Ogawara whitebait tsukudani
You can buy tsukudani (simmered food) such as whitebait and smelt at reasonable prices
It is lightly seasoned compared to regular tsukudani and is sold for 210 yen per pack
The whitebait is large, so you can really taste its flavor, making it the perfect accompaniment to rice or a snack with sake.It is also available as a set with smelt tsukudani (simmered in soy sauce) for 440 yen
Yamato Shijimi clams from Lake Ogawara have been de-sanded and can be eaten immediately
In the same section, large fresh clams from Lake Ogawara are sold at reasonable prices and are a popular souvenir
Roadside Station Ogawara Lake Koyukan ＜Information＞
Facility name: Roadside Station Lake Ogawara Koyukan
Aomori Prefecture is roughly divided into Tsugaru, centered around Hirosaki City in the west; the area around Aomori City in the center; the Sanhachi region, which includes Misawa City and Hachinohe City; and Shimokita, which includes Mutsu City
Each region has its own unique agricultural and marine products, allowing you to enjoy a variety of ingredients, and the soft serve ice cream and gourmet food at roadside stations also have their own unique offerings
I'm a former Edoite (Tokyoite) who loves Morioka and the six prefectures of Tohoku, and I'm a big fan of history, gourmet food, travel, sports, alcohol, and choral singing.
I'll introduce you to interesting things, delicious food, and great places in Tohoku!
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