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is known as kingdom of fruit trees especially cherries
the 23 roadside stations in the prefecture , you can taste and purchase delicious dishes made with these ingredients, and they also serve soft serve ice cream made with local specialties.
In this article, we will introduce some of the soft serve ice cream at roadside stations in Yamagata that you should definitely try this summer.
The prices (tax included) listed in the article are as of early July 2025.
[Roadside Station Obanazawa Hanagasa no Sato Nemaru] This famous watermelon producing area has watermelon flavored soft serve ice cream and sweets! (Obanazawa City: Obanazawa-Shinjo Road, Obanazawa-Kita Interchange, National Route 13)
There is a terrace with tables and chairs under the watermelon-patterned tent in front of the building.
The area around Obanazawa City, which is said to be the birthplace of Hanagasa Ondo, is a famous rice-producing region famous for watermelons, cherries, and La France pears, and is also a thriving livestock farming area, with livestock such as Japanese Black beef cattle being sold at roadside stations.
Watermelon Table
The roadside station's nickname, " Nemaru means to relax in the local dialect
Watermelon Soft Serve Ice Cream has watermelon extract kneaded into the cream , giving it a strong watermelon flavor and a refreshing aftertaste, just like eating watermelon.
Restaurant "Nemaru"
Soft serve ice cream can be purchased at the counter of the restaurant "Nemaru."
"Watermelon Bread Karinto" made from watermelon bread with watermelon sugar
A generous portion for just 300 yen
The souvenir shop " Hanagasa " sells watermelon-colored " watermelon sugar ," made from concentrated extract of Obanazawa watermelon, which is famous for its sweetness, as well as sweets and drinks that use it.
A selection of watermelon souvenirs. The one on the far left is watermelon sugar, which is quite expensive at 2,300 yen per bottle.
Watermelon sugar is said to have health benefits such as regulating blood pressure, improving skin condition, relieving muscle fatigue, detoxifying, and boosting the immune system, and is popular for its natural sweetness that seems to be gentle on the body.
I bought Watermelon Bread Karinto from the list of foods that use watermelon sugar
The color shows that the watermelon bread is deep-fried
The city's Obata Bakery sells rusks made with sugar called " Watermelon
This is watermelon bread, and we recommend the one with watermelon jam.
They are reasonably priced at 300 yen per bag and are not too sweet, making them perfect for taking on a drive.
Roadside Station Obanazawa Hanagasa Village Nemaru ＜Information＞
Facility name: Roadside Station Obanazawa Hanagasa Village Nemaru
Address: 1195-1 Ashizawa, Obanazawa City, Yamagata Prefecture
[Roadside Station Murayama] This roadside station serves delicious soba noodles and its soft serve ice cream is "Rose Butt"! (Murayama City: National Route 13)
Facility entrance and dome-shaped pedestrian bridge
There are parking lots on both sides of National Route 13, and from the parking lot in the direction of Yamagata and Tendo, you can reach this roadside station by crossing a dome-shaped pedestrian bridge over the national route.
Locally grown cherries are sold at bargain prices
Murayama Roadside Station aims to be a "specialty roadside station that you'll definitely want to visit," and you can always get fresh, locally grown seasonal fruits and vegetables directly from the farm.
The local Pocky is also made with cherries (Sato Nishiki)
there is a wide variety of dishes and sweets made with buckwheat flour, including the Yamagata staple " ita soba
Rosehip soft serve ice cream: 400 yen
Refreshing soft serve ice cream with the sour taste of rose hips
Rosehips are the red or purple fruits that grow on roses. They are rich in vitamin C, and the flesh can be made into jam or marmalade, and is also used as herbal tea .
The soft serve ice cream section in the food corner, where the seasonal cherry soft serve ice cream is also popular
The soft serve ice cream is infused with rose extract and topped with rosehip syrup, giving it a refreshingly sour taste. After the cream melts, it leaves a feeling of collagen lingering in your mouth, and the sweet and sour flavor pairs perfectly with the waffle cone.
Kaimozu Stick
Fragrant "Kaimozu Sticks"
" Kaimozu " is a type of soba dumpling made in the Murayama region by kneading buckwheat flour with hot water, and sobagaki that is deep-fried into sticks in oil, making it an original snack at the roadside station, costing 350 yen.
The crispy fried sticks are fragrant and the flavor of soba spreads throughout your mouth. They are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
It comes in two flavors, salt and spicy shichimi, and is recommended as a snack or appetizer.
Try Yamagata's specialties, "ita soba" and "hiyashi ramen"!
"Ita Soba" with a strong soba aroma
Try the Yamagata specialty " ita soba
Nihachi soba (28% buckwheat flour), which is about 80% buckwheat flour, but it has a strong aroma and is boiled firm, and goes well with the rich soup, which has a strong sweetness and the flavor of fish stock.
This is also a Yamagata specialty, "Cold Ramen"
" Cold Ramen (750 yen)" is also a Yamagata specialty, but unlike regular "Cold Chinese noodles," it does not contain vinegar, and instead has noodles, bamboo shoots, and pork slices floating in the cold soup.
It's basically "cold ramen," and features a cold soy sauce-flavored soup with ice, making it a great ramen for the hot summer.
Murayama Roadside Station <Information>
Facility name: Murayama Roadside Station
Address: 7635-1 Tateoka, Murayama City, Yamagata Prefecture
[Asahimachi Roadside Station Ringo no Mori] Apples are the main focus of Ringo no Mori's soft serve ice cream and gourmet food! (Asahimachi, Nishimurayama District: National Route 287)
Facility seen from the parking lot
Asahi Town is known as the town of apples, and the roadside station building has a red roof that represents an apple, and the toilet with a green roof represents a leaf.
The fruits on sale at this time of year are peaches and plums.
In addition to apples, the farm also offers a variety of seasonal fruits such as peaches and grapes, and you can also purchase fresh, seasonal vegetables.
The mysterious mascot "Pink Rabbit"
Apparently, this roadside station has a cute pink character called " Momoiro Usahi ," and if you're lucky enough to be by the canal, you might be able to meet him.
Ripe apple soft serve ice cream: 450 yen
The texture of diced apple pulp is delicious
Grated Apple Soft Serve " which has grated apple mixed in RipeApple" which is made with diced apples and topped with apple compote .
Apple Marche menu
This time, apple soft serve ice cream, which also comes in a "raw milk soft serve ice cream" flavor. The cream has a strong milk flavor, and the tartness and texture of the diced apples added in abundance matches perfectly with it.
Did Newton try the "Gravity Burger (450 yen)"?
A big pate with apples inside
The patty is made from ground meat from Asahi Town's specialty brand pork, " Apple New Porkapples from Asahi Town and is placed on top of shredded cabbage.
It is topped with slices of apple compote and a sweet, mitarashi-style sauce with grated apple as a secret ingredient, and is sandwiched between fluffy buns, creating a burger full of the tart flavor of apple.
Apple Marche
Apple Marche on the facility grounds , so if you really want to try one, it's best to visit the roadside station in the morning.
Asahimachi Apple Forest Roadside Station <Information>
Facility name: Asahimachi Roadside Station Apple Forest
[Roadside Station Nishikawa] Enjoy a beer soft serve ice cream after your driver's bath! (Nishikawa Town, Nishimurayama District: National Route 112)
The Gassan Beer brewery is located within the building.
This is the only roadside station in Yamagata Prefecture with an attached craft beer factory which produces authentic beers such as Münchner " and " Pilsner in Germany, the home of beer
A nice and well-stocked shop
The restaurant serves dishes that pair well with beer, which can be enjoyed after a bath at Mizusawa Onsenkan, located on the premises. However, for drivers who cannot drink beer, we recommend the non-alcoholic beer soft serve.
Gassan beer soft serve: 320 yen
Enjoy a beer while looking at the brewery
The beer-yellow soft serve ice cream has a rich hop and honey flavor that fills your mouth when you put it in your mouth, and it has a clean aftertaste that is as refreshing as after a big gulp of beer.
Although it has the aroma of hops, it is not bitter, so even children can enjoy it, and since it does not contain alcohol, drivers can also eat it safely.
When you think of Yamagata, you think of Tama Konnyaku!
The top one is "hiyashi tamagon" with boiled egg, and the bottom one is "hiyashi tamagon" with three konjac balls.
We recommend Chilled Tamakon (150 yen)" and " Chilled Tamagon served at the restaurant
In both cases, the soy sauce flavor is well infused into the chilled konjac, and the sweet and salty taste of the konjac goes well with the sweet and spicy taste of the mustard miso. The "Chilled Tamagon" comes with a boiled egg, making it a hearty and satisfying meal.
Counter for receiving soft drinks and food
Both dishes are served with lightly pickled cucumbers on the counter, which you can add as a side dish of your choice.
It's a nice change of flavor, so be sure to get one and enjoy it together.
Chokai Roadside Station Furatto: Dadacha beans or La France pears, which is your favorite soft serve ice cream? (Yuza Town, Akumi District: National Route 7, National Route 345)
In the back right corner, there are bakeries, ramen shops, and other establishments.
Yuza Town located at the foot of Mt. Chokai and facing the Sea of Japan , is blessed with both mountain and sea produce, and the roadside station is home to the Himawari no Kai farm produce and the Genki na Hama store fresh fish direct sales store .
The former Kamenahama store offers fresh seafood and side dishes made with it.
In addition, skewers of seafood are popular in the fast food corner, and the "set meal" that adds a rice set (rice, miso soup, and pickles) to seafood purchased at the "Genki na Hama store" is also very popular.
Dadacha bean soft serve ice cream: 450 yen
"Dadacha Bean Soft Cream" - the delicious flavor of dadachamame beans fills your mouth
The fast food corner offers soft serve ice cream in two flavors Dadacha mame (green soybeansLa France pear
The aroma and sweetness of the dadachamame beans kneaded into the subtly sweet vanilla cream is delicious, and you can also enjoy the texture of the grains, leaving a rich dadachamame flavor in the aftertaste.
Soft serve ice cream menu
soy sauce salt soft serve " is also a popular soft serve ice cream in the fast food corner
Grilled seafood skewers and oyster rice balls
The counter is lined with skewers and seafood, as well as meatballs, frankfurters, tempura, and more.
Our recommended takeout gourmet choice is the grilled seafood skewers from the fast food section, with the mixed seafood skewers (octopus, scallops, whelks, and clams) being especially popular as they allow you to enjoy a variety of flavors.
Unfortunately, I couldn't enjoy it this time because I visited on a weekday!
Tsuyahime grown in Yamagata Prefecture are also popular, and the " Oyster Rice Ball " which is only available on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays and comes topped with two large oysters is especially popular.
In addition to the ones introduced in this article, roadside stations in Yamagata also offer soft serve ice cream that lets you enjoy the flavors of local specialties.
There are also roadside stations that sell several original soft serve ice creams, all of which are unique and delicious, so I would like to visit the roadside stations again soon and give you a taste report.
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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