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is Babahera Ice Cream where a parasol is set up in a roadside parking space and then an ice cream shaped like a rose is made by skillfully using a spatula underneath
In an effort to rival Babahera ice cream, an increasing number of roadside stations in Akita are developing and selling original, ingenious soft serve ice creams.
In this article, we will introduce some of the interesting soft serve ice creams available at roadside stations.
Please note that the prices (tax included) listed in the article are current as of mid-July 2025.
[Roadside Station Akita Port SELION] Original soft serve ice cream from Akita Prefecture's first "Lovers' Sanctuary"! (Akita City: Prefectural Port Road Route 13, Port Street)
Full view of Selion (the glass building visible below the tower is Selion Rista, and on the right is Selion Plaza) Source: Wikipedia (File name: Selion full view.jpg, Photographer: 103momo)
Port Tower Selion located at Akita Port, shops and restaurants, as well as a 100m-high port tower (free observation deck) from which you can enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view of Akita city, the Oga Peninsula, and Mount Chokai.
The roadside station parking lot seen from the observation deck 100m above ground
The view of the sunset over the Sea of Japan and the night view of Akita city from this tower are said to be the most spectacular, and the views from the observation deck on the 5th floor and the cafe on the 4th floor are popular.
The entrance to Selion Lista becomes like a greenhouse in the summer, so be careful of heatstroke.
Selion Plaza which includes a multipurpose hall, Selion Rista an indoor green park with a sandbox and slides where children can play .
Babahera soft serve ice cream: 350 yen
Same color as Babahera ice cream
Akita's specialty " Babahera Ice Cream " (pink strawberry flavored and yellow banana flavored sherbet), and is selling it exclusively at roadside stations (sales are suspended during the winter).
" milky babahera ice cream ," but the aftertaste is just as refreshing as babahera ice cream.
The Babahera Soft serve ice cream shop is located in the passage between Port Tower Selion and Selion Rista.
Babahera soft serve ice cream is sold at Shindo Reika's outdoor store at Selion (next to the entrance on the Selion Rista side).
Unfortunately, the Tsuyu flavored soft serve is currently on hiatus.
The store ice cream called "Udon Soba Vending Machine Soup Flavor Soft Serve Ice Cream (430 yen with toppings)," a collaboration between Celion and Shindo Reika. Unfortunately, when we visited on July 18th, it was not on sale due to a "machine malfunction," so we were unable to try it.
Lactic acid bacteria soft serve: 440 yen (eat-in price, take-out price is 432 yen)
Lactic acid bacteria soft serve ice cream looks the same as regular vanilla soft serve ice cream
This yogurt-flavored soft serve ice cream is an original creation of Selion Cafe located on the fourth floor, 96 meters above ground, below the Port Tower Observation Deck
When you put it in your mouth, it has a fluffy texture like foam, and as the name suggests, the flavor of a lactic acid bacteria drink spreads, followed by the sourness and flavor of yogurt.
The flavor of the lactic acid bacteria drink returns in the aftertaste, making this soft serve ice cream refreshing to the very end, and a variety of syrups are available as toppings.
A generous serving of lactic acid bacteria soft serve ice cream in a cup. If two people order one, they'll give you two spoons.
If a couple orders one soft serve, they will kindly provide two spoons, allowing you to enjoy the soft serve and the view in comfort.
View of Akita city from inside the restaurant
If you're taking it out, it comes in a cone, but we recommend choosing a cup and eating it inside the cafe while admiring the spectacular view below.
50 years of history! Soba and udon from Sahara Shoten's "Udon/Soba Vending Machine"!
A precious udon and soba vending machine that has been in operation for 50 years
A nostalgic vending machine has been placed in a corner of Selion Rista, where you can enjoy piping hot soba or udon noodles for 350 yen each in 25 seconds after inserting your money. You can enjoy your meal at your leisure in the designated space.
Soba and udon noodles with large tempura, and shichimi peppers are available in the eat-in corner
It comes with a large tempura filled with small shrimp and plenty of green onions, making it an excellent value for money meal.
The vending machine was moved to its current location in April 2016, but it has been serving soba and udon for 50 years and is still going strong today.
The eat-in corner is constantly packed with customers.
I visited on a weekday, and there were many local families there, enjoying hot soba and udon noodles in the heat.
This is a retired vending machine on display.
It is said that they are having difficulty maintaining the vending machines, so why not visit early and enjoy the flavors of Sahara Shoten?
Roadside Station Akita Port SELION ＜Information＞
Facility name: Roadside Station Akita Port SELION
Address: 1-9-1 Tsuchizakimina Nishi, Akita City, Akita Prefecture
Phone number: 018-857-3381
Opening hours: Port Tower Selion Shop 9:00-18:00 (until 17:00 on the last day)
Opening hours: Observation deck 9:00-21:00
Opening hours: Selion outdoor store 9:00-17:00 (closed from November to March)
Business hours: Udon and soba vending machines 10:00-17:00
[Roadside Station Oga OGARE] The recommended soft serve at Namahage Roadside Station is the soy sauce soft serve ice cream with a mitarashi flavor! (Oga City: Prefectural Route 59)
Panoramic view from the parking lot
Located in Oga City at the base of the Oga Peninsula, Ogare is a tourist hub for the Oga Peninsula and is known as " Namahage Village ," a roadside station that always stocks fresh seafood.
Shellfish are also packaged by local fishermen and sold with cooking instructions.
The seafood is packaged and priced by local fishermen, so you can always get extremely fresh seafood at low prices.
Morosofu an Ogare specialty sold at Oga's restaurant on the best coastline in the Orient , is a sweet and salty soft serve ice cream made with soy sauce from Moroi Brewery in Oga City.
The entrance to the restaurant where you can buy "Morosofu"
This delicious soft serve ice cream is a favorite of Japanese people, with a hint of milk in the flavor of mitarashi dango, a rich aroma of fragrant soy sauce, and a lingering aftertaste of the delicious flavor of moromi.
"Kitchen Umaine" vending machine where you can enjoy local cuisine
Two "Kitchen Umaine" vending machines are lined up next to each other. The machine's base is the "Doreemon" that is often seen at roadside stations these days.
In the rest area, there is a vending machine selling frozen food made with Oga ingredients, and there is a microwave oven nearby, so you can eat on the spot at any time, 24 hours a day.
Instructions on how to defrost and cook are provided on-site, and cooking times are pre-set for each product for your convenience.
Because the food is flash-frozen, it tastes as good as freshly made even when defrosted in the microwave. As of July 2025, there are 10 different menu items, with plans to add more.
Oga Shottsuru Yakisoba: 750 yen
It's packed with ingredients like squid and shrimp, and the shottsuru flavor really whets the appetite.
" Shottsuru " is a seasoning called " gyoshomade by salting sandfish, a specialty of Akita
This Japanese-style fried noodles is packed with the delicious flavor of sandfish, and the flavor and texture of green vegetables add a nice accent.
Kiritanpo seafood curry hotpot: 1,080 yen
Kiritanpo, which is soaked in curry-flavored soup, is absolutely delicious!
This seafood curry hotpot is also packed with ingredients, and the spicy curry bouillabaisse is packed with nutrients. The local dish " kiritanpo " is used in place of rice, making it quite filling.
Opening hours: (Winter) 10:30-17:00 (last orders 16:30, October 1st to the end of February), Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 10:30-18:00 (last orders 17:30)
Opening hours: Opens at 10:00 during Golden Week and summer holidays (please see the official website for details)
[Roadside Station Showa Blue Messe Akita] Enjoy rose-scented bouquet soft serve ice cream in the flower town! (Showa, Katagami City: National Route 7 Showa Iida River Bypass, Prefectural Route 229)
Roadside station seen from the flower field. Source: Wikipedia (File name: Blume Messe Akita 20170805a.jpg, Photographer: Kikucha)
The Showa district, located on the southern shore of Lake Hachirogata, is a major flower growing area, and the grounds include a lawn flowerbed plaza with a greenhouse for viewing flowers and a large tulip field.
The store mainly sells local specialties such as tsukudani, but also roadside station specialties from all over Japan.
In the direct-from-farm corner, flowers and plants are sold as local specialties along with vegetables, and in the " product exchange corner " local specialties from all over the country are on display, making it a popular attraction just to look at.
Bouquet soft serve ice cream: 450 yen
Colorful bouquet of strawberries and roses soft serve ice cream
Milky vanilla soft serve ice cream is placed on top of rose petal-infused rose ice cream, and is garnished with rich rose-flavored jam and rose-shaped rice flour cookies (made with Akita Komachi rice).
Bouquet soft serve ice cream with a variety of flavors
The strawberry flavor's aroma and rose flavor fill your mouth, and you can enjoy the combination with the fragrant waffle cone.
Unique Tsukudani "Nut Mandarin Oranges"
The playful "Nuts Mikan"
Tsukudani (preserved food boiled in soy sauce) made from seafood caught in Lake Hachirogata is a local specialty, and in the local product sales corner, each store in the area competes to sell tsukudani prepared with their own traditional seasonings.
" Nuts Mikan (450 yen)" is a slightly unusual tsukudani that has a sweet feel to it, made by mixing nuts and walnuts with squid and agar jelly, accented with orange tsukudani?
Enjoy the different tastes and textures of the various ingredients
The bitter-sweet orange pairs well with the fragrant nuts and walnuts, and the texture of the squid and agar is enjoyable, making it the perfect accompaniment to wine, whiskey, highballs, etc.
Roadside Station Showa Blue Messe Akita ＜Information＞
Facility name: Roadside Station Showa Blue Messe Akita
Address: 1-1 Yamanoshita, Showa Toyokawa Ryumo, Katagami City, Akita Prefecture
[Roadside Station Kyowa Shiki no Mori] This roadside station, located in a rice- and sake-growing region, serves pure rice ginjo sake lees soft serve ice cream! (Daisen City: National Route 46)
A roadside station surrounded by nature
Daisen City was formed by the merger of Omagari City, famous for Omagari Fireworks and is home to many sake breweries known nationwide, including Kariho
The ready-to-eat "bear curry" sold at the store has become a popular menu item at the restaurant.
The spacious grounds include a grassy park and a ground golf course, making this a roadside station where you can relax surrounded by nature.
Sake lees soft serve ice cream: 400 yen
At first glance, it looks like a regular vanilla soft serve ice cream, but unfortunately the ginjo aroma doesn't really come across in the photo.
This soft serve ice cream (which does not contain alcohol) is made with sake lees from Chiyo Midori by Okuda Sake Brewery, a long-established sake brewery in Kyowa, Daisen City, and
It has zero alcohol content, so drivers and children can enjoy it without worry.
The flavor of sake lees is clearly present, and the aftertaste is refreshing, like eating sweet sake soft serve ice cream, and it goes well with the taste of the black charcoal waffle cone.
The most popular takeout gourmet food is "Ohagi"!
The ohagi rice balls, filled with plenty of bean paste, are sold in packs of two.
Ohagi handmade from local glutinous rice " Hidekomochi , has a refreshing sweetness and a delicious " half-cooked " texture that makes it easy to eat as many as you like.
the Kyowa Karamatsu Specialty Products Development Department learned how to make these at a supermarket in Akiu Onsen, Miyagi Prefecture, which is famous for its ohagi, and they also offer two-color ohagi
Enjoy two flavors: red bean paste and kinako paste
There were many repeat customers waiting for the sale from the morning, and even on weekdays, the stock of ohagi was low by 11am.
Please note that no additives are used in the ohagi and the expiration date is the next day.
Kyowa Shiki no Mori Roadside Station ＜Information＞
Facility name: Roadside Station Kyowa Shiki no Mori
Address: 15-2 Kyowa Arakawa Shinden Omote, Daisen City, Akita Prefecture
Akita Prefecture is a region that receives heavy snowfall, and many roadside stations within the prefecture have different opening hours in summer and winter, so we recommend checking in advance if you plan to visit around April or November.
Also, some roadside stations do not offer soft serve ice cream during the winter, so it's a good idea to check before you go.
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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