Michi-no-Eki Arai

Michi-no-Eki Arai is less a quiet country market than a small food town. It opened in 2000 beside Route 18 in Myoko, and drivers on the Joshin-etsu Expressway can walk in from the Arai parking area or leave at the smart interchange. That double access is the main reason it gets busy: you can eat here without choosing between the expressway and the old road.

The Nihonkai seafood center sells fish from the Sea of Japan coast, and the produce market and souvenir shops cover the Joetsu and Myoko area. The food counters include ramen, soba, conveyor-belt sushi, pizza and a bakery, so a group with different appetites can split up and meet again. There is also a business hotel and a convenience store on site, plus the Kubikino Joho-kan information center for road and sightseeing advice.

Myoko gets heavy snow, and the station was named a key michi-no-eki in 2015 partly because its multi-level parking can shelter stranded drivers in a snowstorm. In winter, check road conditions at the information center before heading up to the ski areas. Each shop sets its own hours and days off.