# Michi-no-Eki Arai

> On Route 18 in Myoko, next to the Arai parking area and smart interchange of the Joshin-etsu Expressway. A seafood center, produce market and a row of ramen, soba and sushi counters make it a reliable meal stop between Nagano and the Sea of Japan coast.

- Prefecture: Niigata
- Type: Michi no eki
- Address: Myoko, Niigata, Japan
- Hours note: The Kubikino Joho-kan information center is open 9:00 to 21:00 (shorter at year end); the seafood center 9:00 to 18:00. Restaurants and shops keep their own hours and days off. Expect snow from December to March.
- Parking and toilets: free, open 24 hours
- Official site: https://niigata-kankou.or.jp/spot/7017

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.

---
Source: Michi-no-Eki Arai — Japan Voyage