Michi-no-Eki Saijo Nonta-no-Sakagura

Saijo is one of Japan's three great sake towns, along with Fushimi and Nada, and this station, opened in July 2022, is shaped like a brewery to make the point. Nonta is the city's mascot. Inside, the market's sake corner lines up bottles from ten local breweries, including Kamotsuru, Hakubotan, Kamoizumi and Kirei, with handwritten staff picks on a blackboard.

Come here to buy bottles; for brewery visits, the old brewery quarter by JR Saijo Station is a short drive away. Food is the other half of the visit. The food court focuses on Higashihiroshima produce, the Nonta burger is the signature, and Ristorante Famiglia serves Western dishes, including a grown-up kids' plate.

Families get a free indoor play area for small children and a dog run outside. The station is also designated a disaster-prevention michi-no-eki, and the car park has 81 large-vehicle bays alongside 138 for cars. The market opens until 20:30, later than most roadside stations, but the restaurants keep their own hours.