# Michi-no-Eki Sasagawa Nagare

> Niigata's northernmost roadside station sits on Route 345 beside JR Kuwagawa Station, right on the Sea of Japan. Stop for the salt soft serve, walk the footbridge down to the beach, and stay for the sunset if the sky is clear.

- Prefecture: Niigata
- Type: Michi no eki
- Address: Murakami, Niigata, Japan
- Closed: Closed on the last Wednesday of the month from April to October, every Wednesday from November to March, and on 30 December, 31 December and 1 January. Toilets and parking stay open.
- Hours note: Shop and restaurant hours change with the season. Closed every Wednesday from November to March and on the last Wednesday of the month from April to October; toilets and parking remain open.
- Parking and toilets: free, open 24 hours
- Official site: https://niigata-kankou.or.jp/spot/detail_7009.html

Sasagawa Nagare is the name of the rocky coast north of Murakami, and Route 345 follows it almost at sea level. The roadside station halfway along shares its building with JR Kuwagawa Station on the Uetsu Line, so a train can pull in while you are eating. It is the northernmost michi-no-eki in Niigata, and the obvious break on a drive up the coast toward Yamagata.

The thing to order is the Nihonkai soft serve, made with salt from the Sasagawa Nagare coast and Hokkaido milk. A plainer Hokkaido version and a mix of the two are sold at the same cafe counter. The shop on the ground floor sells local products, the restaurant upstairs looks out over the water, and a footbridge crosses Route 345 so you can walk down to the beach without dodging traffic.

The station is called Yuhi Kaikan, sunset hall, and the west-facing view is the reason to time a visit for the evening. Hours change by season and the restaurant closes earlier in winter. From November to March the shops close every Wednesday, and toilets and parking stay open on closed days. Murakami-Senami Onsen IC is about 30 minutes south by car.

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Source: Michi-no-Eki Sasagawa Nagare — Japan Voyage