Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

A michi-no-eki (道の駅, "roadside station") is a rest stop on Japan's ordinary roads, registered by the national government. There are more than 1,200 of them, and every one has free parking and toilets you can use 24 hours a day, plus road and local information.

Most also have a market selling the area's vegetables, fruit and specialities, somewhere to eat, and often a soft serve made from something grown nearby. Some add a hot spring, a museum or a campsite.

That makes them the easiest place to stop on a road trip, a cycling tour or a motorcycle ride. You can rest, eat and stock up without leaving the road, and you taste the local food on the way rather than only at the end.

They are rest stops, not campsites. A nap in the car is fine, but the government asks people not to use the car parks for an overnight stay, so look for an RV Park if you want to sleep in your car. Shops and restaurants keep their own hours and closing days.

Most stations have their own rubber stamp for visitors, and you can collect them on Japan Voyage too: check in at a station to add it to your stamps.