Roadside station

A roadside station (道の駅, Michi no eki) is a government-designated rest area found along roads and highways in Japan.

In addition to providing places for travelers to rest, they are intended to promote local tourism and trade.

All roadside stations provide 24-hour access to parking, public toilets, directional and tourism information, and other facilities.

[2] The concept for roadside stations came from a January 1990 symposium held by the Ministry of Construction's Chugoku Regional Construction Bureau:[3] one of the participants suggested that roads could have stations in the same way that railways do.

[7] The purpose of the system is to provide priority support to roadside stations that are deemed excellent in order to assist with regional revitalization.