Roadside Station Takeda

Famous Water, Famous Music, and a Castle Town
On the way to and from a trip full of charm

The castle town of Takeda is surrounded by mountains and is famous for its abundant subterranean water from the Aso Mountains. It is also known for the famous song "Arajo-no-Moon" (Moon over the Deserted Castle). The roadside station also has an artificial pond where visitors can draw water from a fountain. At the product store, kabosu, strawberries, tomatoes, and rice grown with Takeda's famous water are on display. The restaurant serves Oita's popular local dishes such as dagojiru (dago soup), toriten (chicken tempura), and yaseuma (fried horse meat), and strawberry picking at the adjacent strawberry garden from late December to mid-May is also a treat. The castle town is a 10-minute drive away.

Map of Roadside Station Taketa

Gourmet Information of Roadside Station Taketa

Eat Here Seasonal Vegetable Curry Set

The "Seasonal Vegetable Curry Set" (1,200 yen tax included) is a long-selling menu item at Zenmai Shokudo, a restaurant attached to the restaurant. Local seasonal vegetables are fried and colorfully topped. The rice is made from Kakeboshi rice from the Yonai area where the station is located, and cooked with Takeda's famous water and saffron. In fact, Taketa City is one of the few places in Japan where domestically produced saffron is grown, and its quality is recognized worldwide. This is probably the only roadside station in Japan where saffron rice curry is available! You can choose from sweet or dry roux. Salad and sherbet are included. Topped with a raw egg, hot spring egg, or cheese for an additional 100 yen. 11:00 - 16:00, closed on Wednesdays.

Tomatoes are the most popular local product.

Taketa City is known as one of the leading tomato growing areas in western Japan. Especially in the Hagi-cho area, the temperature difference between day and night is 15 degrees Celsius, and the area is blessed with clear spring water, which produces tomatoes with high sugar content. Generally, the season is summer, but Takeda's autumn tomatoes, harvested in October and November, are even sweeter due to the temperature difference between morning and evening. The fully ripened tomato ketchup made from these tomatoes is also famous throughout Japan. It is made with additive-free vinegar and is gentle on the body. Tomato juice and dressing are also available at the roadside station.

Proud of this too! Strawberry picking

Strawberry picking can be enjoyed in vinyl greenhouses behind "Roadside Station Takeda" until mid-May. Three varieties of strawberries are grown: "Saga Honoka," "Benihoppe," and "Yufuotome. The "Saga Honoka" has a refreshing sweetness with low acidity, the "Beni Hoppe" has a rich flavor with a balance of acidity and sweetness, and the "Yufuotome" has a sweetness with low acidity. The opening hours may change or the park may be closed depending on production conditions, so please check in advance.

Around Roadside Station Taketa

Ruins of Okaya Castle

If you want to have fun in the area

Oka Castle is said to have been built in 1185 to welcome Minamoto no Yoshitsune, who was pursued by his elder brother Yoritomo. It is also known as "Bungo Takeda Castle" or "Gagyu Castle. It was built on a rocky hill 325 m above sea level, formed by pyroclastic flows from Mt. Aso. In 1586, Hideyoshi Hideyoshi praised the castle as "impregnable" after he forced Shimazu's large army to retreat. Later, in 1594, Hidenari Nakagawa, who became the lord of Oka Castle, undertook a major renovation of the castle from an "earthen castle" to a "stone castle with all-stone walls. The actual area of the castle is approximately 1 million square meters, or 22 times the size of Tokyo Dome. Taki Rentaro composed "The Moon over the Deserted Castle" using this castle as a motif. The castle is designated as a national historic site.