Roadside Station Tsutsumaru

At the roadside station overlooking the dam lake
I want to relax and recover from my trip.

It opened in November 2019 on the banks of the Oita River Dam (commonly known as Nase Dam). It is a one-story wooden building with a thatched roof, and its exterior is said to represent the image of a farmhouse of the past. The dam lake (Lake Notsuharu) side of the building is entirely made of glass, and the dam lake can be viewed from the terrace. Although it is a small roadside station, inside the building are local agricultural products, processed goods, gift items from JA Zen-Noh Oita, and a full lineup of "Monkey Mountain" craft beer brewed in the center of Oita City.

Map of Michi no Eki Tsutsuharu

Gourmet Information of Michi no Eki Tsuzuharu

Local product: yam

The specialty product of the Nozuhara district is the yam. At the roadside station, Goto Farm's "Oja yam," a persistent favorite among yam fans, is sold. It is cultivated in former rice paddies more than 500 m above sea level, where there are few pests in the soil, and no chemical fertilizers or herbicides are used. Nozuhara has a hospitality dish called otoshi soup, which is made by stewing chicken and burdock root in oil broth and grating it into the soup. Chicken and burdock are stewed in oil broth, and grated yam is added as bite-sized dumplings. The simple yet warm dish costs 250 yen per 100 grams (tax not included).

Around Tsutsumaru Roadside Station

Goto Residence

If you want to have fun in the area

It is believed to be the main house of a village headman built around the middle of the Edo period. It is a typical "straight house" in Oita Prefecture with a rectangular exterior plan, and is also the oldest private house in Oita City. It has a thatched hipped roof and faces west, with an earthen floor, a wooden floor, a hall, and a tatami room, as well as two small rooms behind the hall. It is a valuable example of a mid-Edo period farmhouse in Oita Prefecture, and is designated as a National Important Cultural Property.

Oita Prefectural Forest Heisei Forest Park

If you want to have fun in the area

The "Kenmin-no Mori" is a vast park with facilities scattered throughout a 4,472-hectare forest area stretching from Oita City to Asaji Town, Bungo-Ono City. Four forest therapy courses are available. Relatively close to the roadside station are the "Fragrance Plaza (lavender garden)," "Cherry Blossom Garden," "Momiji Valley," and a campground. The "Fragrance Plaza" is located at an altitude of 700 meters above sea level, and lavenders are in full bloom from mid-June to early July. There is a suspension bridge connecting the "Fragrance Plaza" and the "Fragrance Forest," which is the starting point of the "Fragrance Forest Course," a forest therapy course. The "Cherry Blossom Garden" is planted with 2,000 cherry trees of four varieties: Someiyoshino, Oshima-zakura, Buton-zakura, and Shidare-zakura. Each cherry tree has a different blooming season, so visitors can enjoy the cherry blossoms for a long time.