Roadside Station Yamanokuchi

Nurtured by Mother Nature
Lots of brand-name agricultural products

It is located along National Route 269, nicknamed "Aoigaku Gorge Line," just halfway between Miyazaki and Miyakonojo cities, where the scenery from the car window is beautiful. The product hall features fresh vegetables grown by local farmers, handmade local sweets, and carefully selected souvenirs. The special product is thick fresh shiitake mushrooms, which are almost always sold out in the evening. The museum also has a stylish café where visitors can take a rest and relax. At the restaurant, visitors can enjoy the "Shiitake Mushroom Nanban Set Meal" (1,210 yen including tax), which uses thick shiitake mushrooms. In the large parking lot, there is a photo spot lined with colorful postcards, which is sure to be a hit on Instagram.

Roadside Station Yamanokuchi Map

Roadside Station Yamanokuchi Gourmet Information

The best place to eat Shiitake Nanban and Chicken Nanban set menus.

Speaking of "Restaurant Ajisaikan" at the roadside station, "shiitake mushroom nanban dish" using Osugi shiitake mushrooms instead of chicken is a long-selling menu item. The mushrooms are thick, moist, tender, juicy, and healthy, and many customers come for this dish. However, there were also those who wanted Miyazaki's specialty, chicken nanban. This new set meal is the best of both worlds. The chicken meat of the chicken nanban is tender and fluffy. Both are an attractive combination. The half set meal is priced at 1,210 yen (tax included).

Also check out Cafe 269.

The fast food corner in the product hall was completely renovated and opened in August 2022. The name "269" refers to National Route 269, which runs in front of the roadside station. Visitors can take out drinks and sweets, and of course, spend time at the counter. There are many types of desserts that look great on SNS, using vanilla soft serve ice cream handmade at a local ranch. The regular Kanyuso soft serve ice cream (380 yen including tax) and handmade sandwiches are especially popular. A slightly richer version, the "Premium Kanyuso Sundae" (650 yen including tax), has also been added to the lineup. The cup is filled with sponge cake and topped with amanyuso soft serve topped with natural honey and amanyuso powder, shiratama dumplings, purple sweet potato anko (sweet red bean paste), and sweet potato chips. This premium item is made with all domestic ingredients and is both high quality and healthy.

Local product: Ripe kumquat

Miyazaki Prefecture accounts for 70% of the nation's kumquat production. Among them, the brand name "Tadashi" is applied to fully ripe kumquats of L size or larger that are shipped from mid-January to March. Roadside Station Yamanokuchi sells 2L and 3L kumquats from local farms during this period. Kinkans, which can be eaten with their skins intact, are rich in vitamin C and vitamin E, making them ideal for preventing colds during this season. They also produce ripe kumquats in syrup, which can be purchased all year round.

Buy it here Tempura of mountain yam

The "mountain yam" is a type of tsukuneimo (Japanese yam) with a consistency, taste, and aroma similar to that of a yam. The "mountain yam tempura" (420 yen for 6 pieces, tax included), deep-fried with yam yam yam, fish paste, and tofu, is a popular product with a delicious flavor and a fluffy texture that is irresistible. It can be eaten as is, or added to a hot pot dish to release the broth and increase its size by 1.5 times! Of course, the taste remains the same. Customers who take it out and eat it in the parking lot often buy more as souvenirs. Handmade in the restaurant every morning and sold at the restaurant and the product center.

Around Yamanokuchi Roadside Station

Yamanokuchi Hydrangea Park

If you want to have fun in the area

Yamanokuchi Hydrangea Park, located near the Yamanokuchi Smart Interchange, is a park on the site of Matsuo Castle, a former castle of the Shimazu clan. From the castle-shaped observatory, visitors can see the Kirishima mountain range and the Miyakonojo basin in front of them. In spring, cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and a whopping 28,000 hydrangeas of 84 varieties are planted. It is no wonder that the town aims to be the best hydrangea-growing town in Japan. The park has a Shukei Pond with 10 waterfalls of various sizes, a rest and exhibition facility, etc. The Hydrangea House is open for business during the hydrangea blooming season. Soft ice cream, drinks, etc. are available.

Yamanokuchi Foothill Bunyabushi Ningyo Joruri Museum

If you want to have fun in the area

It is also known as "Ningyo no Yakata. Ningyo joruri is usually performed by a shamisen player, a tayu (narrator), and three puppeteers, but in the "Bunya-bushi" style of ningyo joruri that remains in Yamanokuchi, a single puppet is manipulated by a single person. It is called kojoruri, and is said to be an inheritance of the style of the era of Okamoto Bunya, a joruri-style puppeteer who reached his peak in Osaka. It is said that the performance was learned and passed down by feudal warriors on their way to and from the feudal lord's office. It is designated as a national important intangible folk cultural property. The museum exhibits 27 puppets and other materials produced from the Edo period to the early Meiji period. Regular performances of Ningyo Joruri (puppet drama) are also held here.

Autumn leaves on Mt.

If you want to have fun in the area

This park stretches along the valley of Sakai River, a tributary of Oyodo River, in the Wanizuka Mountains. Known for its cherry blossoms and autumn foliage, the park has a walking trail and observation deck, and offers ayu (sweetfish) and landlocked salmon fishing in the river. The park's campground is open only during the summer season. The park is especially popular during the fall foliage season, when the groves along the mountain stream are dyed red and yellow. Aoigaku-so, a day-trip hot spring spa, is located within the park, and the view of the autumn leaves from the open-air bath is also popular.