Drive to enjoy lake & ocean view (2) - Michi-no-eki Shiomizaka

After we strolled around Hamanako Garden Park, my mother took us to Michi-no-eki Shiomizaka. It is a rest area along National Route 1 in Kosai.

Shiomizaka literally means a “tide viewing slope.” It is located near the Shirasuka Post Station on the Tokaido Highway in the Edo Period, and ancient travelers who walked from Kyoto to Edo could see the Pacific Ocean for the first time just in this place. Michi-no-eki Shiomizaka is quite close to the ocean.

And it had a foot bath outside! Unfortunately, all the sitting places were already occupied, but it would be very relaxing to take the footbath with a view of the vast ocean.

The inside of building was spacious. Like other michi-no-eki, there were a variety of local products.

My mother bought a bag of mandarin oranges, and I bought a bag of sweet potatoes. In addition to fresh vegetables and fruits, there were processed products as well, like dried strips of radish and kikurage mushroom.

They had also sweets made from natural ingredients such as mandarin orange yokan (jellied sweet bean paste) and chestnut yokan. According to the note, the amount of the chestnut contained in the chestnut yokan has been increased by 1.2 times because the product has been gaining popularity. These two kinds of yokan looked very delicious, and my sister bought chestnut one with some other food.

In a michi-no-eki, you often find fresh snacks that are appetizing.

My sister bought us a set of three skewers of dumplings. As they were still warm, we ate them immediately in the car. In ordinary confectionary stores and supermarkets, you can hardly find such warm dumplings. They were very good with a flavor of soy sauce.

In Michi-no-eki Shiomizaka, my sister got interested in local lemons because her husband likes to make lemonade and wants to avoid agricultural chemicals applied to imported lemons. When we came home, my mother gave her some lemons from the trees in her garden. Though they were a bit greenish and were not bright yellow like those sold in supermarkets, they were big enough and looked more natural. I hope he can make good lemonade with them.