A Place You’ll Want to See at Least Once in Your Life?! Beautiful Seascapes & Tsunoshima Ohashi Bridge [ https://setouchifinder.com/en/detail/487 ]

This is Kitaura Highway Houhoku roadside station and it has superb views of Tsunoshima Ohashi Bridge!

It offers excellent views of Tsunoshima no matter where you happen to be!

Even from the toilet!

Unfortunately, Houhoku Yume Ichiba market has no such views, but it does offer every local specialty.

As the product lineup is amazing, perhaps it’s better to concentrate on shopping instead of glancing to the sides!

Among the awesome lineup of products, the variety at the fresh fish corner stands out. In the fish tank you’ll see freshly caught fish and shellfish from the 8 fishing ports within Houhoku-cho, and you can have the restaurant prepare ike-zukuri sashimi (‘lifelike’ raw fish arranged with the head and the tail in place) and enjoy it while gazing at Tsunoshima Island.

Among the numerous delicacies at the roadside station, here are my favorite 3:

No.1 “Star Bread Salt-milk flavor”

I was slightly taken aback by this bread, which is made with natural salt collected from Tsunoshima Island waters. On the wrapping it says that it’s “delicious warmed for 1 minute in a microwave oven”. Not in a toaster, it should be warmed in a microwave oven?? Doubtfully, I warm it up and… Oh, it really is delicious!

The salty milk flavor is enhanced by the moist dough, and it’s like a new kind of “French toast”. It’s a limited product sold at only two stores in Japan. If you come by, do give it a try!

No.2 “Green laver bean jelly”

Along with my No.1 choice, Star Bread, this is another gem that will take you aback.

Green laver and bean jelly doesn’t sound like a good combination, but they go together surprisingly well. As soon as you take a bite, the green laver fragrance hits, and the aftertaste is just like green tea. The splendid flavors coexist with elegance on the palate.

The green laver is a local, naturally grown product from the pure snow thawing waters of Awano River. It’s a personal view, but I think many people would be hooked after trying it once.

No.3! “ikameshi (squid rice)”

As No.1 and No.2 are a little odd, I would lastly like to recommend a country flavor familiar to all Japanese people. Seasoned simply yet in a way that doesn’t get tiring, the rice is cooked together with squid, a local specialty. It’s delicious, and the price is really reasonable, too!

If you visit Tsunoshima Island, do head over to roadside station Kitaura Highway Houhoku.
And don’t forget to visit the toilet!

Oidemase! Come to Yamaguchi!
Roadside Station Kitaura Highway Houhoku
Location: 314-1 Oaza Kandakami, Hohoku-cho, Shimonoseki city, Yamaguchi prefecture
Tel: 083-786-0111
Open: 8:30 – 18:00

Houhoku Yumeichiba Market: 8.30 – 18.00
Summer season (July & August): Closes at 19.00
Winter season (December thru February): Closes at 17.00

Restaurant & Cafeteria: 10.00 – 18.00
Summer season (July & August): Closes at 19.00
Winter season (December through February): Closes at 17.00

*Any changes in business hours during Obon and the New Year’s holidays will be posted on the homepage.

Regular holidays: Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the month

*No holidays during the summer holiday season, but changes or irregular holidays may apply according to season

URL: https://michinoeki-houhoku.jp/about.html (Japanese)
Setouchi Finder Photo-writer: Masashi Fujimoto

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Written by

Masafumi Fujimoto

Masafumi Fujimoto Hi there! My name is Masafumi Fujimoto. Until the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, I was engaged in editing production at an advertising company in Tokyo. However, the earthquake was a turning point in my life and I headed home to Yamaguchi. When I arrived, I was extremely energized and motivated to help revitalize the region, but I had a hard time adjusting to the motivation level of the local people. Around that time I met an elderly lady who said: "It doesn't matter if all the people move away from the island; that's just the nature of things. Someday people will come back again." Lessening the tension I’d been feeling, those few words relieved me hugely, and I was able to finally adjust. Since then, I've been involved in writing and editing magazines, and working in advertisement production, as well as doing a little bit of farming. I also spend time walking around Setouchi searching for the many, many voices out there.

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