What is a "Michi no Eki"?

A Michi no Eki / Michinoeki / Michi-no-Eki is a government registered roadside station jointly established by local municipalities and road authorities. Officially, their name in English is "roadside station", but due to Google Maps not adequately monitoring submissions and adhering to a uniform translation, they are called a multitude of different names online. Examples include, "rest stop", "road station", "local travel station", "roadside oasis" among several others.

A Michi-no-Eki combines rest facilities, shops, local-product markets, tourist information and sometimes even restaurants, hot springs, playgrounds, small museums or other extra attractions. The system was created because, unlike highways with their 24 hour service areas, ordinary roads had very few places where anyone could stop freely at any time. Today, each station serves three core roles:

• a rest stop for travelers, with plenty of parking, and essentials such as toilets and vending machines. The shops and so forth may not be open 24 hours, but usually the toilets and parking are accessible day and night
• an information center for both locals and visitors. Usually you can pick up information about attractions and events in the area surrounding the roadside station
• and a community hub that connects neighboring towns and supports regional revitalization. You can usually find produce from local farmers on sale and a lot of roadside station hold their own events.

I am a big fan of roadside stations, not only for their convenience, but also for their value in and by themselves. As I have previously written, they often offer a window into the local area, a microcosm if you will.  Whenever I visit an area, I try to incorporate a visit to the local roadside station to get a feel for the area and also to pick up some local produce. Do you visit roadside stations when touring Japan?