Roadside Station Hitachiota Ibaraki Prefecture was located off of highway 349. Highway 349 ran parallel to the JR Suigun Line from Mito Station to Hitachi-Ota Station. The roadside station itself looked pretty modern with updated bathrooms and a stylish interior. We came here after a fun morning at the Ryujin Suspension Bridge.

Roadside Station Hitachiota Food Court

We stopped by for lunch at the food court which had a restaurant, a ramen and curry shop, a tempura and soba shop, and a gelato shop. We ended up trying the ramen and karrage at Tokusan. Tokusan had some unique types of ramen. We decided to try their grilled sea bream (鯛だし炙り焼き #6) based soup and the white chicken ramen (鶏白湯 #1). We also ordered a set of their karrage (#15).

The ramen came out on trays and we brought them over to our table. The grilled sea bream ramen had a very lite and salty flavor. The grilled chashu was tender and had a slight crisp. The broth was pretty clear and the noodles didn’t absorb the soup too well. It kind of just tasted like salty noodles. The white chicken ramen was pretty lite as well with a subtle chicken flavor. The chashu and vegetables absorbed the broth a lot better and were tasty.

The karrage had good flavor, it was crispy, and large in size. Our only gripe was that there was a lot of excess batter, which artificially inflated the size.

For dessert we went to Hitachi Gelato. We had to try there special Ibaraki Apple Soft Cream. One of our friends we were travelling with was surprised to see us getting our third ice cream of the day (We got our first two at the Ryujin Suspension Bridge). We told her that we really liked ice cream and that we wouldn’t miss an opportunity to try the local specialty. The Ibaraki Apple Soft Cream had a smooth but slightly tart taste which was quite refreshing.

Roadside Station Hitachiota Local Products Store

Next to the food court was the shop selling locally produced goods. It was pretty busy with large amounts of people cycling through. They even had a couple of local vendors who were talking about their produce. We really liked how you could talk to the farmers and growers and then purchase their produce on the spot. It must be a huge benefit for the local farmers and growers to have such a great venue to market and sell there produce at. In a small corner of the store their was a little kiosk with tourism information about the local area. We chatted with the lady for a little bit and picked up some brochures.

The roadside station had a number of amenities including clean toilets, an electric vehicle charging area, and a tomato green house. The tomatoes from the greenhouse were used at the roadside stations restaurants and sold at the shop. There was even a tomato picking experience that required a reservation in advance. Outside there was a large canopy dome for outside events and seating. There was also a nice sized playground for children and this raised platform to relax on.

Final Thoughts

We’re glad that we tried the ramen, but probably not something we’d get again. The flavors were unique and pretty different from anything we’ve had before. Next time we’re in the area, we’d like to try some of their other shops. If your in the area and need to stop for a bathroom break or get a quick bite to eat, then Roadside Station Hitachiota in Ibaraki is a great option.

More to Come…

Here is the link to their website.