We made our first stop of the morning at the Yokokawa Service Area in Gunma Prefecture. It was 5:30 in the morning and about 2 hours and 30 minutes into our trip. The service area was really big. There were over 250 parking spaces as well as a large area for trucks and buses.

It appeared to be a popular SA to spend the night at. There were quite a few larger vans with window covers. The parking lot was also pretty full despite it being 5:30 in the morning, further indicating that many vehicles had stayed the night. The SA was located in a beautiful mountain pass with lush green forests and a gentle rolling mist.

The SA’s food court looked pretty robust. They had a number of places to choose from in a food court setting. There was a good selection of ramen, udon, and various rice bowls. It was convenient that the food court was open 24 hours a day. There also was a traditional sit down restaurant which served regional specialties, but had more limited hours of operation.

Yokokawa Service Area Local Products Store

It was a little too early to get any food, but we did stop by the souvenir shop. We were surprised with the size and variety of goods they carried. We looked around a bit before picking up some shrimp senbei (rice crackers), a premium pudding, and a set of their cute jelly.

The restrooms were large and very clean. They had these cute Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) origami inside. It was also Tanabata season and there was this nice display just outside of the restrooms.

Other amenities included an observatory, dog park, and gas station. We didn’t want to dilly dally for too long, so we didn’t have a chance to explore them.

Final Thoughts

Yokokawa Service Area in Gunma is only 2 hours and 30 minutes from our home base in Mito. It looked like a pretty comfortable place to stay in the car and spend the night. All of the convenient amenities like a 24 hour store and food court that we typically look for were there. However, due to its relatively close promxity to Mito, we would only stay here if we were too tired to make it home. On our way back we did stop at the Northbound side of the SA to have dinner before starting the last leg to Mito.

More to Come…