Otoineppu Roadside Station - Hokkaido

Otoineppu Roadside Station (道の駅 おといねっぷ) is one of the prefecture's 128 roadside stations. It is located at the intersection of National Routes 275 and 40 in 155 Otoineppu, Otoineppu Village in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan.

Otoineppu Roadside Station

Otoineppu Roadside Station details

Otoineppu Roadside Station was opened as Rest House Chinita in October 1988. It was registered as a roadside station on April 22, 1993. It was given registration number 12.

道の駅 おといねっぷ
Otoineppu Roadside Station - Otoineppu Village, Hokkaido Prefecture

The restaurant Menya Ichifuji opened to the public in 2002. Sadly, the restaurant and the shop closed on December 2017 due to labor shortages and financial difficulties. Thankfully, an employee of Otoineppu Village changed their vocation and restored the cafeteria and shop in 2019.

Otoineppu Roadside Station information board

Otoineppu Roadside Station facade

The restaurant Tenhokuryu and the souvenir shop opened on May 1st, 2019. The restaurant is famous for its black soba noodles. At present, the shop sells the Marushichi Soba which is a blend of Hokkaido buckwheat flour and the local Otoineppu flour.

Inside Otoineppu Roadside Station

Otoineppu Roadside Station
Tenhokuryu





Black Soba noodles

Otoineppu Roadside Station toilet

My family and I visited Otoineppu Roadside Station for the first time last August 16, 2022, which was the last day of our 5-day "Drive Up North" Road Trip which was my 42nd week here in Japan as an ALT under the JET Programme. It was also the last roadside station that we visited for the day as we were already driving back home. I made sure to include it in our itinerary because Ella and I were collecting Roadside Station stamps for the Hokkaido Stamp Rally. During our visit, the restaurant which serves the famed black soba noodles was still closed. The only thing open during that time was the toilet.

Team Nicerio visits Otoineppu Roadside Station


Ella gets the roadside station stamp for her collection

Otoineppu Roadside Station Stamp

Otoineppu Roadside Station Stamp

Otoineppu Roadside Station stamp for the Hokkaido Stamp Rally

Regardless, it only means that there is a reason for us to revisit the roadside station sometime shortly.

Otoineppu Roadside Station Fees

It’s FREE to enter and explore Otoineppu Roadside Station. However, make sure to bring money when you visit as you might want to buy souvenirs and also try the black soba noodles at Tenhokuryu inside the roadside station.


Otoineppu Roadside Station Operating Hours

From April – September Otoineppu Roadside Station is open from 9:30 AM – 5 PM.

From October – March Otoineppu Roadside Station is open from 9:30 AM – 4 PM.


Why visit Otoineppu Roadside Station?

Otoineppu Roadside Station is one of the must-visit places in the small village of Otoineppu. It offers the town’s famed black soba noodles and also sells specialty products made in the village. If you’re collecting roadside station stamps, then this place is a must-visit.

Getting to Otoineppu Roadside Station

 

From Asahikawa Station, ride the Soya-Sarobetsu (Sarobetsu 1 Limited Express Wakkanai) of the JR Hokkaido. Board down at Otoineppu Station. 

From there, walk for about 350 meters going to Otoineppu Roadside Station. 

Travel time: 1 hour and 53 minutes
Fare: 5,550 yen

Ratings

Crowd

Cleanliness

Overall rating


Location: 155-1 Otoineppu, Nakagawa District, Hokkaido 098-2501, Japan

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 19, 2024 at 11:45 AM

    The roadside station building looks nice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Neil Alvin NicerioFebruary 25, 2024 at 12:59 PM

      It is. I love how their wood carving industry in the roadside station.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousFebruary 22, 2024 at 7:38 AM

    Black Soba noodles? I'd like to try that.

    ReplyDelete

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