A Welcome Rest Area in the Taneyama Highlands

One of the nice features of Japan when driving around the countryside is running across one of the many rest stops that appear at the side of the Japan’s highways. They come in all shapes and sizes, but all offer at a minimum a restroom and some vending machines where one can purchase a beverage. But many provide much more, including handmade crafts, fresh vegetables straight from the nearby fields of local farmers, baked goods, preserves, and restaurants selling meals, often made with local ingredients or specialties.

In Sumita, the oldest and most famous of these ‘michi no eki’, literally, ‘road station’ is known as `Poran’. Built in 2001, Poran is located alongside the Taneyama Highlands region, a natural area jointly administered by the town of Sumita and the Oshu City. The rest stop is located an equal distance between the two communities along a very rural stretch of highway 397 and has become a welcome stop for travelers heading to the Pacific coast of Rikuzentakata and Ofunato.

Poran is a building with a beautiful interior, showcasing the craftmanship of local Kesen carpentry. It provides a variety of services for travelers, including a heated rest area with washrooms, which are a welcome comfort during the winter months. The main building holds a large shop selling a variety of locally-made foods, crafts and seasonal fresh vegetables. It also has a full-service restaurant which serves various Japanese set menus including ginger pork, pork cutlet, hamburger steak, curry and rice and ramen. A specialty of the Poran is the locally-produced grilled pork over rice “Sumita-donburi” and the Sumita chicken ‘harami’ ramen with lemon. Both are delicious and worth stopping by for a meal.

Poran also holds several festival events throughout the year, including a ‘sansai’ (wild spring vegetables) festival, a pickled vegetable festival and a snow festival in the winter.

The rest stop is open 24 hours and has drink machines for those needing a hot or cold beverage. The local goods shop is open daily from 9:00AM to 5:00PM and the restaurant is open from 11:00AM to 4:00PM (last order 3:30PM).

Access

About 25 minutes by car from Mizusawa-Esashi Station on the JR Tohoku line

Expressway About 40 minutes by car from Mizusawa IC on the Tohoku Expressway

About 45 minutes by car from the Miyamori IC on the Kamaishi Expressway

About 1 hour by car from Hanamaki Airport