Miki Service Area

Before moving to Japan, we got on Google Maps and looked at Miki to see what kind of restaurants, stores, etc. we could find. We were very excited to see that there was a Starbucks. On closer examination, there were actually two, one across the street from the other. We did a little research and figured out they were at the Miki Service Area. A service area is a highway rest stop, but it usually features a large gift shop with an extensive selection of local delicacies and omiyage (souvenirs) to bring back to friends and families after your road trip.

There are two Starbucks’ because one is on the north side of the highway and the other on the south. After moving to Miki we quickly learned that the Miki SA is at the top of a series of hills, and while it looks close on the map it take a significant amount of time and sweat to get there by bike.

The Miki SA is actually not that far from Becky’s main school, but when she asked her co-workers about it, almost none of them had ever been there. Although I guess it makes sense that a local wouldn’t know how to get to the highway rest stop for tourists. One of Becky’s co-workers ended up figuring out how to get to the Miki SA without getting on the highway, and he took Becky and the other ALT she works with to the Starbucks one day.

Friday was a holiday, so we decided to make the long journey to the Starbucks at Miki SA. We attempted to visit the local sake brewery first, but it was closed because of the holiday (We’re not sure if they do tours, but we’ll revisit that at some point). We rode on to the SA, which meant overcoming some enormous hills and finally having to walk up the steepest ones at the end.

When we finally arrived, we walked up a gravel path through a lovely park and past a busy dog run. The Starbucks was a beacon of hope sitting idyllically beside the park. We happily drank delicious Apple Crumble drinks, newly added to the fall menu. We then explored the south service area and got to try samples of lots of the available treats.

When we tried to go home, we got turned around and ended up at the north service area. This was a fortunate accident, because we got some great photo-ops at the Hello Kitty vending machines! The journey up the steep hills to Miki SA was one that you really only want to do once. But I’m sure we’ll try it again in a month or two when we’re bored in Miki and the next round of seasonal drinks gets released.