Adventures in Travel: Rest stops!

I went on an MWR-sponsored tour yesterday. This gives me opportunity to document one of my favorite, Japanese traveling experiences.  Rest stops!  These are not your creepy, barely maintained American rest stops.  Nor are these like American "rest exits," where Burger King may be two feet away from the exit ramp, but the Wendy's-- advertised on one of those giant roadside billboards (and we better find that Wendy's, because Mom won't eat salads from any other fast food establishment)-- turns out to be two miles down the country road. Mom may be happy with her salad, but now Dad is mad that we lost 10 precious minutes of driving time.  Ahhhh...the classic, American road trip.

Enter the Japanese rest stop.  Located directly alongside the highways, don't blink or you'll miss it!  Then you're in trouble, because the next rest stop may not be for mi...I mean, kilometers.  But if you don't miss it, you are in for a clean, efficient traveling treat. 

You will be alerted to upcoming rest stops in large, green road signs with easily understandable, foreigner-proof pictures.  A large fork and knife tells you the rest stop will have food, a gas pump tells you the rest stop will have gas.  Easy! Just don't forget to exit to the left.  Sometimes, I still forget until it's almost too late. Then it gets exciting.  Whoops.

If you are traveling extremely late or extremely early, some of the shops may not be open.  You can still count on plenty of vending machines dispensing hot coffee and cold water.

If you arrive at a reasonable hour, expect to be pleasantly surprised by clean, well-lit convenience stores and small food courts.  Food courts typically sell noodle bowls and curry bowls, with the convenience stores selling Japanese food-on-the-go options.  Plenty of rice balls, sushi, packaged tempura, and munchy snacks!*

Enough to make even a Wendy's salad-loving mom happy: lightly pickled veggies!

Just not able to do fish or rice quite so early in the morning?  Often, there will also be a small, European style bakery.  Flavorful sausages wrapped in a bun, delicious egg sandwiches, buttery croissants, and powdery donuts might be just the thing!

Also plenty of Japanese versions of European favorites, such as tempura-stuffed sandwiches.  Yum!

Rest stop stores are also a great place to stock up on the specialities of whatever locale you happen to be in at the moment.  Expect palate-delighting Japanese and Western-style treats.  And if you have a Japanese friend back home, make sure to pick one of these up as a gift.  It will be extremely appreciated!

 I have no expertise on the quality of treats sold at rest stops.
 All I can authoritatively say is that they taste delicious.

You've eaten and gotten your caffeine fix.  Before making a bathroom stop, you've got to dispose of your trash.  Trash cans are notoriously hard to find in Japan, but the rest stop will have some, somewhere.  Just keep looking!  When you find one, Please.  Use. The. Correct. Trash. Can.  I realize we don't do this in America and that old habits die hard.  I realize that we Americans relish our freedom to throw any and all of our trash in whatever American trash can we darn well please.  I realize that Japanese trash can options can be overwhelming...I usually panic, slightly.  But there are simply too many people around to get away with sneaking your plastic water bottle into the "burnables" trash bin.  So don't even try.

I got lucky with this one!  Easy to understand, foreigner-proof pictures!

Before hitting the road, it's time to visit the restroom.  The clean, sparkling, decorated-with-small-vases- of-wildflowers restroom.  There are usually both Japanese and Western-style toilet options.  In case you've forgotten how to use the Western-style one, simply look for a sign.

It's always nice to be reminded.

Mommy Friends, allow me to draw your attention to Japanese genius. See that small donut hanging on the wall, on the left?  That, Mommy Friends, is a child-size toilet attachment for your little potty-training tyke.  If your toddler is terrified of falling inside giant, adult toilets or needs the comfort of having a handle to hold onto, these little toilet attachments will cause you to weep tears of gratefulness.

No, I haven't gotten up the nerve to let Little Tofu Fox to use it yet...I can't crush the "when was it last cleaned" ick factor. But, isn't it nice to know that I could?

Driving in Japan doesn't need to be a terror-filled ordeal!  Once in awhile, it can even be the more convenient option.  Guaranteed seating and napping children being two convenient options that come to mind.  Plus, one can drive anywhere when assured of clean bathrooms.

Ganbatte!

-The Tofu Fox


*Note:  Rest stop convience stores sell individual milk servings, but I have never seen baby food or formula sold.  When traveling with infants or small children, please plan accordingly.