Ibaraki Prefecture · Kanto
道の駅 さかい
A roadside station that brings together the Tone River's riverside trading history, Okinawa's Kunigami Village, Sakai Sand, S-Lab, and architecture by Kengo Kuma: a view of Sakai Town today.
Illustrative image — not an on-site photograph
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Eat, shop, play, take in the view or rest. Choose from the station’s strengths to suit your day.
Sandwiches, Okinawan food, pizza, and prepared dishes each offer a different kind of stop.
Adults can choose Okinawan food while children choose sandwiches or pizza, for example.
You can take home tastes of both Sakai Town and Okinawa.
Choose a short walk or art and architecture by Kengo Kuma.
Updates cover new products, Golden Week, UA MARCHE, and Kunigami Village Public Market events.
Shunsuke Hayase sees Sakai as a place where you can decide what to eat first: sandwiches, pizza, Okinawan food, prepared dishes, and local produce. Add art and the Tone River. The range works on days centered on children and days when adults want to explore. A roadside station that also shows Sakai Town today makes for a rich stop.
Pizza and sandwiches give children options while adults enjoy Okinawan food or the produce shop.
There is a pleasing surprise in putting Sakai Town vegetables and Kunigami Village ingredients in the same bag.
Add S-Gallery, Kengo Kuma's buildings, and the Tone River port's history for a visit beyond shopping.
Michi-no-Eki Sakai offers more than vegetables. Its main building recalls the storehouses of Sakai's historic Tone River port, while the Okinawa Kunigami Village Public Market, Sakai Sand, SHED, PIZZA-LA STYLE, S-Lab, and S-Gallery Shukusanpo Art Museum show several sides of the town's development in one place. Buy local vegetables and Sashima tea, try a seasonal fruit sandwich, and explore ingredients from Kunigami Village or Okinawan food at Restaurant Kuina. Editor Shunsuke Hayase recommends this Tone River stop for a weekend drive: families and adults alike can choose what they feel like eating.
The storehouse-style main building evokes Sakai's history as a Tone River shipping port. Nearby are newer town projects including S-Lab, S-Gallery, buildings designed by Kengo Kuma, and an autonomous bus. See the old riverside town and today's experimental approach to development together.
Sakai Sand, SHED, Okinawa Restaurant Kuina, PIZZA-LA STYLE, seasonal products, and the produce shop offer sweets, light meals, Okinawan food, pizza, and vegetables. A family with different appetites can still find choices in one stop.
In Sakai Town, you can encounter the products and food culture of its friendship partner, Kunigami Village in Okinawa Prefecture. New offerings such as taco rice, an Okinawan rice dish with taco-style toppings, and Okinawan drinks make this roadside station feel like a small additional journey.
Spend your time at the station or add somewhere nearby. These ideas help you plan around your companions and the weather.
Children can have pizza or fruit sandwiches, adults can try Okinawa Restaurant Kuina or SHED, and everyone can shop at the produce store. Different appetites can be accommodated in one place.
National Route 354 → Michi-no-Eki Sakai → the Tone River.
Hours, closures, and limited items vary by shop.
Seasonal fruit sandwiches, gelato, shaved ice, and other new items change often. Check official news before visiting to choose what is currently available.
Roadside station → Sakai Sand → produce shop.
Seasonal and limited-quantity items can sell out.
It is a surprise to find Okinawan ingredients and a restaurant at a roadside station in Ibaraki. Sakai Town's exchange with Kunigami Village gives the market meaning beyond a simple product display.
Main building → Kunigami Village Public Market → Kuina.
Check current vendors, events, and shop opening information.
Add S-Gallery Shukusanpo Art Museum and nearby buildings by Kengo Kuma to see Sakai Town's development beyond the roadside station.
Roadside station → S-Gallery → nearby buildings.
Check official news for temporary museum closures.
The riverside setting offers views toward Sekiyado Castle and, when visible, Mount Fuji. Extend the visit with a rental bicycle or a riverside walk instead of heading straight home.
Roadside station → Tone River → Sakai river port area.
Watch the weather, wind, and summer heat.
Main building hours are a guide; individual shops vary.
Check official information for seasonal items, sellouts, and new products.
Check official news for temporary closures.
Golden Week, UA MARCHE, and Kunigami Village events are updated frequently.
Stars show the editorial recommendation for each age group on a five-point scale. Read the reasons alongside each rating.
Shopping and food choices can be combined indoors. Keep the visit short with a stroller or carrier rather than staying a long time, and choose fewer shops on crowded days.
Pizza, sandwiches, and shaved ice offer familiar food choices. When crowded, keep the meal short rather than spending a long time at outdoor events.
Sandwiches, Okinawan food, the Tone River, and the town's autonomous bus can all spark conversation. A little time outside after eating may help keep children engaged.
Kunigami Village Public Market, S-Gallery, architecture by Kengo Kuma, the autonomous bus, and Tone River shipping history offer both learning and food.
Permanent spaces and dated events are listed separately. Events can change both the atmosphere and crowds; use the official links for details.
Checking event dates.
New products, events, temporary closures, and study visit information are updated frequently. Check here for changing information.
Seasonal fruit, gelato, shaved ice, and reservation-only items change often.
Follow updates on new dishes, Kunigami Village events, and Okinawan ingredients.
Exhibitions, temporary closures, and displays at Shukusanpo Art Museum change.
Practical ideas and things to consider when spending time here.
The produce shop, Kunigami Village Public Market, S-Lab, S-Gallery, Kengo Kuma architecture, and autonomous bus show more of Sakai Town's current projects than an ordinary roadside station.
Adults can choose Kuina or SHED and children can have pizza or Sakai Sand. On a weekend drive, it helps when everyone need not eat the same thing. For Shunsuke Hayase, this variety is the station's main reassurance.
Updates in July 2026 included a thick-cut ham cutlet sandwich, shaved ice, blueberries, and melon. Seasonal offerings are best treated as current possibilities rather than a fixed menu.
Encountering a market from Kunigami Village and Okinawan food in Ibaraki's Sakai Town is an unexpected pleasure beyond shopping for vegetables.
Shukusanpo Art Museum adds a cultural stop beside the station, but official news updates temporary closures and special exhibitions. Check immediately before an adult detour.
The building recalls Sakai's river port, a shipping hub in the Edo period. Knowing that this was a riverside town gives its exterior meaning beyond eating and shopping.
Opening and closure days, individual businesses and facilities for children or dogs can affect your plans.
Specialities, places to eat, sweets and bakeries can all give you a reason to stop. Check individual menus for current prices and availability.
A meal, a sweet treat, market shopping or something to take away: choose a focus for the day instead of trying everything at once.
Many items are seasonal. Check official news for the fruit currently featured.
Useful when family members want different meals.
Browse the local produce in the storehouse-style main building.
An unexpected attraction distinctive to Michi-no-Eki Sakai.
These change; check official news before planning around them.
If the map does not load, open it in Google Maps
A roadside station that brings together the Tone River's riverside trading history, Okinawa's Kunigami Village, Sakai Sand, S-Lab, and architecture by Kengo Kuma: a view of Sakai Town today.
For a short walk after eating, photos, and a sense of the old river port.
For an adult detour, a rainy day, or a cultural stop.
For shopping, Okinawan food, and a conversation topic with children.
For learning with elementary school children or older, adult architecture walks, and a possible town outing on a rainy day.
Send your travel companions a possible stop.
