Gifu Prefecture · Chubu
道の駅 五木のやかた・かわうえ
A small Kawaue rest stop where Spool coffee and bread have returned alongside crafts inspired by the five Kiso trees and wild silk moths.
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.
The parking area and toilets are open 24 hours. This is a useful rest stop before or after Yumori Gorge.
The roadside station is generally open 9:00–17:00 and the cafe 10:00–16:00. Visit earlier for a better choice of bread.
Browse woodwork, handicrafts, pottery and baked goods with a focus on Kawaue makers.
See the origin of the station name and the display of tensan-shi wild silk before you leave, even on a brief stop.
For summer river activities, autumn leaves or a waterfall walk, use the station as a starting point and check the time and weather.
Natsuki Kitami does not see this as a roadside station where you can find everything. She begins with the parking area, toilets and cafe hours, then adds bread, local crafts and Yumori Gorge to the plan. Setting the order for your break makes this small station easier to enjoy.
Toilets and a drink before Yumori; bread or baked goods on the way back. A short visit suits this station.
Michi-no-Eki Goboku no Yakata Kawaue is a small roadside station on mountain Prefectural Route 3 between the Tsumago–Magome area and the Gero Onsen area. It is a convenient stop for toilets, coffee, bread and handicrafts on a detour to Yumori Gorge. It reopened in December 2025 with cafe Spool at its center, bringing local baked goods and bread, woodwork, handicrafts and yamamayu wild silk culture back into view. As a small facility, it works best as a parking and toilet stop, a place for a light snack, and a gateway to nearby nature rather than an extended shopping destination.
Retail operations had previously stopped for a period, but the station reopened in December 2025 with cafe Spool at its center. Coffee, bread, chiffon cake and other baked goods make it easy to stay a little longer than a quick toilet stop.
The “five trees” in the name are hinoki cypress, sawara cypress, asunaro, koyamaki and nezuko, trees long valued in the Kiso region. Indoors, woodwork, handicrafts and the yamamayu tradition of weaving tensan-shi, silk from wild silk moths, give Kawaue a character distinct from a typical souvenir display.
Parking is listed for about 21 standard vehicles and two large vehicles, and the parking area and toilets are available 24 hours a day. Stop for a drink and the toilets before heading to Yumori Gorge or Ryujin Falls, then finish with coffee on the way back.
Spend your time at the station or add somewhere nearby. These ideas help you plan around your companions and the weather.
From the Nakatsugawa Interchange or National Route 19, stop here for the toilets, a drink and a small sweet before continuing to Yumori Gorge. It is an easy last break before the mountain road.
Park → toilets → drink at Spool → Yumori Gorge
Parking is limited. At midday in the busy travel season, a short stop with a clear purpose is easier than a long stay.
Choose coffee or bread and look at the woodwork, handicrafts, pottery and tensan-shi wild silk display. This small place revived by local people has a different appeal from a large farm shop.
Spool → sales shelves → yamamayu and handweaving display → rest
Cafe service and visiting vendors vary by day and time. Treat this primarily as a light food and rest stop rather than your only meal plan.
On the way from Tsumago and Magome toward Gero, take a break from the mountain road here. Even on a day bound for a major destination, coffee and the toilets can help pace the drive.
Magome and Sakashita area → Goboku no Yakata Kawaue → Kashimo and Gero area
Winter and rainy weather can change road surfaces and visibility in the mountains. After late afternoon, plan on a rest stop rather than shopping.
Blueberry farms in the Kawaue area are an option from about late June to late July; Yumori Gorge is a fall foliage option from about late October to mid-November. Have a light snack at the station, then choose an outdoor stop to suit the weather and footing.
Station → blueberry farm or Yumori Gorge → station or Sakashita area on the return
Fruit picking and foliage events vary with each year’s crop and weather. Check the tourism association or facility information just before visiting.
Generally closed every Tuesday and over the year-end/New Year holidays.
Reopened on December 21, 2025. Check official social media for bread and visiting vendors.
Official guide: 21 standard spaces, two large spaces and one accessible space.
Chubu Regional Development Bureau guide: eight men’s fixtures, four women’s fixtures and one accessible fixture.
Displays and hands-on activities vary by season; plan on viewing the exhibits.
Stars show the editorial recommendation for each age group on a five-point scale. Read the reasons alongside each rating.
Useful for a toilet break, with few facilities for a long stay.
The shop is available during business hours; parking and toilets are open 24 hours. Consider another stop for nursing or a long indoor break.
Good for a short bread or sweets break, but not a place for running around.
Watch little hands near the woodwork and craft shelves. For active play, a walk in Yumori Gorge or by the river is a more natural choice.
Combine trees, weaving, bread and a waterfall to hold their interest.
Look at the five Kiso trees and yamamayu at the station before visiting Ryujin Falls for a short lesson followed by outdoor time.
More rewarding when paired with a nature walk or seasonal fruit picking.
Summer blueberries, autumn foliage and waterfall walks make the station a good gateway to a half-day trip rather than a destination on its own.
On an active day with children, make Yumori Gorge or a blueberry farm a separate destination.
For gorge and waterfall visits, wear comfortable walking shoes suited to wet paths and steps.
Focus on bread, baked goods and cafe drinks; consider nearby areas or central Nakatsugawa for a substantial lunch.
When combining shopping with nature walks, adjust what you bring and your driving time to the season.
This station has space for about 21 standard cars. On busy days, keep the toilet and cafe stop short rather than lingering.
Even a brief look at woodwork, weaving and handicrafts before or after sitting down to rest reveals something of Kawaue.
If adding Ryujin Falls or Yumori Gorge, allow for wet ground after rain, crowds during foliage season, steps and road surfaces.
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.
At the December 2025 reopening, chiffon cake, sliced bread, coffee, baked goods, yakuzen soup and food trucks drew visitors. Check official social media for future vendor appearances.
An indoor highlight that shares the yamamayu tradition of tensan-shi wild silk. Demonstrations and hands-on activities vary by season, so visit with the display in mind.
Related events are usually held around the foliage season from late October to mid-November. The station is a useful stop before or after visiting the gorge.
Since reopening, the station has tended to host local gatherings such as miso making. Check official social media shortly before your visit for date-specific events.
Practical ideas and things to consider when spending time here.
Nakatsugawa City says the previously unstaffed station reopened on December 21, 2025, with cafe Spool as its designated manager. Visitor accounts also describe coffee, bread, baked goods and handicrafts as reasons to stop after the reopening.
Official listings give general station hours of 9:00–17:00 and cafe hours of 10:00–16:00. Visitor accounts since reopening suggest arriving early or reserving for sliced and freshly baked bread. A light food break is a better plan than relying on a full lunch here.
Official figures list 21 standard, two large and one accessible parking spaces. During foliage season or events, it is easier to combine the toilets, a drink and shopping into a short stop than to plan a long stay.
There is no large playground inside the station. A short break for bread or sweets followed by Yumori Gorge, Ryujin Falls or summer blueberry farms makes it easier to plan for children of different ages.
Yumori Gorge is known for summer camping, river play and trout fishing, and for autumn leaves, generally from late October to mid-November. The station’s role as a before-and-after rest stop changes with the season.
The city’s reopening announcement describes an indoor handweaving workshop that makes textiles from tensan-shi wild silk and displays local residents’ crafts. Browse the shelves and displays as well as the name of the five Kiso trees to discover Kawaue’s craft traditions.
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.
Arrive early if you want freshly baked bread or a loaf. Taking a short break rather than eating in the car lets you enjoy the mountain air.
Bread varieties and quantities change daily. Check official social media for reservations and baking updates.
Yakuzen soup, a Japanese wellness-inspired soup, freshly baked pizza and food trucks have added variety on event days since the reopening. Check the difference between regular cafe service and visiting vendor days.
Do not assume the same menu is always available.
A quick sweet stop after Yumori Gorge makes the journey home easier. It also works as a rainy-day destination.
Woodwork, handicrafts, pottery, chestnut sweets and processed foods show local character on the shelves. Enjoy small craft discoveries rather than expecting a large produce market.
During Nakatsugawa’s chestnut season, consider both the station shelves and confectioners in town for your shopping.
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A small Kawaue rest stop where Spool coffee and bread have returned alongside crafts inspired by the five Kiso trees and wild silk moths.
Stop for the toilets and a drink before summer river activities or autumn foliage.
Good for families and adults adding a short waterfall walk. After rain or during foliage season, watch the footing and crowds.
Good for a seasonal picking outing with children from about late June to late July.
Good as a break between post town walks and onward travel toward Gero.
Send your travel companions a possible stop.
