Niigata Prefecture · Hokuriku

Michi-no-Eki Kamihayashi

道の駅神林

Iwafune rice, mochi, rice-flour bread, and Honamitei: an unhurried taste of Murakami and Kamihayashi along National Route 7.

Updated 2026-09-30Michi-no-Eki Journal Read in Japanese

Location

Murakami City

Road

National Route 7

Hours

8:30–16:15

The information station is open 8:30–16:15; the shop 8:15–17:00 and Honamitei 10:00–16:00 (until 15:00 on Mondays). Hours differ by facility.

Parking

See facility information

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How to enjoy

Choose how to enjoy your visit

Eat, shop, play, take in the view or rest. Choose from the station’s strengths to suit your day.

Start here

Honami no Sato produce and souvenir shop

Look for Iwafune rice, mochi, rice-flour bread, and sasa dango.

For lunch

Honamitei

Plan around a 16:00 closing time, or 15:00 on Mondays.

For a break

Park and 24-hour toilets

Take a short pause while traveling National Route 7.

With children

Baby care corner

Plan ahead for nursing and diaper changes.

To explore nearby

Omakuba Forest Park and Senami Onsen

Add a pine-forest walk, swimming, or hot springs.

Morisaki’s Kamihayashi notes

Reliable rice-country shopping and a rest stop, without the fanfare.

Morisaki (森崎結路) sees Michi-no-Eki Kamihayashi as a place to regroup without rushing on National Route 7. First plan for toilets and opening hours, then have lunch at Honamitei and choose Iwafune rice, mochi, and rice-flour bread in the shop. If time allows, continue to Omakuba’s pine forest or the sea at Senami.

Highlights

Michi-no-Eki Kamihayashi, also known as Honami no Sato, stands on National Route 7 in Kokonokaichi, Murakami City (村上市九日市809). Near the Kamihayashi-Iwafune Port interchange, it has an information station, the Honami no Sato produce and souvenir shop, a fresh vegetable market, an agricultural processing facility, the Japanese-style restaurant Honamitei, a park, and toilets available 24 hours a day. Everyday flavors from this rice-growing area include Iwafune-grown Koshihikari rice, miso, soy sauce, mochi (pounded rice cakes), rice-flour bread, sasa dango (sweet rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves), and buns containing tempeh. This is a practical place to plan a shopping and rest stop before heading north toward Murakami or detouring to Senami Onsen or Iwafune Port. Morisaki (森崎結路) recommends combining local rice shopping and a toilet break here with a trip toward the coast.

#Murakami City
#Kamihayashi
#Honami no Sato
#Iwafune Koshihikari rice
#Fresh Vegetable Market
#Honamitei
#Mochi
#Rice-flour bread
#National Route 7
#Senami Onsen

Practical information

Registration number: 新潟-03
Prefecture: Niigata Prefecture
Municipality: Murakami City
Road: National Route 7
Closed days: The information station is listed as open every day. The shop, agricultural processing facility, and Honamitei close for the New Year holidays.
Station stamp: Available

Facilities

Information station
Honami no Sato produce and souvenir shop
Fresh Vegetable Market
Agricultural processing facility
Japanese-style restaurant Honamitei
Park
Parking
Toilets available 24 hours a day
Baby care corner
Free Wi-Fi
EV charging station
Wheelchair-accessible facilities

External links

Visit the official website (Japanese)Background information (Japanese)www.sake3.com (Japanese guide)niigata-kankou.or.jp (Japanese guide)www.hokuriku-michinoeki.jp (Japanese guide)satomono.jp (Japanese guide)www.pref.niigata.lg.jp (Japanese guide)www.sake3.com (Japanese guide)www.iwafune.or.jp (Japanese guide)www.hrr.mlit.go.jp (Japanese guide)

Why I like it

Reasons to stop here

Shopping rooted in Iwafune rice country

The tourism association and Niigata tourism guide highlight Iwafune Koshihikari rice, miso, soy sauce, mochi, rice-flour bread, and sasa dango as Kamihayashi specialties. Even a short stop lets you take home food from this rice-growing area.

Easy to plan a lunch at Honamitei

Murakami City lists the Japanese-style restaurant Honamitei as open 10:00–16:00, until 15:00 on Mondays. Arrive earlier if lunch is your goal, then browse the produce and souvenir shop afterward.

Toilets, baby care space, EV charging, and a park

Murakami City lists parking, toilets, a baby care corner, free Wi-Fi, an EV charging station, and a park. These facilities make the station useful for a short break along National Route 7.

A convenient start for coastal detours

Omakuba Forest Park, Senami Onsen Beach, and the Iwafune Port Fresh Fish Center are within a manageable drive. Follow a shopping break with a pine-forest walk, the sea, hot springs, or fish shopping.

Route idea

Ways to plan your stop

Spend your time at the station or add somewhere nearby. These ideas help you plan around your companions and the weather.

A northbound trip from Niigata City toward Murakami or Yamagata

Add local rice-country food to a Route 7 lunch break

Close to both the Kamihayashi-Iwafune Port interchange and National Route 7, the station is convenient for lunch on the road. Eat at Honamitei, then look for Iwafune rice, mochi, rice-flour bread, and sasa dango in the shop; even a short stop offers a taste of Kamihayashi.

Park → toilets → Honamitei → produce and souvenir shop → depart.

Honamitei normally closes at 16:00, or 15:00 on Mondays. For a late lunch, focus on the shop instead.

Shopping on the way home

Stop just to shop and take part of dinner home

Browse the Fresh Vegetable Market and shop for rice, miso, soy sauce, mochi, and seasonal vegetables. These everyday Kamihayashi flavors can become part of a meal at home.

Shop → Fresh Vegetable Market → processed farm products → check how to keep purchases cool before heading home.

The shop normally closes at 17:00. Check Murakami City information for New Year holidays and temporary changes.

A light walk on a clear day

Walk a little after lunch at Omakuba Forest Park

After eating or shopping at the roadside station, drive toward the coast to Omakuba Forest Park. Paths and gazebos among Japanese red pines make it a pleasant stop to stretch during a long drive.

Roadside station → Omakuba Forest Park → National Route 345 or the Senami area.

Most of the visit is outdoors; keep it short in rain, heat, or difficult winter footing.

A summer swimming and hot-spring trip

Continue to Senami Onsen Beach in summer

In summer, check when Senami Onsen Beach is open and use the roadside station for a toilet and shopping break first. Stop for drinks before the beach, then pick up rice or sweets on the way back.

Roadside station → Senami Onsen Beach → hot-spring district.

The 2026 beach season ran from July 15 to August 20 and has ended. For future swimming, check the new opening dates and weather and sea conditions.

A shopping trip for rice and fish

Add the Iwafune Port Fresh Fish Center when shopping for fish

After looking for rice and mochi in Kamihayashi, visit the Iwafune Port Fresh Fish Center for a fuller Murakami and Iwafune shopping trip. Rice, miso, and fish make a practical half-day outing.

Michi-no-Eki Kamihayashi → Iwafune Port Fresh Fish Center → Senami Onsen area.

The fish center has irregular closing days and different winter hours. Bring an insulated bag.

Hours

Opening hours

Honamitei

10:00-16:00

Until 15:00 on Mondays. Closed January 1–3.

Honami no Sato produce and souvenir shop

8:15-17:00

Closed December 31–January 4. Temporary changes possible.

Agricultural processing facility

8:00-17:00

Closed December 31–January 4.

Information station

8:30-16:15

Listed as open every day.

Toilets and other facilities

24 hours

Murakami City lists other facilities as available 24 hours a day.

Family

Visiting with children

Stars show the editorial recommendation for each age group on a five-point scale. Read the reasons alongside each rating.

Age 1 and under

★★★★☆

Good for the baby care corner, toilets, and a short rest.

A brief stop for nursing, diaper changes, and shopping may be easier than a long stay.

Ages 2–3

★★★☆☆

A park and sweets allow a short change of pace.

Young children may tire of shopping, so choose the meal or park stop first.

Ages 4–6

★★★★☆

Easy to add the station park, Pal Park, or Omakuba Forest Park.

Add an outdoor walk on a clear day; focus on food and shopping when it rains.

Elementary school age

★★★★☆

Combine rice-country shopping with a pine-forest walk or summer swimming.

Senami Onsen Beach or Iwafune Port can give the day a clear destination.

Event

Make an event part of your visit

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.

Spaces used for events

Murakami City facility information

Check each facility’s hours, New Year closures, temporary closures, and equipment changes.

Murakami Tourism Association

Check seasonal tourism, nearby places, and beach information for Murakami and Kamihayashi.

Hokuriku Roadside Station Association

Check roadside station events, notices, coupons, and regional projects.

Noto Peninsula Scenic Coastal Route relay event

The Kamihayashi exhibition ran from June 1 to June 30, 2026 and has ended. Watch for later regional exhibitions.

Local feel

Reasons to return

Practical ideas and things to consider when spending time here.

Murakami City gives separate hours and facilities for each site

Honamitei, the shop, the agricultural processing facility, and the information station have different hours. Check the hours for the particular place you plan to visit.

Source: Murakami City

The tourism association highlights Iwafune rice, miso, soy sauce, mochi, and local vegetables

Kamihayashi’s appeal lies in direct sales and processed foods from rice country. It suits shopping for food to take home.

Source: Murakami Tourism Association

Niigata’s tourism guide also mentions rice-flour bread, sasa dango, and buns containing tempeh

Alongside rice, sweets and processed foods make convenient purchases for the journey.

Source: Niigata Tourism Guide

Visitor posts often mention the restaurant’s rice dishes and katsudon, and convenient parking

Travel and dining posts discuss Honamitei set meals and tare katsudon (a cutlet rice bowl with sauce), shop gifts, and use of the parking area and toilets after the shops close at night.

Source: Visitor-post trends on Jalan, Tabelog, and similar sites

Omakuba Forest Park suits a short walk among Japanese red pines

After a meal, a drive of about five minutes to the pine forest adds a short outdoor walk on a clear day.

Source: Murakami Tourism Association

Senami Onsen Beach opened July 15–August 20 in 2026

The summer season changes whether a beach visit is possible. Check current opening dates, parking, toilets, showers, and weather and sea conditions before going.

Iwafune Port Fresh Fish Center adds fish to a rice-shopping trip

Buy rice and processed foods in Kamihayashi and fish at Iwafune Port for a practical half-day trip. Check hours and irregular closures, and keep purchases cool.

Source: Iwafune Port Fresh Fish Center official website

Before your visit

Things to check before setting out

Opening and closure days, individual businesses and facilities for children or dogs can affect your plans.

Honamitei is normally open 10:00–16:00, until 15:00 on Mondays. Arrive early if you plan to eat lunch.
The shop is normally open 8:15–17:00. Check Murakami City information for New Year holidays and temporary changes.
The agricultural processing facility is normally open 8:00–17:00. Visit it alongside the shop if you want mochi and processed foods.
Murakami City lists the information station as open 8:30–16:15 and says other facilities are available 24 hours a day.
If you arrive late at night, plan on a toilet break rather than a meal or shopping.
For summer at Senami Onsen Beach, check the opening dates, parking, and weather and sea conditions.
Omakuba Forest Park is mostly outdoors. Keep visits short in rain, strong wind, snow, or extreme heat.

Food

Eating and shopping

Specialities, places to eat, sweets and bakeries can all give you a reason to stop. Check individual menus for current prices and availability.

Rice / direct sales
Iwafune Koshihikari rice
Check in store
Processed foods
Kine-tsuki mochi (pounded rice cakes) and mochi products
Check in store
Bread
Rice-flour bread
Check in store
Sweets / gifts
Sasa dango (bamboo-leaf-wrapped sweet rice dumplings)
Check in store
Prepared sweets
Buns containing tempeh
Check in store
Meals
Honamitei set meals and noodles
10:00–16:00 / Mondays until 15:00