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Tokushima Prefecture · Shikoku

Michi-no-Eki Donari

道の駅どなり

A small roadside rest stop minutes from Donari IC, linking the home of tarai udon with the Miyakawauchi valley.

Updated 2026-10-01Michi-no-Eki Journal Read in Japanese

Illustrative image — not an on-site photograph

Location

Awa City

Road

National Route 318

Hours

10:00–17:00

Official news sometimes lists closing at 17:30 from April to October. The restaurant's usual hours are 10:30–15:00, but it often has temporary closures or shorter hours.

Parking

Cars: 26 / Large vehicles: 4

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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.

First on arrival

Check restaurant hours and find the toilets

Hana＊Hana Restaurant may have its own closing days or shorter hours. Check its schedule first if your stop is for a meal.

If you want to eat

Explore the tarai udon tradition

Udon at the station, hands-on noodle making and nearby specialty shops make this a starting point for Donari's food culture.

If time is short

Visit the shop, viewpoint and Koinari Shrine

You can get a feel for the area in around 30 minutes without walking far from the parking lot.

With children

Plan a rest stop, rather than a playground visit

There is no large play area. Toilets, benches and food, with a short visit to the park across the road, make a practical stop.

For a short walk

Head to Miyakawauchi Dam Park

The nearby park adds waterside and mountain scenery. Keep the walk short in heat or rain.

For a half-day outing

Add Gosho no Sato or the Awa Earth Pillars

After eating and shopping, add a hot spring bath or a scenic site to your Donari and Awa detour.

Highlights

Michi-no-Eki Donari is a place to take a breather on National Route 318 and enjoy a taste and view of Donari, rather than spend hours in a large shopping complex. Stop for udon or a set meal at Hana＊Hana Restaurant, take a short break at the shop and upstairs café with a view, or walk to Miyakawauchi Dam Park across the road. Parking is limited, but toilets, coin-operated showers, a restaurant, a tarai udon making experience and Koinari Shrine are grouped together. Tarai udon is the area's udon served in a wooden tub.

#Tokushima Prefecture
#Awa City
#Donari-cho
#National Route 318
#Tarai udon
#Hana＊Hana Restaurant
#Hands-on udon making
#Miyakawauchi Dam
#Koinari Shrine
#Coin-operated showers

Practical information

Registration number: 徳島-04
Prefecture: Tokushima Prefecture
Municipality: Awa City
Road: National Route 318
Telephone: 088-695-5405
Closed days: Closed every Monday, or the following day if Monday is a public holiday. The restaurant is also listed as closed on the first and third Tuesdays.
Station stamp: Available

Address

28-2 Hirama, Miyakawauchi, Donari-cho, Awa City, Tokushima Prefecture (徳島県阿波市土成町宮川内字平間28-2)

Facilities

Local products shop
Hana＊Hana Restaurant
Café space
Café with a view
Tarai udon making area
Gallery space
Koinari Shrine
Waterwheel hut
Toilets
Information desk
Coin-operated showers
Parking

2 more facilities listed.

External links

Visit the official website (Japanese)Background information (Japanese)donari.net (Japanese guide)donari.net (Japanese guide)donari.net (Japanese guide)donari.net (Japanese guide)donari.thebase.in (Japanese guide)www.city.awa.lg.jp (Japanese guide)www.awanavi.jp (Japanese guide)www.sk-michinoeki.jp (Japanese guide)

Why I like it

Reasons to stop here

Arrive in tarai udon country

A giant tarai tub, hands-on udon making, Hana＊Hana Restaurant and nearby tarai udon shops connect the station with Donari's food culture. Tarai udon is udon served in a wooden tub with dipping broth. You can eat a bowl here, then follow the Gosho tarai udon route if you have more time.

Even a short stop comes with a change of scenery

The upstairs café with a view and the Miyakawauchi valley make this more than a toilet stop. Parking is smaller than at major roadside stations, so on busy days a short visit for shopping and the view may be more comfortable than a long stay.

Check the official news before you go

The restaurant posts frequent notices about reopening, reduced hours, temporary closures and commemorative ticket distributions. If you are coming to eat, check Hana＊Hana Restaurant's schedule as well as the station's regular closing day.

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.

Drives from the Tokushima Expressway's Donari IC onto National Route 318

Turn a Route 318 break into an introduction to tarai udon

Close to Donari IC, you can park and use the toilets, shop and restaurant in one stop. Eat at Hana＊Hana if it is open; if the timing does not work, try one of the nearby tarai udon specialists. This makes a food-focused trip easier to adjust when plans change.

About five minutes by car from Donari IC; roughly 10 km north of Kamojima Station.

The restaurant sometimes closes temporarily or reduces its hours. Check official news before setting out if lunch is your main reason for visiting.

Families with preschoolers and breaks during long drives

With children, use it as a place to reset

Do not expect large play equipment or an indoor play area. The facilities are close to the parking lot, so toilets, food, shopping and benches are within a short walk. If children need time outdoors, add a brief stop at Miyakawauchi Dam Park.

Use the toilets and eat at the station, then spend a little time by the water at Miyakawauchi Dam Park across the road.

There are about 26 standard car spaces. Around lunch or on event days, a short break may work better than a long stay.

Solo travelers, older travelers and visits outside meal hours

If the restaurant is busy or closed, enjoy the shop and view

If Hana＊Hana Restaurant is unavailable, there is still a shop, café space, viewing café area, Koinari Shrine and a waterwheel hut. A short rest is a good fit for the station's small parking area.

Browse the shop, look out from the upstairs café area, then visit Koinari Shrine before leaving.

Commemorative tickets and limited distributions can change in quantity and conditions; check official announcements if you are seeking one.

A day in Awa City that continues into the afternoon

For a half-day outing, add one bath or scenic stop

After Donari food and shopping at the station, drive to Gosho no Sato for a hot spring bath. If nature or photography is the priority, choose the Awa Earth Pillars instead. Adding one stop suits the station's compact scale.

Michi-no-Eki Donari → Gosho no Sato, or Michi-no-Eki Donari → the Awa Earth Pillars.

The bath facility, scenic site and restaurants each have their own closing days and hours.

Families, groups and trips built around a local experience

Plan ahead for hands-on udon making

Official information lists a hands-on noodle-making course with a meal, a standard course, reservation requirements and a cancellation policy. Make this the main activity of the day and book by phone or through the reservation site rather than arriving without a booking.

Reserve ahead → make udon → eat and shop at the station → take a waterside walk nearby.

Reservations are required and a cancellation policy applies. Confirm group size and course details in the latest official information.

Hours

Opening hours

Roadside station

10:00-17:00

Basic hours are listed on the official home and facility pages. Official news sometimes gives a 17:30 closing time from April to October.

Hana＊Hana Restaurant

Approximately 10:30–15:00

Official news posts reduced hours, temporary closures and changes to closing days. It lists Monday and the first and third Tuesdays as closing days. Group bookings can change meal order hours; for example, orders were accepted from 12:30 to 15:00 on September 26, 2026.

Shop

Approximately 10:00–17:00

The shop is sometimes listed as open as usual even when the restaurant is closed.

Coin-operated showers

Listed as open 24 hours

The facility guide lists the showers as 24H. At night, consider the lighting and where you park.

Hands-on udon making

Reservation required

Official information asks for reservations one week ahead, gives inquiry hours of 10:00–17:00 and lists a cancellation policy.

Family

Visiting with children

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

Under 1 year

★★★☆☆

The compact facilities make it easy to return to the toilets or rest area, but this is not a destination for a nursing room or a large indoor play area. A short stop fits best.

Ages 2–3

★★★☆☆

A brief circuit of the restaurant, shop and Koinari Shrine is manageable. For children who need to run around, add a little time at Miyakawauchi Dam Park.

Ages 4–6

★★★★☆

The giant tarai tub, hands-on udon making and waterwheel hut give children things to notice. Book the noodle-making experience in advance if it is the main activity.

Elementary school age

★★★★☆

The story of tarai udon, hands-on noodle making, Miyakawauchi Dam Park and the Awa Earth Pillars can make a local learning trip. Check restaurant hours first.

From parking to the facilities

With about 26 standard car spaces, the facilities are close together once you have parked.

Play area

There is no large playground at the station; Miyakawauchi Dam Park or the Awa Earth Pillars can add time outdoors.

Food

Hana＊Hana Restaurant can close temporarily or shorten its hours. Check official news if you are counting on lunch there.

Rest

Ideas for a restful stop

1
Allow for limited parking and keep the visit manageable
This is a small station with 26 standard car spaces and four large-vehicle spaces. At lunchtime or after news of the restaurant reopening, it may be easier to combine a meal and shopping in a short stop.
2
Locate the toilets and coin-operated showers
Toilets, an information desk and showers listed as available 24 hours make this a practical driving break. At night, check the lighting and activity around the facilities.
3
Switch to the café and shop if the restaurant is unavailable
Hana＊Hana Restaurant's schedule can change, while the shop and café space offer another way to rest. Check official news to decide whether to plan for a meal or a shorter break.
4
Keep waterside walks short and watch the weather
Miyakawauchi Dam Park is nearby, but heat, rain and footing can change the experience in this mountain setting. Walk only as far as feels comfortable.

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

Hana＊Hana Restaurant

A change of operator and reopening were announced in June 2026, followed by schedule updates. A September notice changed meal order hours for a group booking. Check its current schedule if eating is your main reason to visit.

Indoor exhibition space

This was listed as a venue for an anime and roadside station collaboration from April to June 2026. Check the end date of any exhibition or campaign before planning around it.

Shop and commemorative tickets

Shopping-related announcements sometimes include limited distributions of special commemorative tickets. Distribution conditions and remaining quantities can change.

Hands-on udon making

This is offered as a reservation-only experience. Families and groups should plan it separately from a routine rest stop.

Local feel

Reasons to return

Practical ideas and things to consider when spending time here.

Restaurant hours shape the visit

Hana＊Hana Restaurant reopened in June 2026, followed by notices of reduced hours and temporary closures in July. If lunch is the goal, check its schedule. On closed days, switch to shopping and a break with a view.

Source: Michi-no-Eki Donari official news

Book hands-on udon making in advance

Official information lists course prices, reservations one week ahead and a cancellation policy. For families or groups, a planned noodle-making day can make Donari the main destination.

Source: Michi-no-Eki Donari official website

Parking is on a small scale

The official facility guide lists 26 standard car spaces and four large-vehicle spaces. On busy days, a shorter stop to eat, shop and enjoy the view may be easier than a long stay.

Source: Michi-no-Eki Donari facility guide

The water and mountains add another dimension

The station is compact, but Miyakawauchi Dam Park and the nature of the Okumiyakawauchidani valley can turn a rest stop into a short walk. With children or older travelers, choose a comfortable distance for the weather.

Source: Awa City and Awa Navi nearby sightseeing information

Koinari Shrine and the giant tub make memorable short stops

Koinari Shrine, the giant tarai tub and the waterwheel hut are distinctive landmarks for children and first-time visitors. See them between a meal and shopping rather than planning a long visit just for photos.

Source: Michi-no-Eki Donari official website

Watch for new uses of the exhibition space

The April–June 2026 roadside station collaboration exhibition has ended. The indoor exhibition space and commemorative ticket announcements are places to watch for future programs.

Source: Michi-no-Eki Donari official news

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.

The official home and facility pages give basic hours of 10:00–17:00. Official news sometimes lists 10:00–17:30 from April to October.
Hana＊Hana Restaurant is generally open 10:30–15:00 and is listed as closed on Mondays and the first and third Tuesdays. Check official news for temporary closures or shorter hours.
Parking has 26 standard car spaces, four large-vehicle spaces and two spaces for people with disabilities. Allow for limited space around lunchtime and consider a shorter stop.
The facility guide lists coin-operated showers as available 24 hours. For late-night or early-morning use, consider the lighting and where you park.
Official information asks for hands-on udon-making reservations one week ahead and lists a cancellation policy. Families and groups should settle their plans before booking.
Check official news for the posting date, event period and end date before planning around a promotion or exhibition.

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.

Hana＊Hana Restaurant
Udon and set meals at Hana＊Hana Restaurant
According to the restaurant menu
Reservation-only experience
Hands-on udon making
¥1,500 course per person (noodle making plus a side dish with the meal); standard course: ¥1,360 for one batch of udon (serves four) and ¥330 per serving of broth
Donari and Gosho specialty
Tarai udon
According to the menus at the station and nearby restaurants
Shop
Shop goods and souvenirs
Varies by item
Café space
Café items and ice cream
Depends on what is available

Food mood

What would you like to eat?

A meal, a sweet treat, market shopping or something to take away: choose a focus for the day instead of trying everything at once.

Eat at the station

Udon and set meals at Hana＊Hana Restaurant

A first taste of Donari food at the station. Its hours are fairly short, so plan to arrive around lunchtime.

Notices mention temporary closures, reduced hours and closures on the first and third Tuesdays. Group bookings can change meal order hours.

Explore the local specialty

Gosho tarai udon specialty restaurants

Get local information at the station, then head to a nearby tarai udon restaurant. This is a good choice when you want the meal to be a separate destination.

Hours, sellouts and closing days vary by restaurant.

Make the experience the main event

Hands-on udon making

For families or groups who want to make noodles as well as eat them. Official information asks for booking one week ahead.

A cancellation policy applies, so settle your group size and date before booking.

Buy something for the drive

Shop goods and local souvenirs

Even outside restaurant hours, browse the shop for a taste of Donari to take away. Limited commemorative ticket distributions are sometimes announced.

Limited stock and distribution conditions change; check official news.

Add a light sweet treat