Oita Prefecture · Kyushu
道の駅 童話の里くす
Just outside Kusu IC, this roadside station introduces the town of fairy tales through Kusu rice and freshly baked bread.
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.
Convenient just off the expressway; children's toilets, a baby changing surface, and nursing facilities are available.
The farm shop generally opens 9 a.m.–6 p.m., closing at 5 p.m. in winter. Rice and dried goods may suit a long journey home.
The station says bread selection tends to be widest around 11 a.m. After baking ends, remaining bread is sold in the farm shop.
Generally 11 a.m.–3:30 p.m., with last orders at 3 p.m. Choose from rice bowls, set meals, noodles, and curry using Kusu-grown rice.
Choose Bungo-Mori Roundhouse Park, the Takehiko Kurushima Memorial Museum, or Mount Kirikabu according to your interests and time.
Haruka Kazama presents this station as a place to reconnect with Kusu immediately after leaving the expressway. Start with parking, toilets, and nursing facilities, then choose the farm shop, bread, or restaurant according to your time. Pick one next stop—the roundhouse, stories, views, or falls—and even a short break can reveal the character of Kusu.
Michi-no-Eki Dōwa no Sato Kusu (道の駅 童話の里くす) faces Kusu IC. A convenient stop while driving National Routes 387 and 210, it brings together Kusu rice, the area's specialty shiitake mushrooms, local vegetables, fresh bread, fast food, and a station-run restaurant. “Dōwa” means children's stories or fairy tales; the name evokes the storytelling culture of Takehiko Kurushima, a Kusu native sometimes called “Japan's Andersen.” For a short stop, use the toilets, farm shop, and bakery. With more time, add Bungo-Mori Roundhouse Park, the Takehiko Kurushima Memorial Museum, Mount Kirikabu, or Jion-no-Taki Kusu for a day of food, shopping, and local culture.
The station faces Kusu IC. Its roughly 156 parking spaces include areas for ordinary cars, large vehicles, motorcycles, and disabled users. Toilets, a multipurpose toilet, children's toilets, a baby changing surface, and nursing facilities inside the restaurant help make a longer journey easier to plan.
The farm shop stocks vegetables from local growers, specialty shiitake, and Kusu-grown Hitomebore rice. The restaurant uses Kusu-grown “Kusu Tenkū no Kagayaki,” a local rice brand, and the bakery says its selection is often widest around 11 a.m. Even without a sit-down meal, bread or seasonal soft serve offers a quick taste of Kusu.
The station's name reflects the stories of Kusu native Takehiko Kurushima. After shopping, you can continue to the railway heritage at Bungo-Mori Roundhouse Park, the Takehiko Kurushima Memorial Museum, views from Mount Kirikabu, or Jion-no-Taki Kusu. The station makes a starting point for exploring beyond food.
The station's calendar lists Thursday vendors at Fureai Square, while the tourism association updates events such as the monthly Roundhouse Marche, Dōwa no Sato Summer Festival, and Kusu Gion Festival. Pair lunch and shopping at the station with an event elsewhere in town, after checking current schedules.
Spend your time at the station or add somewhere nearby. These ideas help you plan around your companions and the weather.
After parking, use the toilets, browse Kusu rice, shiitake, and vegetables in the farm shop, then pick up bread or seasonal soft serve before setting off. Even without time for a meal, the local products make the stop feel distinctly Kusu.
Parking → toilets → farm shop → bread or fast food → depart
Winter closing is earlier, and fried fast-food items are generally available only until 30 minutes before closing.
Arrive at the restaurant during the 11 a.m. hour and choose from horumon-don, Bungo beef curry, toriten (Oita-style chicken tempura), champon noodle soup, and more. Then browse fresh produce, rice, shiitake, and bread at the farm shop.
Parking → restaurant → farm shop → Fureai Square or benches
Restaurant last orders are generally at 3 p.m. At the lunch rush, leave time to switch to bread or fast food.
Buy bread or drinks at the station, then head to Bungo-Mori Roundhouse Park. If your visit coincides with the Sunday mini-train or monthly Roundhouse Marche, children can enjoy time outdoors. The Takehiko Kurushima Memorial Museum links the station's “fairy tales” name to the town's storytelling history.
Roadside station → Bungo-Mori Roundhouse Park → Takehiko Kurushima Memorial Museum
The mini-train and marche may be cancelled in rain and operate seasonally. Check the schedule before going.
After browsing rice or bread at the station, visit KIRIKABU HOUSE on Mount Kirikabu. This scenic rest house overlooks the town, surrounding mountains, and old Bungo-Mori Roundhouse, and you may bring your own food and drink. The views add another side of Kusu to a clear-day visit.
Roadside station → Mount Kirikabu KIRIKABU HOUSE → journey home
The rest house generally opens March–November and may close in bad weather. Allow for the mountain road and wind.
Eat and shop at Dōwa no Sato Kusu, then travel toward National Route 210 and Jion-no-Taki Kusu. This sister roadside station is about a one-minute walk from Jion Falls, making it a useful stop for summer coolness and waterside scenery.
Michi-no-Eki Dōwa no Sato Kusu → Michi-no-Eki Jion-no-Taki Kusu → Jion Falls
Parking at Jion-no-Taki Kusu is limited; allow extra time on event days and during summer holidays.
Stars show the editorial recommendation for each age group on a five-point scale. Read the reasons alongside each rating.
Nursing facilities, a baby changing surface, and children's toilets make this suitable for a break around an expressway drive.
The restaurant has nursing facilities, and the multipurpose toilet has ostomate facilities. A short sequence of toilets, feeding, then farm shop may be easier than a long stay.
The station suits a meal and a sweet treat; head to nearby places for active play.
Bread and soft serve may help with a break, but watch small children's hands among the farm shop's many products. For time to move around, continue to Bungo-Mori Roundhouse Park.
Bread, stories, the mini-train, and roundhouse offer clear goals for an outing.
If your timing matches a Sunday mini-train or monthly Roundhouse Marche, the visit can extend beyond the station. Check for rain cancellations.
Railway heritage, Takehiko Kurushima, and views from Mount Kirikabu add opportunities to learn.
Explore the station name at the Takehiko Kurushima Memorial Museum or see the area's landscape from Mount Kirikabu to turn a meal break into an introduction to Kusu.
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.
The station calendar listed a 雅海産 seafood vendor every Thursday in July 2026, 9–11 a.m. Check the current calendar before planning a seafood-shopping stop.
Local producers' stalls and a raffle were advertised at Jion-no-Taki Kusu for July 18–19, 2026. This event was at the sister station, so a visit would require travel beyond Dōwa no Sato Kusu.
The tourism association listed the second Sunday of each month from March through November 2026, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., at Bungo-Mori Roundhouse Park. Food stalls and a mini-train made it a possible family detour after a station break; check the current schedule.
The festival was scheduled for August 9, 2026, at the Kusu River riverbank and Kasugamachi shopping street. Its advertised attractions included walking under a giant carp streamer, stage performances, and fireworks, connecting a station stop with a town event.
Station notices advertised new breads and seasonal soft serve in July 2026. Choices change monthly or seasonally, so check the latest station notices before visiting.
Practical ideas and things to consider when spending time here.
The station and the Kyushu Regional Development Bureau describe access directly opposite Kusu IC, about 2 km north on Route 387 from Route 210. Reviews and travel accounts also describe stopping after leaving the expressway to adjust timing; toilets, shopping, and a snack fit well before another destination.
The station's shop guide says bread is baked from 9 a.m. until baking ends, with the widest selection around 11 a.m. If bread is a priority, look at the shelves on arrival rather than after lunch.
The restaurant generally opens 11 a.m.–3:30 p.m., with last orders at 3 p.m. Its menu ranges from Bungo beef and horumon-don to toriten and noodles. Around the lunch rush or closing, bread, fast food, or seasonal soft serve can keep your plans flexible.
Children's toilets, a baby changing surface, and nursing facilities make the station convenient for a break. For activities, continue to the mini-train at Bungo-Mori Roundhouse Park, the monthly Roundhouse Marche, or the Takehiko Kurushima Memorial Museum.
The station updates notices about new bread, seasonal soft serve, and vendors. The tourism association covers town events including the summer festival, Gion Festival, and Roundhouse Marche. Check both sources for choices on the day of your visit.
Kusu Town says KIRIKABU HOUSE on Mount Kirikabu overlooks the town and old Bungo-Mori Roundhouse. Taking bread or drinks from the station up to the rest house offers a view of Kusu's landscape; in winter or poor weather, choose another route.
Official videos show the market and nearby park before you visit. Audio and captions are in Japanese.
If the video does not load, watch it on YouTube
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.
The station-run restaurant generally opens 11 a.m.–3:30 p.m.; make Kusu-grown rice a focus of lunch.
Good for a stop without sitting long. Look for bread around 11 a.m.; fried foods are generally served until 30 minutes before closing.
Choose fresh produce, rice, or dried goods according to your drive home. Consider keeping perishables cool in summer.
An easy treat while waiting for a meal or before leaving. Seasonal choices change.
Start with supplies at the station, then add food stalls at a town event to the day's outing.
If the map does not load, open it in Google Maps
Just outside Kusu IC, this roadside station introduces the town of fairy tales through Kusu rice and freshly baked bread.
After shopping at the station, add the town's railway history at this park with a nationally registered Tangible Cultural Property.
Good after a meal and shopping at the station when children need a little outdoor time or you want to see railway heritage.
Good for learning the station name's background, a rainy day, or adding indoor local culture after a meal.
Good on a clear day after picking up food at the station, when you want to enjoy Kusu's landscape and views.
Good after lunch or shopping at Dōwa no Sato Kusu if you want the coolness of the falls and another local-products shop.
Useful as a rest, shopping, or meeting stop before a summer festival or other town event.
Send your travel companions a possible stop.
