Mima is a rice producing area located between Matsuyama and Uwajima. Until recently, it was hardly on the map for most visitors, but since the expressway has pushed on south to Uwajima past Mima, this attractive Road Station or Michi no Eki in Japanese has become a strategic point. If you need somewhere to stop and stretch your legs, have something to eat, and answer the call of nature, this Road Station is a good option.
Road Stations are government-designated rest areas found along roads and highways in Japan. Besides providing places for travelers to rest, they’re also intended to promote local tourism and trade. Shops sell local produce, snacks, souvenirs, and other goods. The local produce typically attracts local people too, and people travel from far afield to buy the fruit and vegetables grown with minimal use of agricultural chemicals. When I went in early summer, there was a huge array of fresh tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and other summer vegetables, not to mention huge watermelons. This particular Road Station is quite new and very large, so that looking around it seems like something of an adventure.
An unusual feature of Mima Road Station is its museum dedicated to two prominent sons of Ehime, Kunisaburo Iseki, a developer of agricultural machinery and Umetaro Azechi, an artist in a naïve abstract style. Personally I’m more attracted to the agricultural machines which are quite beautiful in their way, but Azechi’s life and work is also presented in a very appealing manner. The museum is 300 yen for adults and 200 yen for kids, although you’re graciously permitted to browse the souvenir corner without paying. If you’d like to extend your highway stop, the museum repays a look.
As with all Road Stations, there’s a restaurant at Mima. It’s called Azemichi no Hana and it offers a tempting buffet-style lunch with lots of local vegetables. The shop selling local produce and souvenirs is large and besides the usual Japanese-y things, there’s a large selection of figurines of martial arts personalities—rather unexpected in the backwoods of Ehime. Outside, there are sundry stalls, and I very nearly spent some money on a new knife for camping or something (any excuse would have done really—it was a work of handcrafted art).
You can also rent cycles at the Road Station if you fancy doing some exploring by pedal power.
Name in Japanese
道の駅みま Michi no Eki Mima
