After entering Gifu from Nagano on the south-bound Chuo expressway, the first service area is the Ena Kyo Service area. Located between Nakatsugawa and Ena Exits, Ena Kyo offers good food and a picturesque view of the Japanese Alps.
Every time you get on and off the Japanese Expressway system you have to pay. So there are parking and service areas every so often when you can relieve yourself, get something to eat, fill your car with gas and a host of other activities. A service area has traffic information, lots of parking and a service station while a parking area has basic facilities and maybe a shop or at least vending machines.
Stopping at Ena (on the south or north bound sides) is picturesque. From the parking lot, look north, west and east. All you see is a wall of mountains. On a clear winter day, the peaks form a white wall with Mt. Ena in the forefront the Central Alps in the middle and Mt. Ontake to the northwest.
Each service area sells local foods and gifts. I usually stop here because it has the only Starbucks in eastern Gifu, but since I was stopping for lunch I thought it would be fun to try a local treat. My kids had child-sized bowls of Ramen, my wife tempura soba and I had a big bowl of tempura Udon. The temperature outside was close to freezing so a nice hot bowl of noodle soup hit the spot. But while I was eating, my eyes kept wandering to a small bakery in the corner. The Ena / Nakatsugawa area is famous for chestnuts so at the Ena Service area, Kuri Fuku is the treat. While my kids had a massive Hida (a Region of Gifu) Milk Ice Cream cone and my wife a StarBucks scone, I tried a custard cream Kuri Fuku. Kuri means “Chestnut” and “Fuku” means luck. The outside was like a slightly over baked pancake but as I bit through out came warm oozing chestnut flavored custard cream. In the center was one big steamed and peeled chestnut which made the entire dessert even better and maybe even lucky!
Besides having a cafeteria style area, there is a family restaurant serving local dishes and standard Japanese favorites. There are also family bathrooms, changing rooms and breast feeding facilities. If your car is low on gas, there is a 24-hour Shell station. But one of the best features of Ena Kyo, is the observation deck just behind the Starbucks. If you climb to the top (and have a good camera), you can take wonder shots of the mountains.
If you are traveling through the center of Japan by car on the expressway system and need a break, take it at Ena Kyo Service area. Don’t forget to try the Kuri Fuku.
P.S.
My daughter says to try the ice cream bu don’t eat it too fast like she did.
