Roadside stationBiei, Hokkaido
Biei Oka no Kura Roadside Station
Just a 3-minute walk from JR Biei Station, this stone storehouse, built from Biei soft stone in Taishō 6, is now a roadside station where you can buy food and handmade goods from Biei. Before you step inside, take a close look at the stone walls. Tiny flecks of light are embedded in walls that are more than 100 years old.
Each season has a story from one of my visits.
SpringLate April
The 100-year-old wall was still sparkling
Snow still lay on the ground on a late-April morning. Before setting off to explore the hills, I stopped by the stone storehouse beside the station. Even at the end of April, the air that rushed in when I opened the sedan door still felt like winter, and I felt my shoulders tense. I left the shop for later and decided to walk around the building first.
A tiny glint caught my eye as I traced the gray wall with my finger. I wondered if I’d imagined it, but when I leaned in, I saw tiny translucent grains embedded here and there. Quartz, probably. Each time I tipped my head, a different speck caught the light, as if the wall were blinking. The stones had been stacked more than 100 years ago, and they were still reflecting the soft spring sunlight.
Apparently, the stone formed from pyroclastic flows left by an eruption of Daisetsuzan. When I heard that JR Biei Station was built from the same stone, I looked back at the station I’d just walked past and suddenly felt bad for having passed it by. The snow on the hills wasn’t going anywhere, so I decided to walk the 3 minutes to the station first and check its walls, too. If something catches my attention, I have to check it out then and there, or it’ll be on my mind until night.
SummerJuly
Croquette or soft-serve—which first?
In July, I rode the hill roads around Biei. A little more throttle on an uphill stretch and the sky opened up; on the way down, the next field came into view. I loved that rhythm, and before I knew it, noon had long passed. I parked by the stone storehouse and took off my helmet, my bangs stuck to my forehead with sweat.
Before I could fix my hair, the words “Snacks” caught my eye: croquettes made with Biei produce and soft-serve ice cream. I decided to choose just one, went back and forth for about a minute, and bought both anyway. That minute of indecision was far more wasteful.
I bit into a freshly fried croquette. The crust crackled, and the inside was piping hot. I closed my eyes and blew on it, then somehow got it down and cooled off with the soft serve. The cold gave me an ice-cream headache, so I went straight back to the croquette. With both hands full, I kept going back and forth between hot and cold until the sweat from the ride had disappeared.
AutumnLate October
The little wooden bowl I picked after 3 trips back and forth
When the larches on the hills started turning yellow, I rode back to Biei. As soon as I took off my helmet, a chill from the late-October wind brushed the back of my neck and made me hunch my shoulders. I wanted to warm up, so I headed straight inside the stone storehouse. I’d heard that the interior uses larch from Biei, too. As I looked at the wooden pillars and ceiling, the timber here seemed connected to the yellow trees lining the ridge I’d just seen.
The shop shelves were lined with wooden bowls and pottery by people with studios in town. The first little wooden bowl I picked up was much lighter than I expected and fit snugly in both palms. I went to the end of the shelf to look at the others, came back, then went to the end again. After 3 trips back and forth, I had to admit that the first bowl was the only one on my mind.
Outside, I pulled it out of the bag beside the motorcycle and took another look. In the autumn light, the grain stood out. What should I put in it when I get back to my apartment in Tokyo? Morning yogurt, maybe, or nuts. Something you choose on a trip brings the feel of that day back whenever you use it, so I can’t help wanting to bring it home.
WinterJanuary
Corn butter ramen on a snowy day—broth and all
January. Snow had fallen overnight, and the road by the station was white. I eased my second vehicle, a four-wheel-drive sedan for winter, into the car park and switched off the engine. A thick layer of snow covered the storehouse’s red roof, too. My fingertips were already numb, and I’d decided on a hot noodle lunch before I even got out of the car.
At Kōmugi Shokudō, I ordered the corn butter ramen. Butter slowly melted into the broth, with plenty of corn on top. The first mouthful was still hot even after I blew on it, but I couldn’t put my chopsticks down. Snow was falling outside, yet by the time I’d finished, the back of my neck was slightly damp with sweat.
I drained the broth and stepped outside. Snow was still falling quietly. Standing beside the sedan, I rested a hand on my stomach and let out a long breath. My white breath rose and vanished almost at once. Why does a hot meal in a cold town warm me all the way through?
The story sections are fiction inspired by this location. For accurate information, please consult official tourism and information websites.
About this roadside station
Biei Warehouse Co., Ltd. originally built three storehouses in Taishō 6 to store beans such as azuki and soybeans. The buildings became a town facility in Heisei 18, then a roadside station on March 1, Heisei 19. It’s a little surreal to think that travelers now browse for souvenirs where sacks of beans were once stacked.
The Biei soft stone in the walls formed from pyroclastic flows left by an eruption of Daisetsuzan. It’s called rhyolitic tuff, and apparently you can see grains of quartz with the naked eye. The stone was quarried in Murayama, within the town, from Taishō 5 until around Shōwa 44, and was widely used in construction and civil engineering. JR Biei Station is built from the same stone.
The interior is finished with larch from Biei, and the second floor is an event space. It hosts photo exhibitions and solo exhibitions by people with ties to Biei. After taking in the hills for yourself, it’s fun to see Biei through someone else’s eyes, too.
Things to enjoy here
Kōmugi Shokudō
The menu features curries that put Biei vegetables front and center, along with corn butter ramen, all made with Biei ingredients. A good choice when you want a proper lunch.
Snacks
They serve soft-serve ice cream and croquettes made with Biei ingredients. They’re easy to enjoy one-handed as you explore the hills.
Shop
The shop carries woodwork and ceramics by artists with studios in town, processed foods made from local produce, and souvenirs you can only find here.
Location
It’s a 3-minute walk from JR Biei Station. The address is 1-9-21 Motomachi, Biei, Kamikawa District, Hokkaido, and there’s a free car park and an EV charging station.
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