ARTICLES
Home of famous horses! Roadside Station "Thoroughbred Road Shinkan" Highlights and Gourmet Food
Roadside Station Thoroughbred Road Niikappu is located about halfway along Route 235, which runs along the coastline of the Hidaka region in southern Hokkaido. With a product store, flower store, restaurant, and other facilities, it is also used as a base for sightseeing. In this issue, we will introduce the charms of this roadside station!
- The "Home of Racehorses": Bronze statues and objets d'art of famous horses
- Enjoy gourmet food made with Hidaka kelp!
- A unique combination! Bell bell pepper soft serve
- Thoroughbred wood carvings, horseshoes, and Uma Musume goods as souvenirs!
- Introducing spots of interest around the Michi-no-Eki area!
The "Hometown of the Racehorse" - Bronze statues and objets d'art of famous horses!
The Hidaka region is known as the "Home of the Racehorse," and at the "Thoroughbred Road Shinkan" roadside station, you will find a variety of statues and objets d'art of Thoroughbreds.
Statue of "Hiseiko," a monster of the Showa period
Hiseiko, nicknamed the "Monster of the Showa Era," was a famous horse that caused a sensation in the Japanese horse racing world in the 1970s. The statue of Hiseiko, erected as a symbol of the horse-producing region, also conveys the dignity of the "monster of the Showa era.
The "Monument to the Sun," an objet d'art with the names of famous horses engraved on it.
The "Monument to the Eugene Monument" was built to honor horses that have left their mark on the world. Some of the famous horses made famous by "Uma Musume" were also produced in Shinkan Town.
Horse shrine! Umakyuikkudokoro
This is the "Bakku Ikkusyo" corner in the roadside station. It is a Hokkaido dialect meaning "It will go well. A lot of money offerings are placed in front of the horse, making it look like a shrine. Why don't you stop by and pay a visit?
Enjoy gourmet food made with an abundance of Hidaka kelp
Hidaka kelp is a specialty of the Hidaka region. Did you know that there are gourmet foods using such Hidaka kelp?
The name is "Araisomaru," a pork bun with an impressive pitch-black appearance. I actually tried it!
It is filled with Hidaka kelp and pork! The aroma of the kelp makes this dish very appetizing. You can fill your stomach without getting your hands dirty, so it's a perfect accompaniment for a road trip!
A unique combination! Bell Pepper Soft
Shinkan Town is known as the "Town of Thoroughbreds," but in fact, it is also the "Town of Bell Peppers," with the largest production of bell peppers in Hokkaido. At the roadside station, there is "green bell pepper soft," a soft-serve ice cream made from green peppers, a specialty representing such a town of Shinkan. Many tourists purchase it because of its rarity, but I actually tried it!
Soft serve ice cream with the refreshing flavor of green peppers blended into rich milk...a combination that might make you hesitate to eat it, but when you try it, you will find it refreshing and addictive...maybe even addictive.
Thoroughbred wood carvings, horseshoes, and Uma Musume goods are also available as souvenirs.
In the product shop inside the roadside station, you will find a variety of souvenirs such as wooden thoroughbred carvings, horseshoes, and Uma Musume goods. The souvenirs are unique to the hometown of racehorses.
Wood carvings are made from hardwoods grown at the foot of Mt. It is amazing that each piece is carefully carved one by one by the hands of craftsmen! I felt the craftsmanship in the dynamism of the thoroughbreds.
Stuffed horses lined up in a corner. There is also a stuffed animal of Uma Musume!
Horseshoes that were actually used by Hidaka's horses are also for sale.
Check out the product center as well, where you will find many souvenirs unique to the town of thoroughbred horses!
Here are some spots of interest around the roadside station!
We have introduced the highlights and gourmet foods of the Thoroughbred Road Shinkan Road Roadside Station, but you should not miss the surrounding spots as well. Nearby you will find the "Les Chordes Pavilion," which displays records donated from all over Japan, the "Yushun's Tower," which offers a 360° panoramic view, and the "Niikappu Kitchen," which has several tenants.
The "Les Chordes Pavilion," introduced first, houses over 1 million records donated by music lovers from all over Japan.
Les Chords Museum
The "Yushun-no-tower" is recommended for the view from its 25-meter height!
View from Yushun-no-tou
Next to the elevator of the observatory, there is a panel of "Naritabryan", a horse girl.
A panel of "NARITABURIAN" on the observation deck of the Yushun-no-tou observation tower
Niikappu Kitchen opened in 2018 after renovating a store that was originally a supermarket. It has four tenants: a bread & cake shop, a grocery store, a fresh fish store, and a butcher store, making it very convenient for shopping.
Niikappu Kitchen
How was it? The roadside station, Thoroughbred Road Shinkappu, is recommended for a break from driving, for shopping, and for sightseeing. Please stop by and visit!
Roadside Station Thoroughbred Road Shinkappu
◾️ Address: 1-20 Chuo-machi, Shinkan-cho, Shinkan-gun, Hokkaido
◾️ Business hours
GW and July to September: 9:00-18:00
November to February: 10:00-17:00
Other than the above: 10:00-18:00
◾️ Closed: Year-end and New Year holidays (December 30 - January 3) and every Monday
See details of "Roadside Station: Thoroughbred Road Shinkan" on Domingo
Writer Profile
Part-time civil servant / Web writer Seika Yoshida
Born in Chiba Prefecture. She is currently working to become a school and community translator (coordinator) with the vision of "enriching the community with the power of words! and is striving to become a translator (coordinator) between the school and the community. She works as a support worker at an after-school children's club and also works as a web writer. She lives in the town of Shin-hidaka.
