Yums and Funs for Everyones!

Minami-Echizen Sankairi is a roadside station that opened in 2021.
It is a popular entertainment destination for folks from both Fukui Prefecture and beyond, where you can try local delicacies, buy unique local goods, and enjoy fun activities.
There are plenty of great places to check out nearby too, such as a pick-your-own-fruit farm.

Here are just a few ways to enjoy the Nanjo area of Minami-Echizen Town in and around Minami-Echizen Sankairi.
Jump headfirst into this charming town and get a taste of what it’s like to be a local.

Contents:

Section 1: The Food
All the Delightful Delicacies of Minami-Echizen Town All in One Place!

Section 2: The Goodies
All of Minami-Echizen Town Has to Offer in One Market!

Section 3: Fun till You Drop
Great for Parents and Kids! So Much to Play with, Rain or Shine

Section 4: Fun Day or Night
The Park at Night is Great Too! Check Out the Art Projection

Section 5: Selfies with Dinosaurs
Fukui is Dino Country! Japan’s Fossil Mecca

Section 6: In the Neighborhood
Pick Your Own Fruit Feast

Minami-Echizen Sankairi is next to the Nanjo Service Area on the southbound Hokuriku Expressway and can be accessed by bicycle or on foot as well as from both the expressway service area or from local roads.

There is a walkway that connects the second floors of the Nanjo Service Area and Minami-Echizen Sankairi, so it’s easy to move from one to the other no matter the weather.
With everything there is to eat, shop, and do all in one place, anyone can easily spend the whole day here, including couples on a date or a family with kids.

Section 1:
The Food
All the Delightful Delicacies of Minami-Echizen Town All in One Place!

On the second floor, you will find Food Hall Me, where you can enjoy a variety of delicious foods from the Minami-Echizen area.
On the second floor, you will find Food Hall Me, where you can enjoy a variety of delicious foods from the Minami-Echizen area.
It’s easy to drop in anytime–for lunch with friends or just a cup of coffee.

There’s something for everyone–including an extensive selection of Japanese and Western dishes–as well as meals to delight your little ones.
There are so many things to try, like hamburger steaks and fried chicken, colorful lunch sets that include dessert, and courses of udon and sushi.
Enjoy lunchtime with family in style!

Kids’ lunch plate from Field and Soil

Kids’ meal from Ichibanboshi

Kids’ meal from Yutaka Suisan

Section 2:
“The Goodies
All of Minami-Echizen Town Has to Offer in One Market!”

Shopping for souvenirs is one of the joys of traveling or going for a drive.
Market Me on the second floor is a market space where you can find a wide range of local specialties from the mountains, sea, and villages of Minami-Echizen Town.
There are all kinds of great things laid out for you here, including seasonal vegetables and fruits, flowers, local side dishes and bento boxes, and famous local products that can’t be found anywhere else.
Be sure to stop by and enjoy shopping like a local.

Section 3:
“Fun till You Drop
Great for Parents and Kids! So Much to Play with, Rain or Shine”

On the third floor of Minami-Echizen Sankairi is an indoor kids’ room that is free to use.
A great place to bring the kids to play at any time, especially on cold or rainy days.

Don’t forget to take off your shoes before you explore the spacious play space, which is for children up to early elementary school age (around 10). It features a mini bouldering wall, jungle gym, trampoline plus an area for infants and toddlers.
Chairs are provided for adults to sit back, relax, and watch the fun.

Just outside is Sankairi Park, bustling with the voices of children on sunny days off from school.

There is a long outdoor slide from the third floor near the kids’ room that leads all the way down and straight to the park.
Most any kid is sure to love this giant slide.
This huge outdoor playground is equipped with a variety of fun equipment, making it a very popular spot.

The inflated dome trampoline is great for bouncing, jumping, and sliding, and kids can’t get enough.

Indoors or outdoors, alone or with others, there are always plenty of kids completely absorbed by all the things to play with at Minami-Echizen Sankairi.

Section 4:
“Fun Day or Night
The Park at Night is Great Too! Check Out the Art Projection”

Every night from mid-November to early March, Sankairi Park hosts a projection mapping event where beautiful images are projected onto the playground.
It’s a wonderful way to spend a romantic moment surrounded by the fantastical, illuminated space.

Section 5:
“Selfies with Dinosaurs
Fukui is Dino Country! Japan’s Fossil Mecca”

You can find dinosaur installations both inside and outside of Minami-Echizen Sankairi, so be sure to check them out when you visit.

Inside, Dr. Dinosaur greets you from behind a bench inside the second-floor entrance, wearing a lab coat.
A photo taken from the bench makes it look like you’ve got a dinosaur friend! (Or are you its test subjects?!)

Don’t miss the two dinosaurs outside in Sankairi Park too, which can also be seen from the Nanjo Service Area.

From April to November, mist is sprayed every 30 minutes between 9:00 and 21:00, accompanied by the sounds of roaring dinosaurs.
And from 4pm to 9pm all year round, the dinosaurs are lit up beautifully.

Information:
Minami-Echizen Sankairi Roadside Station
39-2-2 Makitani, Minami-Echizen-cho, Nanjo-gun, Fukui Prefecture
Tel: 0778-47-3690
Hours: Market Me 9am-8pm
Food Hall Me 9am-8pm (varies by store)
Kids’ Room 10am-5pm
Closed: open year-round
https://kineno-nanjo.com

Section 6:
“In the Neighborhood
Pick Your Own Fruit Feast”

Along with the Minami-Echizen Sankairi, another place you should definitely enjoy is the all-weather farm Fruitful Garden Hinonomi located right next door.
It just opened in January 2024 and has a great view of Mt Hino, also known as the Mt. Fuji of Echizen.

The farm has a strawberry house where 11 varieties are grown, the most in the Hokuriku region, and a blueberry garden where 30 varieties are grown, so you can enjoy picking seasonal fruit throughout the year.

The strawberry harvest season runs from late December to early June.
After the strawberries, blueberries will be ready from late June to early October, and a grape farm is scheduled to open in late July 2025.

Rows of big, scarlet strawberries line the three spacious greenhouses.
Each greenhouse has around 5,000 plants.

The strawberries at Hinonomi are grown individually in pots, a cultivation method that is the first of its kind in Japan.
Because each plant has its own optimal environment, the sugar content of each strawberry increases, increasing the quality.

In addition, the greenhouses use a smart agriculture that utilizes cutting-edge technology.

All this allows the 11 different varieties of strawberries to be grown together.
Namely, the lineup includes Kaorino, Benihoppe, Hoshi Urara, Sachinoka, Koi Minori, Oi-C Berry, Yayoi Hime, Star Night, Mouikko, Berry Pop Haruhi, and Berry Pop Suzu.

Characteristics such as acidity, sugar content, strength, and aroma all differ depending on the variety.
Depending on the season, you can enjoy picking more than one variety at the same time.
There’s nothing like picking each different variety at the perfect time, comparing them, and finding your favorite.

Pick any strawberry you like with your own hands to fill your cup.
Giant ones or odd shapes, there’s plenty of unique fun to be had.
The strawberries are at an easy height for picking, so anyone from small children to the elderly can enjoy themselves.

You can combine your favorite extras such as red bean paste, ice cream, daifuku dough, crepe dough, and tart crust to enjoy making your own original confections such as strawberry daifuku, crepes, and tarts.

Now you are ready to relax and enjoy yourself at the provided tables and chairs.

There is something about making desserts for yourself with the fresh strawberries you picked that makes everything especially heavenly.
It’s sure to be an unforgettable experience.

Hinonomi also has a food truck selling tasty items made with strawberries harvested on the farm to enjoy then and there or take to go.

You can of course take any leftover picked strawberries home with you as a souvenir and
you can also buy freshly picked strawberries and other strawberry delights directly from the farm at the bright yellow shipping container.

Pick, create, eat–it’s a feast for all five senses!
One of the best parts of this experience is that it can be enjoyed in the greenhouse all year round, regardless of the weather.

Information:
Fruitful Garden Hinonomi
41-7-1 Makitani, Minami-Echizen-cho, Nanjo-gun, Fukui Prefecture (next to the Hokuriku Expressway Nanjo Service Area (southbound) and the Minami-Echizen Sankairi Roadside Station)
Tel: 050-8886-3115
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday 10am-4pm (reservation required)
Closed: Mondays and Tuesdays (open if public holiday, whereupon the following day will be closed)
Note: May be closed in bad weather such as heavy snow or strong winds
Please use the farm parking lot only
Fruit harvesting season may change depending on growing conditions
https://www.hinonomi.com/

There are so many things for both kids and adults to enjoy in and around Minami-Echizen Sankairi Roadside Station, the perfect stop on your travels, on a weekend drive, or just for a short everyday break.
You can even also rent an electrically assisted bicycle at the roadside station for unlimited use for one day with a reservation.

For more details, please see the feature article, “Cycling in Minami-Echizen Town: Rural Refresh of Body and Mind” （https://www.minamiechizen.com/feature/65414/）.

Feel the breeze in your hair and enjoy the reinvigorating scenery while you see the sights in the area