TRUCKS STOP * Japan - Gourmands should hit the highway

Long-haul rest stops with a reputation for roadkill have been transformed into powerhouses of local produce — and wasabi soda

Tokyo,Japan -The Japan Times, by BOB SLIWA -May 11, 2008: -- At the beginning of the postwar period of economic growth in Japan, highways were more for transporting parts and goods to jump-start the economy than for going on a Sunday drive. Even into the 1980s, pit stops in highway rest areas were still the stuff of nightmares. Surrounded by trucks belching acrid clouds of diesel smoke, motorists would find available food limited to soggy noodles and nefarious hot dogs, and worn-out, dirty squat toilets made for unpleasant experiences... However, these same service areas are now meccas for tourists — reinvented as destinations in their own right. How they were transformed into their current Disneylandlike state has a lot to do with reform of the byzantine rules that govern them — a subject that could fill a long tome. Simply stated, they are now run by agencies working to elevate these former truck stops to profitability with the help of local governments and third-party developers. Particularly in the last 10 years, they have morphed into a network of sophisticated — if not overly glitzy — entertainment centers that rake in truckloads of money every year... Next time you are stuck in that inevitable holiday traffic jam and the information board above the highway tells you the gridlock extends for 47 km ahead, giving up and pulling into a service area may be a very appealing alternative... (PHOTO: BOB SLIWA - 1. Local flavors: Freshly caught saury on sale in a shopping mall at Kariya Highway Oasis rest stop resort - 2. Hamanako Service Area's eel-flavored pretzels)