"We don’t try any foods but buy some local fruits and candy at reasonable price. However, the views from behind the shop towards open sea are awesome"

subasish

"This place is really popular with middle aged and older Japanese people. Lots of traditional Japanese foods, but if you're not really into super traditional Japan bundled up in a modern looking facade, you're probably not going to love this place. It's probably worth a 10 minute stop and look around for the experience."

M. Whitaker

"The name Senzakikitchin is a portmanteau "Senzaki" the place, and kitchen since this establishment sells food both in the form of local produce and in its various restaurants. The association of Japanese "Roadside" Stations has decided on the name "Roadside," but it is a mistranslation. "Michi no Eki" are not stations by the side of the road but, while there is no opportunity to change cars (as one can change trains) or pay for a place in a car (as one can pay to board a train) they are still, the Japanese literally translates "stations of the road": places where people stop on their road travels.

This roadside station has a tourist information centre, a place to board a ferry to go on a sea tour, several restaurants, and a large shop selling local produce, both from the sea and the land as well as locally produced crafts, and a variety of restaurants. Like many Road Stations, Senzaki Kitchen is in a horseshoe arrangement focused upon, yes, the car park. If you have imagination as good as a Japanese person then you do not need to be shown the sea, perhaps, and the similar Road Station (Sea Mart) in Hagi allows NO VIEW OF THE SEA AT ALL, since it is obscured by warehouses. Most of Senzakitchen's restaurants and clientele are likewise disinterested in the superb sea view, but, in the rather unused terrace by the side of the public conveniences, there are tables that allow those who have purchased take away foods at the car-park-facing-restaurants to dine in one of the most beautiful environments in the world.

There is also one restaurant, "Hon Maru" with a sea side view, which being a little more expensive is generally empty (unlike the car park facing restaurants) and sells take away food quite cheaply, which we partook of on the benches outside on the terrace by the sea.

The local produce varies in price but the small fish (which I think are often seen as a waste product) cooked in miso in such a way as to allow them to be eaten whole, are very inexpensive, as is much of the seafood. The are also a variety of crafts, such as animate red gates depicting those at the local Motonosumi Shrine (Shrine at the corner of Japan with great red gates) and a variety of cute whale souvenirs since whales are thought of as being cute as well as tasty.

Apparently Japanese birds of prey -- box tailed kites, called "tobi" in Japanese -- sometimes swoop down to take food from those dining on the terrace with the view, and this is seen as an annoyance. I think that they should allow feeding of the kites for a up close to the wilderness experience. A old lady at a beach that we used to frequent near Yamaguchi (Chuudou) beach would throw fish sausage to the kites and on one or two occasions I threw a bread roll which the kite would catch in mid air and squawking gratefully, head off to its nest in the mountains. Great!"

Timothy Takemoto