Sunrise Higashi Road Station, Okinawa

Useful road station on remote east coast of Okinawa

This road station / service area is located on Route 70 just on the southeast edge of Higashi Town on the east coast of the main Okinawa island. For those travelling north Higashi Town, and in particular Sunrise Higashi, is one of the last areas where you’ll find a choice of shops, services and accommodation until somewhere around the northern cape of Okinawa (around Cape Hedo). Sunrise Higashi is easy enough to spot being painted up a garish pineapple “yellow” (pineapples are big in these parts). It fronts a pretty nice stretch of coastline so in this regard is quite a pleasant spot as far a road stations go. The parking here is tight, a situation exacerbated by the facility’s popularity (as I said, there really isn’t much in the way of shops and services in the northeast of Okinawa). Sunrise Higashi covers the basics - there is a small restaurant serving Okinawa classics like chanpuru and Okinawa soba (made with locally grown veggies) for around 600 yen, and a store selling fruit and veg (local pineapples - 500 yen), some essentials, bits for a BBQ, and the usual souvenirs. The road station also has toilets (and free showers out back) and a kid’s play area, and there is a sheltered area with vending machines and benches. The beach can also be accessed from Sunrise Higashi. Next door is the Higashi Town Post Office. Canaan Slow Farm is a nice accommodation option just 100 m to the west as you join Route 331 and 200 m to the east is the Fukujigawa Seaside Park where you can have a BBQ or set up for a day camp by the river. There’s a useful map at the road station from which to get your bearings and locate the area’s attractions. While not a glamorous spot for those travelling in Okinawa, Sunrise Higashi could well be an essential one given the sparsity of other shops and services in the area. Stock up, fill up, go to the toilet and continue with your Okinawa adventures. Hours: Restaurant: 11:00 - 17:00 Shop: 9:00 - 18:00