I was looking back through my last international trip before covid - where a friend and I drove around Shikoku in Japan. We had a particularly long day driving from the western side of Shikoku in Ehime to Kochi in the centre of the island. At sunset we took a break at a michi-no-eki (literally - road station) in Ukibuchi to grab a drink and a snack and enjoy the view.
Reflections of Kochi by
RobGeraghty, on Flickr
The Michi-no-eki are a bit like the "service centres" we have on some motorways in Australia, except that while in Australia they are an excuse for petrol and fast food, the Michi-no-eki in Japan provide an outlet for local produce. I think the latter is a much better idea, because it provides an extra place for locals to sell their products and promotes them to travellers. It's not just about food, but also handicrafts and so on. In a way, they act like a little "farmer's market" and artisan's market rolled into one. Most Michi-no-eki also have an array of vending machines, so that you can still buy snacks and drinks even when the store itself is closed.