> Many, if not all, will also have clean public toilets available 24 hours, amazing local produce for sale, and, those Japanese vending machines with hot coffee(those are specially awesome after business hours).
They are incredible, and a testament to the highs of Japanese culture. I biked across most prefectures in 2019 and was blown away by michi no eki. The local produce as you mentioned is fantastic - I ate local cherries, peaches, chestnuts, as well as more types of soft serve ice cream than I ever thought could exist on this planet. More than that, many have sento/onsen attached, with entry costing less than $5.
The same concept should be repeated all over the globe, and is to some degree, at least in the US. However the average is far worse in the US whereas michi no eki in Japan are consistently good to excellent.
They are incredible, and a testament to the highs of Japanese culture. I biked across most prefectures in 2019 and was blown away by michi no eki. The local produce as you mentioned is fantastic - I ate local cherries, peaches, chestnuts, as well as more types of soft serve ice cream than I ever thought could exist on this planet. More than that, many have sento/onsen attached, with entry costing less than $5.
The same concept should be repeated all over the globe, and is to some degree, at least in the US. However the average is far worse in the US whereas michi no eki in Japan are consistently good to excellent.