Summary of Research Findings

Michi-no-Eki means “roadside station” in Japanese, which is a roadside rest area established by a local government and roadside administrations. It usually contains commercial facilities, rest rooms, sometimes accommodations and facilities to vitalize local produce and commodities (e.g., a market where customers can buy local produce), etc., all of which registered by MLIT (the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.) Ever since the Michi-no-Eki system started in 1993, the number of roadside stations registered has continued increasing, achieving 1,173 stations as of March 2020, ten times more than when the system started.

Roadside stations have been established as a place to provide services for road passers since the commencement of the system in 1993. By 2013, they have grown as the very destinations for travelers to visit, after efforts of developing new ideas to attract travelers at respective stations by each of operators and local governments. In recent years, their importance has enhanced to function as local social infrastructures. Such development is positioned as the third stage of a project with its goal in 2025, in which three objectives for roadside stations to become: 1) a global brand, 2) a disaster prevention base, and 3) a local center. Further improvements are scheduled to achieve these goals.

On the other hand, some challenges have been pointed out in terms of operations and profitability, in achieving the 2025 goals especially availability of treating overseas customers and taking sufficient measures for disaster prevention, and in coping with “new normal” stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. While it is imperative to deal with these challenges, most of the businesses in roadside stations find difficulty to solve them by themselves. Therefore, the solutions by promoting partnerships between the parties concerned in roadside stations and private companies providing their capital or knowhow are under considerations. 

Noteworthy Topics

Two Business Models Involving Private Companies for Solving Challenges at Michi-no-Eki

Among some attempts, this research focuses on using capital/knowhow from private companies for solving the challenges. Such business models are largely categorized into improvement of management and provision of additional functions.

The business model that improves management is achieved by designating specific private companies to take part in the management and operation of a roadside station. To be specific, they can be those businesses that provide food and services, those that assist regional vitalizations by supporting mainly human resources, and those that have the function of a local trading company, where they press ahead with “Sixth” industrialization*1 of local produce.

The business model that provides additional functions is attained by those companies and projects providing necessary functions for help solving the challenges rather than by directly involving in operational body. Such companies can be those that support making a roadside station a base for local tourism, e.g., those offering accommodations in the peripheral, or those businesses and projects that assist increasing the local population by providing “workation” services*2 etc.

*1 Sixth” industrialization is an attempt chiefly by the agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries of performing not only agricultural or fishery production (primary industries), but to carry out food processing (secondary industries) as well as distribution and sales (third industry), by which to vitalize local industry and to achieve greater value added in products and services, through cooperation across sectors and industries.

*2 Workation is a coined word from work and vacation. The idea is to work while away from the office, blending leisure time with productive time. A workation service is the service to provide both the residence and comfortable telework environment which is usually sightseeing resort or tourist sites to the user companies.

Research Outline