Three highway restaurants operated by GRANVISTA Hotels & Resorts, located in Tochigi, Shizuoka, and Shiga prefectures, are launching a summer-only "Beat the Summer Heat!! Mori Mori Fair" from July 18, 2026, packed with hearty menus to satisfy summer appetites.
Summer break is peak season for leisure trips and travel home, with a sharp rise in road trips along the expressways. To energize travelers' summer holidays, the Sano, Ashigara, and Otsu highway restaurants are offering summer-limited "mega portion" menus that combine striking visual impact with serious volume, turning the summer heat into energy.
Each new menu weighs in at roughly 1kg and is packed with regional specialties for a hearty, stamina-boosting dish. Sano Highway Restaurant's "Summer-Only Mega Mikamoyama Don" is shaped after Mt. Mikamo in Tochigi Prefecture and piled with five kinds of fried items, including a juicy minced cutlet made with Tochigi Wagyu beef. Ashigara Highway Restaurant's "Mega Mt. Fuji Mapo" expresses the overwhelming presence of Mt. Fuji using white rice and fried rice. Otsu Highway Restaurant's "Mori Mori! Lake Biwa Panorama Curry" recreates the sweeping views of Lake Biwa across the whole plate.
The dishes are just as satisfying for a solo challenge as they are shared with family or friends. To make a special summer memory, visitors are invited to try these limited-time menus, offering both an impressive presence and great taste.
Sano, Ashigara, and Otsu Highway Restaurant "Beat the Summer Heat!! Mori Mori Fair" Overview
URL: https://www.granvista.co.jp/news/detail/1328
Event Period: July 18, 2026 (Sat) to August 31, 2026 (Mon)
Menu Items:
Sano Highway Restaurant / Tochigi Prefecture
Summer-Only Mega Mikamoyama Don (total weight approx. 1kg) – ¥2,400 (tax included)
A bed of 300g of rice topped with a juicy minced cutlet made with Tochigi Wagyu beef, Sano's local specialty potato fries, tender pork cutlet, chicken cutlet, and fried shrimp. It comes with a side of "Iwashita's Shin-shoga" pickled ginger, whose refreshing tartness pairs perfectly with the fried items. A must-try dish for fried food lovers.
Serving location: Food Court Manpuku
Hours: Open 24 hours
Ashigara Highway Restaurant / Shizuoka Prefecture
Mega Mt. Fuji Mapo (total weight approx. 1.3kg) – ¥2,200 (tax included)
White rice and fried rice are shaped into the form of Mt. Fuji, surrounded by a mild house-made mapo sauce that even children can enjoy. Topped with three pieces of fried chicken and the popular local specialty "Mishima Croquette," this is the largest-volume dish in the fair.
Serving location: Chuka Banri
Hours: Open 24 hours
Otsu Highway Restaurant / Shiga Prefecture
Mori Mori! Lake Biwa Panorama Curry (total weight approx. 1kg) – ¥1,480 (tax included)
The rice is shaped into the form of Lake Biwa and set in a special curry roux, topped with a sweet and savory Omi beef croquette and cheese, expressing the view of the Hira mountain range and Lake Biwa Ohashi Bridge visible from the food court. A dish that lets guests taste the very scenery spread out before them, as fun to look at as it is delicious.
Serving location: 2nd floor food court
Hours: Open 24 hours
Note: Total weight excludes the weight of the dish.
Sano Highway Restaurant
Tohoku Expressway (Down Line) Sano Service Area
An ideal stop for travelers heading toward Nikko or Nasu, the Tohoku Expressway (Down Line) Sano Service Area is surrounded by nature. It was renewed in 2022 as a "Dramatic Area," offering local specialties such as Sano ramen and cherry blossom anpan, giving visitors a taste of the local "drama" on their journey.
Address: 1021 Kurobakama-cho Higashiyama, Sano City, Tochigi 327-0813
URL: https://www.granvista.co.jp/company/facilities/detail/9
Ashigara Highway Restaurant
Tomei Expressway (Down Line) Ashigara Service Area
Located within EXPASA Ashigara on the Tomei Expressway (Down Line), this stop is known for its sweeping views of Mt. Fuji and Mt. Kintoki, the mountain associated with the folk hero Kintaro. As one of the largest service areas on the Tomei Expressway, EXPASA Ashigara features an observation deck, a bathing facility, and a dog run, along with a shopping plaza and food court offering popular items from the Kanto region. GRANVISTA Hotels & Resorts operates four sections within EXPASA Ashigara, including a gift shop, the Chuka Banri food court, and the Sugar Mountain and Fujimi Chaya takeout counters.
Address: 599 Kuwagi, Oyama-cho, Sunto-gun, Shizuoka 410-1315
URL: https://www.granvista.co.jp/company/facilities/detail/10
Otsu Highway Restaurant
Meishin Expressway (Up Line) Otsu Service Area
Japan's first service area, established alongside the partial opening of the Meishin Expressway. Its main appeal is the sweeping view of Lake Biwa. The facility includes a 1st-floor restaurant serving Omi beef, gift shops on the 1st and 2nd floors carrying specialty items from established Kyoto brands, a coffee shop supervised by the long-established Kyoto roaster "Ogawa Coffee," and "551 Horai," making its first expressway location, bringing a taste of the Kansai region's appeal to travelers.
Address: 2-8-1 Asahigaoka, Otsu City, Shiga 520-0052
URL: https://www.granvista.co.jp/company/facilities/detail/20
