Things to Do

Morioka's main sights are close enough for a one-day walk, with a couple of worthwhile detours by bus or taxi.

Guide

Things to Do

01

Morioka Castle Ruins Park

Morioka Castle has no keep left, but the stone walls are impressive: broad granite terraces rising above the meeting of the Kitakami and Nakatsu …

Sight
02

Hoon-ji Temple

Hoon-ji is a Soto Zen temple best known for its rakan hall, filled with hundreds of wooden disciples of the Buddha. The figures are …

Sight
03

Iwate Museum of Art

The Iwate Museum of Art is Morioka's strongest modern indoor sight, a clean-lined gallery southwest of the centre with a permanent collection focused on …

Museum
04

Morioka Castle Ruins

Morioka Castle — or rather what remains of it — occupies a low hill at the junction of the Kitakami and Nakatsu rivers in …

Sight
05

Bank of Iwate Red Brick Building

The former Bank of Iwate building, completed in 1911, is the most striking piece of Meiji-era architecture in Morioka. Its red brick exterior, with …

Sight
06

Morioka History and Culture Museum

This museum sits beside Morioka Castle Ruins Park and is the best place to understand the city before walking the old castle district. The …

Museum
07

Oyakuen Garden

Oyakuen Garden began in the early Edo period as a medicinal herb garden and later became a garden for the local lord. The layered …
08

Iwate Prefectural Museum

The Iwate Prefectural Museum (Iwate Kenritsu Hakubutsukan) is the main comprehensive museum of the prefecture, housed in a large complex on the northern edge …

Museum
09

Morioka Hachimangu

Morioka Hachimangu is the principal Shinto shrine of the city, dedicated to Hachiman, the god of warriors and archery. The current main hall dates …

Sight
10

Nanbu Tekki Ironware

Nanbu Tekki — cast-iron ware from the Morioka area — is one of the great regional crafts of Japan, produced here for over 400 …

Sight
11

Hara-kei Memorial Museum

The Hara-kei Memorial Museum preserves the former home of Takashi Hara, the Morioka-born politician who served as Japan's prime minister from 1918 to 1921. …

Museum
12

Morioka Handcrafts Village

Morioka Handcrafts Village is a craft complex west of the city where visitors can see and sometimes try local making traditions, from Nambu ironware …

Sight
13

Takuboku Shinkon House

Takuboku Shinkon House is a small preserved residence connected with the poet Takuboku Ishikawa. He lived here briefly as a newlywed, but the house …
14

Morioka Zoo

Morioka Zoo is a family-friendly animal park on the east side of Morioka. Its relaxed setting makes it a simple outing for visitors traveling …
15

Morioka Museum of Great Predecessors

Morioka Museum of Great Predecessors presents rotating exhibits on people who shaped Morioka's history, culture, and public life. It is a small local-history museum …

Museum
16

Rock-Breaking Cherry Tree

One of Morioka's most singular sights is a cherry tree — *Ishiwarizakura*, or the "rock-splitting cherry" — growing directly out of a large granite …

Sight