Morioka is one of the most appealing old castle towns in Japan. Though few buildings actually date to feudal times, Morioka's temples, merchant quarter, crafts, and traditions convey a powerful impression of the town's history. The people of Morioka have a flair for making the most of their town's provincial charm, turning old storehouses into restaurants and art galleries, and building lively, handsome museums, all of which make Morioka a good place for people who love traditional Japan.
Getting There
Morioka is 2:30h by Shinkansen from Tokyo via the all-reserved Komachi (こまち) and Hayate (はやて) trains. The faster Hayabusa (はやぶさ) service makes two daily round-trips between Morioka and Tokyo. The JR East Rail Pass or Japan Rail Pass are valid for the base fare.
Getting Around
City buses stop in front of Morioka station and the Bus Center Terminal, which is a 0:15h walk or 0:05h bus ride from the railway station. Teiki Kankō (scheduled) bus tours are an easy way to visit the outlying attractions (Apr 20–Nov 23, except Mondays. In Japanese only). Inquire at the station Kankō Center.
Central Morioka Sights
* Kozukata-jō Ato (Castle Ruin) 不来方城跡. 0:05h by bus from station to Uchimaru. Built in the early 17th-C by the 27th Nambu lord, Toshinao, this castle was burned in the wars that followed the Meiji Restoration. Only moats and walls remain. NW of the castle ruin is Morioka's most famous tree, the Ishiwari-zakura (stone-splitting cherry). The roots of this 300-year-old cherry tree have split a large boulder in two.
** Konya-chō 紺屋町. Cross the river at Nakanohashi (middle bridge), then turn left at the red-brick, Meiji-era Iwate Bank. Konya-chō, or "dyers' town," stretches along the river because dyers used the clear, flowing water to rinse the paste-resist out of dyed cloth. There are still several dyeshops here, as well as many other interesting old-fashioned shops, like Kamasada Kōbō (iron teakettles) and Shirasawa Sembei (handbaked crackers), easy to locate from the delicious aroma of roasting crackers wafting into the street. At the north end of the street is the coffee house Issaryou, in an old storehouse. Kaminohashi (upper bridge), built by Lord Toshinao in 1609, has posts crowned with metal ornaments (Important Cultural Property), now symbols of Morioka.
Hachiman-gū Area Sights
* Hachiman-gū 八幡宮. Morioka's main shrine was founded by the 10th-C warrior MINAMOTO no Yoriyoshi (see Gateway to Japan: Hiraizumi History). Consecrated to the god of war, it remains the primary shrine for this former castle town.
* Juroku Rakan 十六羅漢. South of the Hachiman-gū is a small park in which stand 16 large granite images of rakan (Buddhist holy men) carved by a priest around 1837–1849 to console victims of a famine.
Daiji-ji 大慈寺. An Ōbaku Zen sect temple recognizable by its plaster Chinese-style gate. It stands in a quiet area with many temples. Look for Daiji-ji Shimizu, a public spring, rare in Japanese towns today. There are three such wells in Morioka.
Northern Morioka Sights
* Iwate-kenritsu Hakubutsukan (Prefectural Museum) 岩手県立博物館. (Tel: 0196-61-2831. Hours: 9:30–16:30. Closed: Mon [Tue if Mon is NH], Sep 1–10, NY. Admission Fee: ¥310). 0:40h by bus from Morioka station to Higashi Matsuzono, then 0:15h walk. Local archeology, arts, folk crafts, and modern paintings and sculpture. In the "experience study room," one can try traditional toys and clothes. Two relocated magariya farmhouses on the grounds (see Gateway to Japan, Villages, Roads and Merchant Towns). (www2.pref.iwate.jp/~hp0910/english)
Buddhist celebs
** Hō'on-ji 報恩寺 (Tel: 0196-51-4415. Hours: 9:00–16:00). This important Zen temple has a marvelous group of 500 rakan statues, carved between 1731 and 1735. The lacquered wooden images sit on shelves inside the main hall. Among them are Marco Polo and Kublai Khan, proving that anyone can be a disciple of the Buddha.
Morioka Crafts and Shopping
Nambu tetsubin, sturdy and beautiful iron teakettles, typically decorated with raised knobs, are a classic craft of Japan, now popular internationally. The city is renowned for fine textiles as well as a wide array of traditional industries dating back to its castle town past.
* Kōgensha 光源社. (Tel: 0196-22-2894. Fax: 22-2892. Hours: 10:00–18:00. Closed: 15th of every month). On Zaimoku-chō ("lumber street"), about 0:10h on foot from the station. A handsome group of shops specializing in Morioka handcrafts. Pleasant coffee shop.
** Ono Sensaisho 小野染彩所 (10-16 Zaimoku-chō. Tel: 0196-52-4116. Hours: 8:30–18:00. Closed: NY). Katazome stencil dyers since the Edo period (see Gateway to Japan, Crafts: Textiles). The second-floor mini-museum shows the process and also exhibits beautiful examples of old Nambu katazome. (iwate.info.co.jp/ono [JP Only])
* Suzuki Morihisa 鈴木盛久工房 (1-6-7 Minami-ōdōri. Tel: 0196-22-3809. Hours: 9:00–18:00. Closed: NY). The most famous tetsubin shop in Morioka, founded in 1625 to make teakettles for the Nambu lords. In 1948, the 13th-generation master (now deceased) was named a Living National Treasure. Prices at this store are astronomical, but it's still well worth a visit for the exquisite pieces on display. Photos of the late master at work hang on the walls. (www.suzukimorihisa.com)
** Kamasada Kōbō 釜定工房. (2-5 Konya-chō. Tel: 0196-22-3911. Hours: 8:00–18:00. Closed: NY). The best shop to visit to learn about Nambu tetsubin. The shop was founded over a century ago. Works on display range from beautifully executed traditional designs to innovative and affordable wares for modern daily life.
Sōshi-dō 草紫堂 (2-15 Konya-chō. Tel: 0196-22-6668. Hours: 9:00–17:30. Closed: Sun, 1st day of the month, NY). Intricate tie-dyed silks using natural plant dyes. (www.ictnet.ne.jp/~soshido [JP Only])
Tomoe Some Kōjō 巴染工場 (5-32 Konya-chō. Tel: 0196-22-5334. Hours: 9:00–17:00. Closed: Sun, NH, NY, mid-Aug, Sep 14–16). Hand-dyed festival happi coats, kerchiefs, and other custom work. (www.tomoemax.co.jp/english)
* Iwachū Casting Works 岩鋳鉄器館 (Tel: 0196-35-2501. Hours: 8:30–17:30 daily, Restaurant: 11:00–21:00). 3.5km SE of station. Handsome contemporary showroom for iron crafts. Watch artisans at work. (www.iwachu.co.jp [JP Only])
* Morioka Tezukuri Mura 盛岡手作り村 (Tel: 0196-89-2201. Hours: 8:40–17:30. Closed: NY). 0:30h from station by Tsunagi Onsen-yuki bus. A center for promoting and selling regional crafts—cast iron, textiles, baskets, toys, ceramics. Lessons and demonstrations. Well designed as such places go. Not a bad rainy-day option. (tezukurimura.com/main [JP Only])
Nambu Tetsubin
Tetsubin molds consist of two outer pieces that fit together around a single inner mold. An even space is left between the inner and outer molds. Designs—raised knobs, a spray of pine branches—are carved by hand in the walls of the outer molds, which can be reused. The inner mold, broken after one casting, is of soft, porous clay, which absorbs and vents the hot gases escaping the molten iron.
Iron is melted at 1400°C and poured from long-handled ladles into the molds. The sheer physical violence of the encounter between molten iron, air, and the surface of the mold can in a few seconds shatter work that took weeks to create.
The successfully cast tetsubin is filed, tempered, and burnished with lacquer and tooth-black, a mixture of brown-rust, vinegar, and green tea, which in pre-modern times married women used to blacken their teeth. When water is boiled in a tetsubin, a white mineral fuzz builds up on the inner walls, which further protects the iron and, it is said, purifies and sweetens even the worst city tap water.
The most prized tetsubin, such as the stunning, silvery kettles at the Hashimoto Museum, were made of sand-iron panned from river beds. Also the raw material of the finest swords, sand-iron is a kind of "phantom metal" that is said to have extraordinary qualities. No one mines iron this way anymore, so sand-iron kettles, made from hoarded material, are extremely expensive.
Morioka Dining
Faisan フェザン. The basement of the station department store has dozens of restaurants for a wide range of cuisines, including several serving local dishes. Enter by 21:00. (www.fesan-jp.com [JP Only])
*Azumaya 東屋 (1-8-3 Nakanohashi-dōri. Tel: 0196-22-2252. Hours: 11:00–20:00. Closed: 1st and 3rd Tue, NY). An old soba shop “with a cheery folkcraft interior. Wanko Soba (¥3240) comes with an English guide. Other soba dishes, ¥400–800. Station branch (Tel: 0196-22-2233. Hours: 11:00–20:00. Closed: 1st and 3rd, Tue, NY). (www.wankosoba-azumaya.co.jp/foreigner/english)
* Issaryou 一茶寮 (1-48 Kaminohashi-chō. Tel: 0196-53-4646. Hours: 10:00–19:00. Closed: Sun, NY, mid-Aug). Gallery and coffee shop in a renovated kura. Quiet, restful, spacious. Serves light meals.
Wanko Soba
The famous local "dish" is wanko soba, numerous small portions of buckwheat noodles served with a variety of accompaniments like raw tuna, salmon roe, wild ferns, and mushrooms, and a sweet sauce of walnuts and miso. Eating contests involve downing the little servings of soba, keeping count with a box of matches.
Morioka Lodgings
* Hotel Metropolitan Morioka ホテルメトロポリタン盛岡 (1-44 Ekimae-dōri, Morioka-shi, Iwate-ken. Tel: 0196-25-1211. Fax: 25-1210. S ¥9500, Tw ¥18,700). Good city hotel adjoining Morioka station. (www.metro-morioka.co.jp [JP Only])
Toyoko Inn Morioka 東横 INN (14-5 Morioka Ekimae-dōri. Tel: 0196-25-1045. Fax: 0196-25-1046. S ¥5300, Tw ¥8,800). Business hotel across from Morioka station, a good value. (www.toyoko-inn.com/e_hotel/)
* Taishōkan 大正館 (2-5-30 Osawa Kawahara. Tel: 0196-22-4436. ¥8000 w/meals). 0:05h walk from station. Traditional budget ryokan/minshuku run by a mother and two daughters (one teaches English). Economical Inn Group member. Renovated in 2010.
* Hotel Royal Morioka ホテルロイヤル盛岡 (1-11-11 Saien. Tel: 0196-53-1331. Fax: 53-3330. S ¥5600–7400, Tw ¥10,000). An established city hotel. (www.hotelroyalmorioka.co.jp [JP Only])
Kita Hotel (Hotel du Nord) 北ホテル (17-45 Uchimaru. Tel: 0196-25-2711. Fax: 25-2714. S ¥5000+). Business hotel, good location.
Calendar
Jan 14–15: Hadaka Mairi (Naked Pilgrimage). Males undergo purification and parade half-naked in subfreezing cold. At Kyōjō-ji on the 14th, Hachiman-gū on the 15th.
Jun 15: ** Chagu-Chagu Umakko. The horses are presented around 9:00 at Sōzen Jinja (0:25h by taxi out in the countryside), then form a procession toward town. Around 13:00, horses and riders pause to rest and cool off in the river near Nakanohashi before continuing to Hachiman-gū.
August 1-4: Sansa Odori. Communities all over Japan observe Bon, the Buddhist festival of the dead, with massive street dances. Morioka’s is one of the largest and showiest in Tohoku.
Aug 16: Funakko Nagashi. A straw boat bearing the names of recently deceased people is set afire on the river.
Sep 14–16: Hachiman-gū Festival. Floats; yabusame (equestrian archery) on the 15th.
For tips on visiting Morioka and wonderful nearby destinations, consult the Tohoku chapter of Gateway to Japan.
