Iwate Hidden Gems
20 spots
Chusonji Temple — Golden Hall of Pure Land Buddhism
Chusonji Temple is the crown jewel of Hiraizumi's UNESCO World Heritage sites, founded in 850 CE and expanded in the ear…
Morioka Reimen — Pyonpyansa's Cold Buckwheat Noodles
Morioka Reimen is one of Morioka's 'Three Great Noodles' — cold buckwheat noodles in icy beef broth, topped with kimchi,…
Jodogahama Beach — White Pebbles & Pine-Covered Rocks
Jodogahama (浄土ヶ浜, 'Pure Land Beach') is one of Tohoku's most scenic coastal landscapes — a protected cove with pure whit…
Geibikei Gorge — Boatman's Song Through Limestone Cliffs
Geibikei Gorge is a narrow limestone gorge carved by the Satetsu River, famous for traditional flat-bottomed boat rides…
Morioka Castle Ruins — Stone Walls & Cherry Blossoms
Morioka Castle (盛岡城跡公園, now Iwate Park) was built in the early 17th century by the Nanbu clan, who ruled the Morioka Dom…
Wanko Soba — All-You-Can-Eat Rapid-Fire Noodle Challenge
Wanko Soba is Morioka's most theatrical dining experience — an all-you-can-eat soba challenge where servers rapidly refi…
Takkoku no Iwaya Bishamon-do — Cliffside Temple in Rock Cave
Takkoku no Iwaya Bishamon-do is a Buddhist temple built into a cliff cave, dramatically perched on a rock face 15 meters…
Motsuji Temple Garden — Pure Land Paradise Design
Motsuji Temple was once larger than Chusonji, containing 40 temple buildings and 500 monks' quarters during the Northern…
Tono Folktales — Kappa Legends & Magariya Farmhouses
Tono is Japan's folklore capital, a rural mountain city famous for preserving traditional tales of kappa (water imps), z…
Genbikei Gorge — Flying Dango Basket Delivery
Genbikei Gorge is a 2km rocky gorge carved by the Iwai River, featuring dramatic boulder formations, rapids, and the fam…
Mt. Iwate — Nambu Fuji Volcanic Cone
Mt. Iwate is a 2,038-meter stratovolcano dominating Morioka's skyline, nicknamed 'Nambu Fuji' for its symmetrical cone s…
Koiwai Farm — Dairy Pastures & Lavender Fields
Koiwai Farm is Japan's largest privately-owned pasture farm, covering 3,000 hectares of rolling hills used for dairy cat…
SL Ginga Steam Train — Vintage Railroad Journey
The SL Ginga is a restored steam locomotive operating tourist trains between Hanamaki and Kamaishi (90km) through the mo…
Morioka Sansa Odori — World Record Drum Festival
Morioka Sansa Odori is one of Tohoku's greatest summer festivals, held August 1–4 annually. The festival features mass t…
Sanriku Coast — Dramatic Cliffs & Tsunami Recovery
The Sanriku Coast is a 250km stretch of dramatic Pacific coastline running through Iwate Prefecture, characterized by st…
Ryusendo Cave — Underground Crystal Blue Lake
Ryusendo Cave is one of Japan's three largest limestone caves, famous for its underground lakes of exceptional clarity a…
Hanamaki Onsen — Hot Spring Resort Town
Hanamaki Onsen is a collection of hot spring resort villages in the mountains west of Hanamaki City, including Hanamaki…
Ichinoseki Mochi Culture — 300 Mochi Dishes
Ichinoseki has Japan's richest mochi (rice cake) culinary tradition, with over 300 documented mochi dishes developed ove…
Nambu Tekki — Traditional Iron Teapot Craft
Nambu Tekki (南部鉄器) is traditional iron casting craft originating in Morioka during the 17th century, producing iron teap…
Kamaishi Daikannon — 48-Meter Ocean Goddess
Kamaishi Daikannon is a 48.5-meter tall statue of Kannon (Buddhist goddess of mercy) standing on a peninsula overlooking…