Morioka was listed second after London on The New York Times’ list of “52 Places to Go in 2023.” What a news!
I have never visited Morioka so I decided to visit there on a day trip.
This trip starts from a night bus as usual. Costs just 3000JPY. Departs Tokyo at 10pm, arrives at Morioka at 5:50am the next morning.
It was too early to arrive, no cafe is open, so I entered internet cafe that is open 24 hours and had a good rest.
After a good rest, I started walking around the city. First destination is Morioka Castle Ruins Park (Iwate Park).
This park is built after the heritage of Morioka Castle and still now we can see castle walls.
Autumn leaves were beautiful!
Then go across beautiful Nakatsu River and visited Bank of Iwate Red Brick Building.
]
You can see old buildings around here.
Now it is time for lunch! Let's try Wanko-soba. Most famous restaurant is Azumaya Soba Shop.
Finally I completed 102 cups of Soba and certificated!
Let's keep walking. I visited Mitsuishi Shrine, legendary shrine where you can see handprint of "Oni".
Next is Hoonji Temple. There you can see overwelming 500 rakan statues!
After walking around Morioka towns, I had a rest again at the internet cafe to wait for the night bus. During waiting time, I tried Morioka Reimen. Yummy!
Morioka is a combination of modern culture, nature and history, you can enjoy slow and relaxed mood in this city.
This city really deserves to visit. Please enjoy Morioka!