Things to do in Morioka
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Morioka
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Deep winter: highs around 1 to 2 degrees, snow as the normal state, Appi Kogen in prime ski season and Koiwai snow events in February.
Thaw begins but snow, ice and mud linger, mountain roads stay closed and blossom is still a month away: a quiet, cheap museum month.
Cherry blossom peaks in mid to late April in the castle park and at Ishiwarizakura, and the Hachimantai snow corridor road reopens mid month.
Fresh green and the most comfortable walking, with Sakurayama Shrine's festival in late May and the Hachimantai Dragon Eye window opening.
Rainy season approaches, irises at Motsu-ji, and the Chagu Chagu Umakko horse parade on the second Saturday.
Hot and humid: reimen weather, Mt. Iwate trails in season, and long green days on the rivers and gorges.
Peak heat and Morioka Sansa Odori on 1 to 4 August fill the centre: book rooms and dinners far ahead, then the city goes quiet again.
Heat breaks with typhoon rain risk, the Autumn Festival and horseback archery in mid September, and first colour at Hachimantai late on.
What's on
- Chagu Chagu Umakko Second Saturday of June
About 100 decorated horses parade from Takizawa to Morioka Hachimangu, their bells a celebrated Japanese soundscape.
- Morioka Sansa Odori 1 to 4 August
Billed as the world's largest taiko drum parade, with thousands of drummers, dancers and flute players filling the centre.
- Morioka Autumn Festival Mid September, usually 14 to 16 September
Festival floats parade the city and horseback archery is held at Morioka Hachimangu.
Best things to do in Morioka
Morioka Castle Ruins Park
Granite castle walls turned into the city park, with lawns, ponds and the best view toward Mt. Iwate in central Morioka.
Bank of Iwate Red Brick Building
A 1911 red brick former bank by the architect of Tokyo Station, now a small museum and the city's most photographed building.
Sakurayama Shrine
The Nanbu guardian shrine at the castle park edge, with the huge Eboshi-iwa rock behind the hall and a longevity turtle.
Ishiwarizakura (The Rock-Splitting Cherry Tree)
A centuries old cherry tree growing from a split granite boulder, unforgettable for two weeks of blossom in mid to late April.
Morioka Hachimangu Shrine
Morioka's great shrine, founded in 1062 and rebuilt for Morioka Castle, at its best during the September horseback archery.
Hoonji Temple
A quiet Soto Zen temple whose hall holds 500 carved rakan statues, each with a different face, made in Kyoto.
Nanshoso
A protected Meiji era merchant villa with a pond strolling garden, the calmest quiet hour in central Morioka.
Morioka History and Culture Museum
Start here: festival floats and costumes downstairs, Nanbu clan and castle town history upstairs, at the castle park edge.
Where to stay in Morioka
Morioka Station area
first trip and transport
Shinkansen, excursion buses and the widest hotel choice at the door, with the centre a walk or loop bus away.
Central Morioka, Odori and Uchimaru
evenings and the castle park
Closest to the noodle shops, izakaya streets, the Red Brick Building and the castle park for travellers who walk everywhere.
Tsunagi Onsen
splurge and soaking
Ryokan and onsen hotels by Lake Gosho with Mt. Iwate views, about 25 to 30 minutes from the station by shuttle or bus.
Think twice about
- Hiraizumi as a Morioka base
A fine town, but basing there means commuting about an hour each way for Morioka dinners and early excursion buses.
- Isolated rural stays off bus routes in winter
Snow can cut off a rural rental with no taxis to call. In January and February, sleep on a ploughed, bus served road.
- Appi Kogen as a city base
Stay at Appi for skiing, not for Morioka: the last buses back are early and the city becomes a rushed day trip.
Best restaurants in Morioka
AZUMAYA Honten
The classic wanko soba house, where a server refills your small bowl mouthful by mouthful until you get the lid on.
Pairon Main Store
The jajamen shop credited as its birthplace: meat miso noodles seasoned at the table, finished as chi-tan-tan egg soup.
Pyonpyonsha Inaricho Honten
The reimen pioneer as a yakiniku dinner: grilled meat first, then chewy cold noodles in chilled broth to finish.
Seirokaku
The splurge yakiniku house near the station: Iwate wagyu at the table grill, finished with a top rated reimen.
Fukuda Pan
A postwar bakery filling soft koppe pan rolls to order, from red bean butter to egg salad, for very little money.
Outdoor things to do in Morioka
Chuson-ji Temple
A forested hilltop temple whose 1124 Konjikido hall is covered in gold leaf, the cultural high point of a Tohoku trip.
Motsu-ji Temple
A surviving Pure Land garden around a large pond, walked slowly for paradise landscaping from the 12th century.
Geibikei Gorge
A 90 minute pole boat ride between limestone cliffs, with a folk song sung on the return leg off the rock walls.
Koiwai Farm
A working dairy farm from 1891 under Mt. Iwate, with animals, sheepdog shows and a lone cherry tree in a pasture.
Mount Iwate
A 2038m volcano and a long, steep summer day climb of 8 to 10 hours, with no cable car and a crater rim at the top.
Mount Hachimantai
A gentle volcanic plateau of pond walks, reached by a road that reopens in mid April through a corridor of snow walls.
Ryusendo Cave
A great limestone cave with deep, clear blue underground lakes, worth its long mountain journey from Morioka as its own day.
Appi Kogen Ski Resort
Northern Iwate's big north facing ski resort, about 50 minutes from Morioka, known for dry powder and long groomed runs.
Best hotels in Morioka
Tsunagi Onsen Shikitei
A small ryokan with sulfur baths and monthly kaiseki on Iwate ingredients, Morioka's one true splurge stay.
Hotel Metropolitan Morioka New Wing
The practical top city hotel by the station, with larger rooms and staff who can sort buses, taxis and early starts.
Toyoko Inn Morioka Ekimae
A clean, predictable budget business hotel by the station, the reliable cheap bed for a midwinter arrival.
Is Morioka expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ¥9,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ¥18,000 a person |
| Splurge | ¥40,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Appi Kogen Ski Resort: weeks ahead
- Tsunagi Onsen Shikitei: weeks ahead
- Seirokaku: a few days ahead
- Book Tsunagi Onsen Shikitei first, then Morioka hotels for Sansa Odori week, the June horse parade and the September festival.
- Go early or on a weekday for wanko soba at AZUMAYA Honten and for the famous yakiniku houses, or reserve through your hotel.
- Check closed days the day before for the Red Brick Building, Nanshoso and smaller museums.
Is Morioka safe?
- In winter, pavements, castle park steps and the Chuson-ji slope ice over: wear boots with real tread and walk slowly.
- On Mt. Iwate and Hachimantai, weather changes fast and a closed gate or rope is final: check official information on the day.
- Winter driving on rural Iwate roads is a skill: if you would not drive in snow at home, use trains, buses and taxis.
- Emergencies: police 110, ambulance and fire 119. Keep your hotel's Japanese name and address in your phone.
Morioka travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Doing Morioka as a one night shinkansen stop with one noodle lunch is the version everyone forgets.
- Chasing a 100 bowl wanko soba record ruins the afternoon: eat well and stop with dignity.
- Hiraizumi, Geibikei and Ryusendo sit in different directions: Ryusendo is its own day, not an add-on.
- Expecting Tokyo nightlife or luxury misjudges the city: evenings are an izakaya, a noodle finish and an early night.
Getting around Morioka: public transport and more
- Ride the Tohoku Shinkansen to Morioka Station, roughly 2 hours 10 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes from Tokyo.
- Walk the station to castle park axis, and use the Dendenmushi loop bus for the Hachimangu and temple district side.
- Hiraizumi works by rail via Ichinoseki, Appi by direct express bus in ski season, and Ryusendo rewards a rental car.
- Taxis are easy at the station and scarce late at night, so plan the walk home when you plan dinner.
Who Morioka suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Morioka your trip
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