10 Budget-friendly Things to do in Iwate Prefecture That You Shouldn't Miss

June 22, 2021 Kaleigh Reichenbach

Iwate Prefecture (岩手県, Iwate-ken) is a prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan. Located on the main island of Honshu, it contains the island's easternmost point. The capital is Morioka. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido. Famous attractions include the Buddhist temples of Hiraizumi, including Chūson-ji and Mōtsū-ji with their treasures, Fujiwara no Sato, a movie lot and theme park in Esashi Ward, Oshu City, Tenshochi, a park in Kitakami City known for its big, old cherry trees and Morioka Castle in Morioka City.
Restaurants in Iwate Prefecture

1. Chuson-ji Temple

202 Koromonoseki, Hiraizumi, Hiraizumi-cho, Nishiiwai-gun 029-4102 Iwate Prefecture +81 191-46-2211 http://www.chusonji.or.jp/index.html
Excellent
48%
Good
41%
Satisfactory
9%
Poor
2%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 777 reviews

Chuson-ji Temple

Reviewed By W9171FFmichellec - San Diego, United States

It's good to get here early as walking around the temple buildings can be done anytime and its cool to see the small army of red smock wearing cleaning ladies do their thing. Lots of mature shade trees. Historical atmosphere. At 9am, the omikuji/temple offices/souvenir shops start opening. Multiple opportunities to get Goshuin (temple stamps) so bring your Goshuin-Cho (accordian style book) or buy one there. Museum and Golden Temple(its inside a building) combined ticket is 800 yen. Tourists start showing up in droves at 10am, on Saturday. Parking lots for this attraction start at 1000 yen, but can be found for 500yen. Not many obvious places to eat in this Hiraizumi area, (we missed our turn and drove and drove, looking for food, but settled for Expressway Rest Stop) but there is a cafe within the temple complex in the thatch roof building and near the museum.

2. Takkoku no Iwaya

16 Hiraizumi Kitazawa, Hiraizumi-cho, Nishiiwai-gun 029-4102 Iwate Prefecture +81 191-46-4931 http://www.iwayabetto.com
Excellent
41%
Good
48%
Satisfactory
10%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 149 reviews

Takkoku no Iwaya

3. Hoonji Temple

Temple district of Kitayama, Morioka Iwate Prefecture +81 19-651-4415 http://www.iwatabi.net/morioka/morioka/houon.html
Excellent
41%
Good
53%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 49 reviews

Hoonji Temple

4. Ryusendo Limestone Cave

1-1 Iwaizumi Kaminari, Iwaizumi-cho, Shimohei-gun 027-0501 Iwate Prefecture +81 194-22-2566 http://www.iwate-ryusendo.jp/
Excellent
48%
Good
41%
Satisfactory
8%
Poor
3%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 224 reviews

Ryusendo Limestone Cave

5. Hachimantai Promenade Peak

1-28 Kashiwadai, Hachimantai 028-7303 Iwate Prefecture +81 195-78-3500 [email protected] http://www.hachimantai.or.jp/area/area01.html
Excellent
42%
Good
51%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
2%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 114 reviews

Hachimantai Promenade Peak

Reviewed By quindra - Morioka, Japan

The summit area of Mt. Hachimantai has a network of very well-maintained trails that are mostly stone or wood, so even in wet weather you don't have to worry about mud. The trails circle a number of pristine ponds and allow you to explore an alpine wetland. I've been up here dozens of times and love it. If you go in the early spring it's still covered in snow and you can walk around in snow shoes or boots. In the summer there are all kinds of flowers blooming, and in the fall you get all the beauty of the fall colors. (The road up to the summit closes for the winter, making it basically inaccessible until April 15th when it opens again for the spring.)

6. Tenshochi Park

10 Chiwari Tachibana, Kitakami 024-0043 Iwate Prefecture +81 197-72-8279 https://kitakami-kanko.jp/tourism/tensyochi/
Excellent
45%
Good
42%
Satisfactory
13%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 143 reviews

Tenshochi Park

7. Mt. Iwate

Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate-gun Iwate Prefecture http://www.city.takizawa.iwate.jp/mtiwate
Excellent
46%
Good
49%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 111 reviews

Mt. Iwate

Reviewed By khbmnyus - New York City, United States

If you are a fan of Kenji Miyazawa, or Takuboku Ishikawa, the souls and inspirations for their writings came from this mountain.You must experience the trails. The great thing about this mountain is you can make a day trip without a car from Morioka.( you might need to take a cab ) There are several trails to choose, but I took the most popular one from east side approach ( Umagaeshi Trail) Trail head with a good falicilty. It is kind a strenuous , hills are steep, when you have reached to 8 station, there is a hut. Spring water is flowing abundantly , so it is good idea to take a break. and final approach is the hardest.Lava rocks keep you sliding and hard to get a traction until you reach to the gigantic crater rim. the view from the summit is excellent. and if you have a time, on the way back soak in nearby Onsen to finish your day trip. Off course staying overnight is a good idea.spring ,summer, fall, I really recommend to you if you come to Iwate region.

8. Geibikei

Higashiyama-cho, Ichinoseki 029-0302 Iwate Prefecture
Excellent
49%
Good
38%
Satisfactory
12%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 77 reviews

Geibikei

Geibikei gorge is in the south of Iwate Prefecture, which is in the northern Tohoku region of Japan. Our Boatmen use a simple wooden pole to both propel and steer the boats. This kind of boat ride in Japan is only found at Geibikei gorge. The gorge is special for its traditional Tohoku boats and beautiful, surrounding nature.It is great in all seasons. The"kotatsu"boats from December to February are especially good for enjoying Japanese culture along with the scenery. Throwing the "balls of luck"during the walk at the halfway point of the ride are another special feature of the experience.

Reviewed By Adampilot22 - Bangkok, Thailand

Transit via Ichinoseki if using the train. The round trip to Geibikei was 1020Yen return fare and the walk to the boat pier from the station is only 400m. just follow the signs. The boat trip was lovely and cost 1800Yen for solo travelers. Cheaper if in a group. The trip took about 1hour 20 minutes. Large catfish (yes the water is clear) and ducks followed the boat hoping for a feed. Overall great day trip from Morioka. I imagine the trip in Autumn fall is even better.

9. Chuson-ji Konjiki-do

202 Hiraizumi Koromonoseki, Hiraizumi-cho, Nishiiwai-gun 029-4102 Iwate Prefecture +81 191-46-2211 http://www.chusonji.or.jp/know/konjikido.html
Excellent
63%
Good
28%
Satisfactory
8%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 202 reviews

Chuson-ji Konjiki-do

Reviewed By JohnD209 - Leavenworth, United States

The Konjiki, or Golden Hall, is where the bodies of four generations of the Fujiwara are enshrined. It is such an important national treasure that a larger modern structure was built around the Konjiki to protect it from the elements. Basho wrote a haiku, "Have the summer rains come and gone, sparing the Hall of Light" to commemorate his visit during his travels in Michinoku. From his haiku, we can see that many people were concerned with the effects of weather on the shrine. If you see nothing else during your visit to Chuson-ji, make sure you see this. There are audiotapes in several languages to help understand the significance of the shrine and the Fujiwara clan.

10. Iwate Park (Koen)

1-37 Uchimaru, Morioka 020-0023 Iwate Prefecture http://www.city.morioka.iwate.jp/shisei/midori/koen/1010491.html
Excellent
19%
Good
50%
Satisfactory
30%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.0 based on 253 reviews

Iwate Park (Koen)

Reviewed By WarnerL_12 - Pasadena, United States

This park is medium in size but a very nice place for relaxation though not the standard Japanese Garden type park.

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