The 10 Best Sights & Landmarks in Iwate Prefecture, Tohoku

June 23, 2021 Cedrick Jardin

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. 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

3. 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.)

4. Geto Onsen

Iwasaki-shinden Wagacho, Kitakami 024-0322 Iwate Prefecture +81 90-5834-5151 http://mizuki.sakura.ne.jp/~geto/index.html
Excellent
40%
Good
50%
Satisfactory
10%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 42 reviews

Geto Onsen

5. 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

6. Shoboji Temple

129 Shoboji, Mizusawakukuroishicho, Oshu 023-0101 Iwate Prefecture +81 197-26-4041
Excellent
45%
Good
50%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 20 reviews

Shoboji Temple

7. 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.

8. Hachimantai Asupite line

Hachimantai 028-7100 Iwate Prefecture http://trip8.jp/seeanddo/hachimantai-snow-wall
Excellent
51%
Good
45%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 51 reviews

Hachimantai Asupite line

Reviewed By 393denchai - Bangkok, Thailand

This is my favorite , about 47km long with snow corridor and on top of this mountain have walk way as I missed some places to visit, will come again.

9. Kamaishi Unosumai Memorial Stadium

18-5-1 Unosumaicho, Kamaishi 026-0301 Iwate Prefecture +81 193-27-5067 https://kamaishi-stadium.jp/%E3%82%A2%E3%82%AF%E3%82%BB%E3%82%B9/
Excellent
50%
Good
33%
Satisfactory
17%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 18 reviews

Kamaishi Unosumai Memorial Stadium

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.

ThingsTodoPost © 2018 - 2024 All rights reserved.