Afternoon Plan for Morioka

Visit Iwate Prefecture’s grandest shrine. On its wide grounds, in addition to Morioka Hachiman-gu itself, there is also the ancient Kasamori Inari Shrine so that both shrines can be toured. After making the pilgrimage to Morioka Hachiman-gu, return on foot to the “Morioka Bus Center” bus stop and take the Denden-mushi bus going in the counter clockwise direction and get off at the “Takuboku Shinkon no Ie-guchi” bus stop. (a 12-minute ride)

Take a look through the house related to famed Japanese poet Takuboku Ishikawa who was active from the 19th century to the early part of the 20th century. The house was once the residence of a middle-ranked samurai in the Edo Era so that you can learn about the lifestyle of the Japanese in the old times.

This is the site associated with a work created by poet and children’s story writer Kenji Miyazawa who was a contemporary of Takuboku Ishikawa. It currently has a small museum as well as a shop dealing in folk art and handicrafts. The café is also popular. Enjoy shopping and a tea break here.