Morioka Station (盛岡駅)
Station Type: Train station
Morioka Station is one of the main JR East stations connecting the Akita Shinkansen and Tohoku Shinkansen lines in the Tohoku region and southern Iwate Prefecture, and is a popular tourist destination.
There are many tourist attractions in Morioka City, the most representative of which are Mt. Iwate, Morioka Castle Ruins, Chusonji Konjikido, Lake Tazawa, and Hanamaki Onsen Hot Spring.
Iwate, Chusonji Konjikido, Lake Tazawa, and Hanamaki Onsen, all of which can be reached by car in about 30 minutes, 40 minutes, 1 hour and 30 minutes, and 1 hour, respectively, from Morioka Station.
The Morioka Station area is also very convenient for tourists, with a downtown area, department stores, restaurants, and hotels in the Morioka city center. There is also a tourist information center and car rental store inside the station, making it easy to gather sightseeing information and secure transportation.
The Morioka Station area is famous for its gourmet food such as cold noodles, wanko soba, hanamaki kiritanpo hot pot, Morioka yakisoba, and jaja-men. These foods can be easily tasted at restaurants in and around the station.
Sightseeing spots near Morioka Station include Mt. Iwate, Chusonji Konjikido, Morioka Castle Ruins, Hiraizumi, Lake Tazawa, Hanamaki Onsen, and the statue of Tetsujin 28. These tourist attractions attract many visitors.
Sightseeing around Morioka Station ranges from nature and historical sightseeing, such as Mt. Iwate and Chuson-ji Konjikido, to sightseeing to enjoy food, hot springs, and pop culture such as anime and manga.
Restaurants, Foods
Some restaurants and food shops around the station.
Beerbase bearen (ビアベースベアレン盛岡駅前)
Restaurant Type: Restaurant
Momodori Ekimae Shokudo (ももどり駅前食堂)
Restaurant Type: Izakaya restaurant
Southern Bistro Unme no Su (南部ビストロ うんめのす)
Restaurant Type: Restaurant
Tourist area
Some tourist area – the best views, museums and parks – around the station.
Malios (マリオス 展望室)
Tourist Area Type: Observation deck
Malios is a skyscraper (20 floors above ground, 2 floors below ground, 92 meters high) located at the west exit of Morioka Station of East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is the tallest building in Iwate Prefecture. It is the tallest building in Iwate Prefecture. The facility forms the core of the Morioka Station West Exit development. A free observation deck is located on the 20th floor.
Bank of Iwate Red Brick Building (岩手銀行赤レンガ館)
Tourist Area Type: Historical landmark
The Iwate Bank Akarengakan is a bank building located in Nakanohashidori 1-chome, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture. The building was used as a bank for over 100 years until 2012.
The Iwate Bank Red Brick Pavilion consists of the free “Iwate Bank Zone” and the fee-based “Morioka Bank Zone. The Iwate Bank Zone includes a multi-purpose hall that was converted from a sales room and a library lounge that introduces the history of Morioka’s industry and commerce. The Morioka Bank Zone features a reception room and a vault that has been in use since the bank’s opening. There is also a corner introducing the financial history of Iwate Prefecture and a theater showing the history and structure of the building.
Ishiwarizakura (The Rock-Splitting Cherry Tree) (石割桜)
Tourist Area Type: Tourist attraction
Ishiwarizakura (Ishiwari-zakura) is a single cherry tree in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture. It is a 1.35-meter-diameter, 360-year-old cherry tree that grew out of a huge granite crevice. The best time to see it is from mid-April.
Located on the premises of Morioka District Court, a 20-minute walk from JR Morioka Station, this cherry tree was designated as a national natural monument in 1923. It is said to have been the garden of Kita-kanmono, a branch family of the Nanbu domain lord, during the Kan’ei era, and was called Sakuraunishi in the early Meiji era (1868-1912). According to legend, a seed of the Edohigan-zakura cherry tree grew in a crack created by a lightning strike on a boulder in the garden of the retainer’s mansion.
Morioka Castle Ruins (盛岡城跡), Morioka Castle Site Park (Iwate Park) (盛岡城跡公園（岩手公園）)
Tourist Area Type: Castle, Park
Morioka Castle (Morioka-jo) was a Japanese castle located in Morioka City (Mutsu Province, Iwate County), Iwate Prefecture. It is designated as a national historic site. The stone walls constructed of white granite are unique among castles in the Tohoku region, where earthen mounds are common.
Morioka Castle was the residence of the Nanbu clan of the Nanbu (Morioka) domain. It was a castle built on a granite hill at the confluence of the Kitakami River in the west and the Nakatsu River in the southeast, in the center of present-day Morioka City. The castle was built on a granite hill in the center of present-day Morioka City at the confluence of the Nakatsu River, which flows to the north and southeast of the Honmaru (main citadel). San-no-maru was located on the north side of the castle, and Koshikurinawa, Awajimaru, and Sakakiyama Kurinawa were arranged around the main circle. A castle tower was built in the Honmaru, but the castle tower was not built due to the restraint of the shogunate, and a three-story turret was built on the tower as a substitute.
Hotels
There are various hotels around the station.
R&B Hotel Morioka Ekimae (Ｒ＆Ｂホテル盛岡駅前)
Hotel Metropolitan Morioka (ホテルメトロポリタン盛岡)
Tourist Information Center
Tourist information centers inside/around the station.
Iwate Morioka Tourist Information Center (いわて・盛岡広域観光センター)
Have a nice visit !
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