Morioka, the capital city of Iwate
prefecture, sits at the foot of Mount Iwate, known among
foodies for their delicious soba noodles.
Morioka is
the capital of Iwate Prefecture, and sits under
the shadow of Mount Iwate, the Tohoku region’s
northern
Fuji.
Eating the local Wanko Soba is a popular experience for
adventurous foodies, with an inherent challenge
element.
Once finished with one small bowl of noodles, the server
will keep refilling the bowl until the customer is full.
Wanko
Soba is called one of the Three Great Noodles of
Morioka,
and can be enjoyed at specialized establishments in the
city.
The natural beauties of the city, in addition to
breathtaking
Mount Iwate, include Morioka Castle Ruins Park and the
Rock-splitting Cherry Tree. The old Morioka castle, seat
of
the Nanbu samurai clan, was torn down to build the
city’s
public park, but some of the stone walls can still be seen
there. The Rock-Breaking Cherry tree, or
“Ishiwarizakura”
is a 400-year old cherry tree growing out of granite
boulder. A Natural Treasure of Japan since 1923, the
tree
reaches up roughly 10 meters into the sky, a symbol to
the
people of Morioka how a small seed with a strong
determination can break through even the toughest
obstacles.
Please see below for
tours
that include Morioka:
