Chūson-ji, Iwate Prefecture, Japan
Photo: elminium via Flickr · CC BY 2.0
岩手TŌHOKU
TŌHOKU · 岩手県 · Japan

Iwate

A vast, rugged prefecture of temples, coastline, and cold-soba traditions.

Iwate is Japan's second-largest prefecture, in northern Tohoku, blending the UNESCO World Heritage temples and Pure Land gardens of Hiraizumi with the rugged, ria-indented Sanriku coast and its seafood-rich waters. Its castle-town capital Morioka was named one of The New York Times' "52 Places to Go in 2023."

Iwate (岩手) was the seat of the Northern Fujiwara, who built the gilded temples of Hiraizumi (平泉) in the 12th century as a Pure Land paradise on earth — now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Morioka-shi 盛岡市Hiraizumi-cho 平泉町Miyako-shi 宮古市
Where it isIwate, TŌHOKU
Chuson-ji Temple, Iwate Prefecture, Japan
Chuson-ji Temple
Motsu-ji Temple, Iwate Prefecture, Japan
Motsu-ji Temple
Geibikei Gorge boat ride, Ichinoseki, Iwate Prefecture, Japan
Geibikei Gorge boat ride, Ichinoseki
Ryusendo Cave, Iwaizumi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan
Ryusendo Cave, Iwaizumi

Photos: Chuson-ji Temple — Rosino via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Motsu-ji Temple — HerryLawford via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Geibikei Gorge boat ride, Ichinoseki — T-KIMURA via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0 · Ryusendo Cave, Iwaizumi — -- [[利用者:あおもりくま|あおもりくま]] （ 会話 ） 2020年11月21日 (土) 01:03 (UTC) via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

01

Getting there

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Morioka is ~2h10m from Tokyo by Tōhoku Shinkansen.

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02

What to see

All tours · Iwate PR
Chuson-ji Temple, Iwate Prefecture, JapanTop pick

Chuson-ji Temple & Konjikido Golden Hall, Hiraizumi

The centerpiece of the Hiraizumi UNESCO World Heritage site: a 12th-century hall entirely covered in gold leaf with mother-of-pearl inlay, symbol of the Oshu…

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Motsu-ji Temple, Iwate Prefecture, JapanTop pick

Motsu-ji Temple & Pure Land Garden, Hiraizumi

Part of the same UNESCO listing; its Heian-era Jodo (Pure Land) garden centered on a large pond survives in near-original 12th-century form.

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Geibikei Gorge boat ride, Ichinoseki, Iwate Prefecture, JapanTop pick

Geibikei Gorge boat ride, Ichinoseki

A 2-km gorge along the Satetsu River with 100m+ cliffs, toured by flat-bottomed boats poled by a boatman who sings the local Geibi folk song.

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03

What to eat

Food tours & cooking classes PR
Wanko soba, Iwate Prefecture, JapanMust-eat

Wanko soba (わんこそば)

Iwate's signature soba experience: tiny single-bite portions of buckwheat noodles served continuously into your bowl in an all-you-can-eat challenge, a…

Must-eat

Morioka reimen (盛岡冷麺)

Chewy, springy cold noodles made from wheat flour and potato starch in a clear beef broth with kimchi, cucumber, egg and a slice of fruit; a Korean-inspired…

Must-eat

Morioka jajamen (盛岡じゃじゃ麺)

Flat udon-like noodles topped with savory miso-meat sauce, cucumber and scallions, mixed thoroughly before eating; brought back from Manchuria in 1945 and now…

04

Iwate at a glance

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05

Say it in Iwate

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Ask a local
Osusume wa nan desu ka?
What do you recommend?
Test yourself
Local word
wanko-soba
all-you-can-eat bite-size soba
Test yourself
One more
Iwate no fūkei wa hontōni subarashii desu ne.
The scenery of Iwate is truly wonderful, isn't it?
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Chuson-ji Temple, Iwate Prefecture, Japan

Sleep in Iwate

Compare ryokan, business hotels and local inns.

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07

Next door

AomoriJapan's apple country at the northern tip of Honshu, famous for the explosive Nebuta summer festival.MiyagiHome to lively Sendai and one of Japan's 'three great views' at Matsushima Bay.Play the 47-prefecture mapUnlock Iwate in the RPG-style explorer.

Links marked PR are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Photos: Chūson-ji — elminium via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Chuson-ji Temple — Rosino via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Motsu-ji Temple — HerryLawford via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Geibikei Gorge boat ride, Ichinoseki — T-KIMURA via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0 · Ryusendo Cave, Iwaizumi — -- [[利用者:あおもりくま|あおもりくま]] （ 会話 ） 2020年11月21日 (土) 01:03 (UTC) via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain · Chuson-ji Temple — Rosino via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Motsu-ji Temple — HerryLawford via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Geibikei Gorge boat ride, Ichinoseki — T-KIMURA via FIND/47, CC BY 4.0 · Wanko soba — Koltonsmith via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Map: Geolonia (MIT).