Morioka (盛岡市, Morioka-shi) is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 August 2023, the city had an estimated population of 283,981 in 132,719 households, and a population density of 320 per square kilometre (830/sq mi). The total area of the city is 886.47 square kilometres (342.27 sq mi).
Regional specialities include:
There are a lot of restaurants in the underground shopping area of the station, though they can be quite expensive and not especially good. Other eating options are in the central business district area or in the area in front of the station.
Some good options are:
Morioka is a small city, but it offers a number of good drinking options. The water in the area is clean and pure so there are a number of sake breweries. Japanese style 'Izakaya' bars are everywhere, and there are also some German style beer breweries which offer a variety of brews.
As with most cities in Japan, karaoke is a good drinking option, especially if you have a large group. Most places cost ¥1,000 an hour, including drinks. A good place is right off Odori on the fourth floor across the street from Ootaru.
There are some good shops selling local souvenirs in the station. The station shopping centre also has an underground area with a number of restaurants, including a McDonald's if you're so inclined.
If you're in Morioka as a stopover destination and need to stock up on basics, there is a large supermarket, Jusco, by walking left on the main road in front of the station for about ten minutes, it's on the right just after you walk under the overpass. A large branch of Daiso, a national ¥100 shop chain, that sells cheap and basic and sometimes strange Japanese goods, can be found in the city centre. If you walk in a straight line from the station across the bridge and into the city you will find it on the right. There are also plenty of convenience stores in the area.
There are several shops selling high end clothes (including upmarket workwear brands for men) on the main roads leading from the train station to the centre of the city. Other clothes shops are located in and near the Kawatoku department store in the center of the city. The Aeon mall in western Morioka houses branches of Uniqlo and Muji, among many other stores.
There are also a number of arts and music stores in the center of the city.
Morioka is a small enough city to walk around. The furthest you're likely to want to go is the Morioka Castle site which is about a 30-minute walk from the front of the train station over the steel arch bridge and through the central business district. You can otherwise get the bus to the castle site (below), but the walk through the city is quite pleasant, though can be slippery, snowy and just plain cold in winter and unpleasantly hot and humid in summer.
From the station, the easiest and safest way to into the city proper is to use the underground tunnels from the station which go underneath the bus station and the main road. This can be slightly confusing at first for people who cannot read Japanese signs. The tunnels are wheelchair accessible via lifts. Sticking to the left side of the road from the station to the castle allows you to use overbridges to cross some intersections, though they don't save much time.
There is a wide and flat walking trail along the Kitakami river that makes for a pleasant walk or a good jogging spot with nice views of Mt Iwate. It's about a five minute walk from the front of the station, walking straight ahead to the steel arch bridge and then taking the stairs on either side of it down to the river.
For a traveller, Morioka is perhaps not high on any itinerary and is best known as a major transport hub for Tohoku. From here, one can branch off on the Shinkansen towards Akita and some of the tourist towns on the Akita Shinkansen line.
Morioka is an ancient city; it has been inhabited since prehistoric times. You're not likely to see much of its history, however, as it presents itself as much like any Japanese city of its size.
The city was named as one of the 52 Places to go in 2023 by the New York Times.
