Must see attractions in Iwate Prefecture

Established in AD 850 by the priest Ennin, the Chūson-ji complex was expanded by the Ōshu Fujiwara family in the 12th century. A total of 300 buildings…

Gilded and gleaming up to its eaves, with elaborate lacquerwork and mother-of-pearl inlay throughout, the Konjiki-dō, in the Chuson-ji complex, was at the…

Established by the priest Ennin in AD 850 at the same time as Chūson-ji, Mōtsū-ji was once Tōhoku’s largest and grandest temple complex. The buildings are…

Housed in the restored ryokan where Yanagita Kunio penned his famous work Legends of Tōno, this evocative museum has audiovisuals of some of the tales and…

This peaceful temple is dedicated to the deity image of Obinzuru-sama. Behind the temple is the kappa-buchi pool, where Tōno's famous water sprites lurk…

A curious rock that rests amid aromatic cedars, Tsuzuki-ishi is either a natural formation or a dolmen (primitive tomb). A short, steep hike rewards you…

If you head east on foot from the train station along Kaiun-bashi for about 2km, you’ll eventually come to this landscaped park, where Morioka-jō once…

A huge cracked granite boulder sits in front of the Morioka District Court, out of which sprouts this large cherry tree, said to be almost four hundred…

In the hills above Tōno, these eerie, moss-covered rock carvings of five hundred disciples of Buddha were fashioned by a priest to console the spirits of…

One of only two original constructions remaining on the Chūson-ji site, this understated building guarded by Kishi Monju Bosatsu and Four Attendants…

About 2.5km southwest of Tōno Station is Unedori-sama, the matchmaking shrine. According to legend, if you tie a strip of red cloth around one of the…

The start and end point for the Sansa Odori dancers in Morioka's biggest festival is this modest shrine on the edge of Iwate-kōen.

You may need to ask a local to take or direct you to this photogenic little shrine in the middle of a luminous yellow field of canola. If you're a…

This modest, friendly museum charts Hiraizumi's rise and fall through visual displays and artefacts, with English explanations throughout.

This delightful thatch-roofed waterwheel, once used for milling crops, has been preserved as a symbol of Tōno's past.

About 5km east of the town centre is Denshōen, a traditional farmhouse, now housing a small cultural museum. The highlights here are the thousand Oshira…

With exhibits depicting some of Tōno's famous legends, this museum provides a good measure of background information and context for what's to come in the…