Iwate-kōen


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 stood. All that remains of the castle, completed in 1633 and destroyed in 1874, are its moss-covered stone foundation walls. Still, you can get a sense of its scale.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Sakurayama-jinja

0.08 MILES

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.

2. Rock-Splitting Cherry Tree

0.21 MILES

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…

3. Tazawa-ko

24.25 MILES

The under-visited beach at Shirahama (白浜) is a real find for open-water swimmers and beach bums due to its clear-blue water, shallow entry and…

4. Tatsuko

27.52 MILES

Legend has it that long ago, a local maiden, Tatsuko, believing that the spring water would make her beauty last forever, drank so much that she turned…

5. Tsuzuki-ishi

29.91 MILES

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…