[Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture] Morioka City was chosen as the second best travel destination in the world by the New York Times! We will introduce its charm from a local perspective!

On January 12, 2023, Morioka City was chosen as the second place after London in the "52 Places to Visit in 2023" announced by the New York Times, and locals expressed surprise and joy. I am.

The article was written by Craig Modo, an American writer who has lived in Japan for 23 years and wanted to introduce his beloved Morioka.

Mod describes Morioka as a ``hidden gem city'' and ``a city with a good atmosphere,'' and introduces four spots in the city.

What are the New York Times' ``52 Places to Visit''?

``52 Places for Travelers to Go'' is announced once a year and is a project that many travel enthusiasts refer to as a source of information on outbound travel.

Approximately 100 travel writers submit recommended articles based on a different theme every year, and 52 destinations are selected from among them.

The theme for 2023 is "A wonderful place a little away from the city," and Morioka, about two hours away from Tokyo by Tohoku Shinkansen, was nominated.

What kind of city is Morioka? There are two reasons why Modo recommends it.

From the official Facebook page of the Morioka Tourism and Convention Association (Public Incorporated Foundation)

It is a core city with a population of approximately 285,000 people located at the northern end of the Kitakami Basin, surrounded by mountains such as Mt. Iwate, and is a city rich in water and greenery, with numerous rivers of the Kitakami River system flowing through it.

It is also known as a city of humanity, with Modo saying, ``All the people in Morioka were kind.''

The following two points are cited as reasons why Morioka is recommended as a travel destination.

A building that combines Western and Eastern architectural beauty in the city

From the Iwate Bank Red Brick Building official website

One of the old Western-style buildings in the city, the red-brick Old Iwate Bank Main Branch was designed by Kingo Tatsuno, who designed Tokyo Station, and it has a similar atmosphere.

Morioka has a strong foundation, and many historical buildings were spared from collapse even in the Great East Japan Earthquake, and many buildings from the Edo period and old townscapes remain, so you can enjoy walking around the city with a retro feel.

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Winding river, old castle ruins turned into a park

From the Morioka Castle Ruins Park official website

The Kitakami River, the Shizukuishi River, and the Nakatsu River, which was selected as one of the ``100 Best Waters of the Heisei Era,'' flow through the city, and sweetfish can be caught in these clear streams, and salmon can swim upstream.

Morioka Castle is also known as ``Kozukata Castle,'' and as the ruins of Nanbu Ujii's Castle, a splendid stone wall remains, and Morioka Castle Ruins Park is a place of relaxation for citizens as a famous spot for viewing cherry blossoms and autumn leaves.

The following tanka is famous for being read by Takuboku Ishikawa as he lay down on the ruins of this castle, looking up at the sky.

``Fifteen hearts lying on the grass of the castle of the undiscovered and being sucked into the sky.''

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Four spots introduced by Modo

This is a restaurant that he visited and introduced as his favorite.

Nagasawa coffee

From Nagasawa COFFEE official website

Morioka, which has been introduced as a ``city with many coffee lovers,'' is home to many coffee shops with the scent of home-roasted coffee and long-established coffee shops with a unique atmosphere.

Nagasawa Coffee is one of them, and there are always customers looking for delicious coffee.

INFORMATION

  • Facility name: Nagasawa COFFEE
  • Location: 1-11-23 Ueda, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
  • Phone number: 019-681-6868
  • URL: Nagasawa COFFEE official website

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Wanko Soba Azumaya

It's a soba dish that you eat like a game, where you compete to see how many bowls of soba you can eat while chanting "Yes, dondon! Yes, janjan!".

There are theories that it originated in Morioka and Hanamaki, and there are Wanko Soba restaurants in both cities, and you can enjoy it at the following restaurants in Morioka.

  • Azumaya: Main store, annex, station store
  • Hatsukoma: Main store/Morioka Inter store
  • Chokurian
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How to enjoy Wanko Soba

From Azuma official website

Each store has its own style, but the following process is common.

  1. The waiter stands next to the customer and, after the start, calls out to him and pours soba noodles into the customer's bowl.
  2. When the customers finish eating, the waiter continues to fill the bowls with soba noodles one by one.
  3. The event ends if the customer closes the lid before the waiter can add soba noodles.

At Higashiya and Hatsukoma, you stack bowls in front of your customers to count them, but at the long-established Naitorian, you count with matchsticks.

You can throw away the soba soup without forcing yourself to drink it, and 15 bowls is equivalent to one bowl of Mori Soba, and you can get a certificate for 100 bowls or more.

When you're full and about to close the lid, the waiter quickly tries to bring in more soba, and the atmosphere becomes lively with their maneuvering.

Wanko soba is served as a course, and the price ranges from 3,000 yen to 5,500 yen, depending on the condiments and chopstick rest.

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BOOKNERD

BOOKNERD, which means ``book geek,'' is a popular independent bookstore that also sells miscellaneous goods and original T-shirts.

The shop owner, who Modo says is ``young but working hard'', has selected 500 new and old Western and Japanese books, including literature, essays, picture books, photo books, magazines, and ZINEs (independently published books). Hodo is lined up in a small shop.

The area around Konya-cho, where the bookstore is located, has many townscapes that give off the atmosphere of old Morioka.In addition to being close to the above-mentioned Higashiya, there are also unique restaurants and shops selling Japanese sake and wine. You can enjoy a walk while choosing.

INFORMATION

  • Facility name: BOOKNERD
  • Location: 6-27 Konyamachi, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
  • Phone number: 019-677-8081
  • URL: BOOKNERD official website

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Johnny of Kaiunbashi

From the official website of Johnny of Kaiunbashi

Rikuzentakata Johnny, which was known as Sanriku's jazz cafe, moved to the foot of Kaiunbashi Bridge in 2001 and became ``Johnny of Kaiunbashi,'' and fans come from all over the country.

Owner Terui, who respects New York-based jazz pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi, opened the ``Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Museum'' in the renovated Morioka Bus Center in October 2022.

Johnny's was closed for the cafe bar West38 attached there, but after being introduced to it by Mr. Modo, he is now open every Tuesday and Wednesday.

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What are the three Morioka noodles?

It is a general term for three types of noodle dishes: Morioka cold noodles, Morioka jajamen, and wanko soba.

Morioka cold noodles

A noodle dish served at Yakiniku restaurants, the noodles are made from wheat flour and starch and have a strong chewy texture.

The beef bone soup has an outstanding flavor and sweetness, and is served with boiled eggs, slices of boiled beef, and fruits such as watermelon, pear, and apple.

The spiciness of Morioka cold noodles is mainly derived from radish kimchi called kakuteki, and many locals order the spiciness on a separate plate instead of adding it as ``betsukara'' from the beginning.

Then, first taste the plain beef bone soup, then adjust the spiciness to your liking.

Please note that in Morioka, you can only order cold noodles at Yakiniku restaurants, so feel free to order.

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Morioka Jajamen

It is a unique Morioka noodle dish that is said to have originated from the famous "Pairon", and each citizen has their own favorite restaurant.

These noodles are simple, consisting of chewy, flat flour noodles topped with each store's special meat miso, cucumber, and green onion, and garnished with red ginger, but there are a few ways to eat them:

  1. Mix everything first and eat while mixing the meat miso with the noodles.
  2. After eating the noodles, add the egg, mix it up, and have them pour ``cheetang tang'' (boiled soup).
  3. Meat and miso are added to the beaten egg soup, so mix well and enjoy the soup.

Local etiquette for jajamen is to ask for cheetang tang, but there are no other rules.

Chitan

Vinegar, soy sauce, etc. are placed on the table, and you can change the flavor to suit your taste, and some restaurants also have meat miso on the table so you can add whatever you like.

By the way, it is often mistaken for the Chinese noodle "Jajang Noodles", but please note that they are completely different.

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summary

Morioka, which was introduced by Mr. Modo and has many other attractions, had a rather plain image until now.

However, since it was introduced as a ``must-go'' in the United States, ahead of Japan's many large cities and famous tourist destinations, it is attracting attention nationwide.

Morioka City is a compact city, so you can walk around to recommended gourmet food and sightseeing spots around Morioka Station, and you can also enjoy intensive sightseeing by using the one-day pass for the city circulation bus called "Den Den Mushi."

Please come and visit "Little Kyoto of Michinoku", which is attracting attention from inbound tourists!

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