Skip to content
Reference material on Japan's regions, culture and sightseeing / Please check opening days, prices and other details with the latest information from each source.
← 47 prefectures

JAPAN

Iwate

Coasts, highlands, and timeless tales.

Popular keywords#Nature & scenic views#Food, markets & local products#Museum#Hot springs & wellness#Architecture#Antique & Buddhist art#Metalwork#Experiences & activities#Rebirth
Ty19080914 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Browse by type of sightseeing spot

Pick a category that interests you and find the trip that suits you.

PICK UP

Popular sightseeing spots right now

From entries with clearly licensed photos.

See more popular spots
Tono

Tono Densho-en

Magariya farmhouses were moved here to keep the folk tales alive. The Okaiko-do hall enshrines a thousand Oshirasama figures.

See details
Yoshi Canopus · CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
Hiraizumi

Kinkeisan

The hill that set the axis for the town plan of Hiraizumi. A component of the World Heritage site.

See details
Nerotaso · CC BY-SA 3.0

Browse by area

Introduced by city, ward, town and village within the prefecture.

See more areas
MoriokaArt & Crafts, Shrines & Temples · 31 entriesIchinosekiNature & Scenery, Hot Springs · 18 entriesHiraizumiShrines & Temples, Museums · 14 entriesOshuArchitecture, Shrines & Temples · 12 entriesHanamakiHot Springs, Nature & Scenery · 12 entriesMiyakoCulture & History, Experiences · 11 entries
FEATUREIwate now (autumn)Hachimantai and Genbikei Gorge are wrapped in brilliant autumn colors.See the feature 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Explore Historic HiraizumiVisit Chusonji and Motsuji to discover the heritage of the Northern Fujiwara.Walk Jodogahama CoastWalk amid white rock formations and clear blue water on the Sanriku Coast.Try Wanko SobaTake on a lively succession of small bowls filled by an attentive server.

Recommended information

Check information useful for planning, for a fuller trip.

Model coursesCheck recommended travel plansTransport & accessBook trains, buses and flightsHotel searchFind popular inns and hotelsBuild a travel routeA travel plan of your own

JAPAN GUIDE

Things worth knowing about Japan

No worries even on a first trip to Japan. Useful things to know, explained clearly.

See all guides
Q. What do people get wrong about IC cards (Suica, PASMO) in Japan?

This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete. The answ…

Read the answer →
Q. What do people get wrong about coin lockers and luggage forwarding in Japan?

This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete. The answ…

Read the answer →
Q. What do people get wrong about Golden Week, Obon and New Year travel?

This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete. The answ…

Read the answer →

REGIONAL SPECIALTIES

Meet the Japan you don't know yet.

It is not only the big cities. The regions are full of charm, and special experiences you can only have in each place are waiting.

Nanbu BijinNambu IronwareIwate Prefectural Children's Hall "Iwate Kodomo-no-Mori"

Value Village

Japan's value, to the world.

Regional culture, tradition, food, sightseeing, nature and people. A directory that delivers the appeal of each to the whole world.

About Value Village
Value VillageLocal Value, Global Reach.
The photo is a generated image for concept purposes.

INSTAGRAM / 6

Official and local Instagram photos

Local governments, tourism accounts and local posts are shown with official embeds. Photos are not stored on Value Village; they link to the original posts.

Open post ↗
@iwate.kankou.cpOpen post
Open post ↗
@iwate.kankou.cpOpen post
Open post ↗
@iwate.kankou.cpOpen post
Open post ↗
@iwate.kankou.cpOpen post
Open post ↗
@iwate.kankou.cpOpen post
Open post ↗
@iwate.kankou.cpOpen post

THINGS TO DO / 6

Things to do in this prefecture

Choose from what you can only do here.

01Explore Historic HiraizumiVisit Chusonji and Motsuji to discover the heritage of the Northern Fujiwara.See related entries →ちゃぐちゃぐ猫っこ · CC BY-SA 4.002Walk Jodogahama CoastWalk amid white rock formations and clear blue water on the Sanriku Coast.See related entries →Junpei Satoh · CC BY-SA 3.003Explore Ryusendo CaveEnter a mysterious limestone cave and view its remarkably clear underground lakes.See related entries →inunami · CC BY 2.004Try Wanko SobaTake on a lively succession of small bowls filled by an attentive server.See related entries →663highland · CC BY-SA 4.005Discover Tono FolkloreVisit traditional farmhouses and legendary sites from the Tales of Tono.See related entries →Yoshi Canopus · CC BY-SA 3.006Hike HachimantaiHike highland trails past wetlands, volcanic lakes, and alpine scenery.See related entries →Kernel · CC BY-SA 3.0

NEED TO KNOW

At a glance

See all 246 entries in this prefecture →

BEST TIME TO TRAVEL

What each season brings

LOCAL FOOD / 14

Local food

What people have long eaten in this place. We collect the dishes themselves, not restaurants.

See food entries in this prefecture →

Morioka Jajamen

Hot boiled noodles are topped with meat miso, served with cucumber and green onion and mixed before eating. Garlic, ginger, vinegar and chili oil are used to adjust the flavor.

Area：Morioka

Source：Iwate Prefecture Tourism Association "Iwate Travel"

MICHI-NO-EKI / 39

Michi-no-Eki roadside stations

RestInformationLocal links

Rest facilities registered by Japan's national government. Each has parking and toilets open 24 hours, and by definition includes a facility that sells local products. This is where the making and the food of this prefecture can actually be bought.

There are 39 stations in this prefecture in all (national registry).

Source: MLIT register of Michi-no-Eki

LOCAL ACCOUNTS / 3

People posting this area

Japanese-language accounts that post about this area.

These are third-party accounts. They are not affiliated with Value Village and this is not an endorsement.

CITIES & TOWNS / 27

Find by city or town

Sorted by number of entries. Start from the name of a town.

Morioka 31Ichinoseki 18Hiraizumi 14Oshu 12Hanamaki 12Miyako 11Ninohe 11Tono 10Hachimantai 9Kitakami 8Shizukuishi 7Kamaishi 6Iwaizumi 6Ofunato 5Takizawa 4Ichinohe 4Iwate 4Kuji 4
See other cities and towns（9）

INTERESTS / 12

Find by interest

Only the interests found in this prefecture.

Where locals eat!1 entries

To the list Chusonji · 663highland · CC BY-SA 4.0

Shrines & Temples30 entries

Chusonji ／ Motsuji

To the list Ryusendo · inunami · CC BY 2.0

Nature & Scenery36 entries

Ryusendo ／ Geibikei

To the list Yusen Shidate · 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Hot Springs15 entries

Yusen Shidate ／ Osawa Onsen

To the list Tenshochi · 663highland · CC BY 2.5

Gardens1 entries

Tenshochi

To the list Koiwai Farm · Dquai · CC BY-SA 4.0

Architecture13 entries

Koiwai Farm ／ Nambu Ironware

To the list Tono Densho-en · Yoshi Canopus · CC BY-SA 3.0

Museums24 entries

Tono Densho-en ／ Ryusen Shindo

To the list Sansa Odori · Cygnus_morioka · CC BY 4.0

Art & Crafts24 entries

Sansa Odori ／ Chagu Chagu Umakko

To the list Genbikei · 663highland · CC BY-SA 4.0

Contemporary Art1 entries

Genbikei

To the list Shijushida Dam · 河川一等兵 · Public domain

Craft Experiences22 entries

Shijushida Dam ／ Sanriku Railway

To the list Esashi Fujiwara · Kano · Public domain

Culture & History11 entries

Esashi Fujiwara ／ Kamaishi City Iron and Steel History Museum

To the list Tono Furusato Village Straw Craft · z tanuki · CC BY 3.0

Food & Markets30 entries

Tono Furusato Village Straw Craft ／ Asabiraki Showa Asahi-gura Brewery

To the list Nedari-hama · Ty19080914 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Experiences28 entries

Nedari-hama ／ Tsukuehama Beach

To the list

HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights of this prefecture

From entries with clearly licensed photos.

See all in this category →
Shrines & Temples
Hiraizumi

Chusonji

The Konjikido is a National Treasure, gilded inside and out. The bodies of four generations of the Northern Fujiwara still lie there. Late Heian Mutsu produced gold, and that wealth built a cultural world apart from the capital.

See details
Architecture
Shizukuishi

Koiwai Farm

A private farm at the foot of Mount Iwate. Twenty-one buildings, the cowsheds among them, are Important Cultural Properties.

See details

SMILE NEWS / 136

Smile news from Japan and the world

Stories that lift your spirits a little, collected with their sources.

See more →
Iwate

Iwate University students create local-food bun with Fukuda Pan and Kawatoku

Student volunteers at Iwate University teamed up with the Kawatoku department store and Fukuda Pan to develop a "Spicy Butter Chicken Curry & Egg Salad" bun using Iwaizumi yogurt and Iwate-raised chicken. It goes on sale from October 9 to 12 during Kawatoku's 160th-anniversary founding festival.

source: Iwate University
Patagonia National Park, Chile

Women rangers return Darwin's rheas to the wild in Chile

In Chile's Patagonia National Park, a women-led ranger team returned 13 Darwin's rheas to the wild in April 2026. Working with the Rewilding Chile Foundation, they care for the birds around the clock; surveys once estimated only about 11 to 15 remained.

source: Mongabay
Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe

New 210-million-year-old dinosaur species named from Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba shore

A new dinosaur species, Musango matusadonaensis, has been described from rocks about 210 million years old in Matusadona National Park on the shore of Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. The bipedal, not-yet-adult animal was about 4.5 metres long, and the find suggests Zimbabwe's dinosaur fauna differed from South Africa's.

source: Phys.org (The Conversation)

INSTAGRAM / SHRINES & TEMPLES / 1

Shrine & temple posts

Posts by shrine and goshuin creators. Posts whose hashtags match a VV entry also appear on that entry's page.

Shrines & temples
View on Instagram ↗
Motsuji · Hiraizumi · @omairi.clubOpen post

Request removal: [email protected]

INSTAGRAM

Explore on Instagram

Hashtags often used for this area. Each opens the tag page on Instagram.

#岩手県Iwate Prefecture

SEASONS & EVENTS

Seasons & events

See all in this category →

BEFORE YOU GO

Before you go

See all in this category →
Q1Q. What do people get wrong about IC cards (Suica, PASMO) in Japan?Q2Q. What do people get wrong about coin lockers and luggage forwarding in Japan?Q3Q. What do people get wrong about Golden Week, Obon and New Year travel?

TRAVEL

Transport & stays

Find hotelsCheck vacancies and prices on Rakuten TravelTransport & car rentalRail, bus and taxi contactsPlan with AIBuild an itinerary including this prefecture

Photos of Iwate

Real photos of the region. Select an image to enlarge it.

IwateEnlarge ↗
IwateJunpei Satoh · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image and source ↗Display size adjusted. The enlarged view shows the whole photo.

Your Japan is waiting.

Scenery you have never seen, flavors you never knew, people you would never otherwise meet. A journey to feel this beautiful Japan closer.

Start the journey
Ty19080914 · CC BY-SA 4.0