Morioka: June 10-11, 2023 (Off Tokyo)

 

I visited Morioka City in Iwate Prefecture for the firest time in four years.

I regularly visited the region before the Covid-19 pandemic. People’s activities were restricted in Japan from 2020 to 2022 to prevent infection. Now, restrictions are left and people enjoy more travels.

 

I found many tourists in Morioka City. The New York Times in February included Morioka in a list of 52 places to go around the world in 2023. The attractiveness of a Japan’s local city was focused in the article.

The City welcomed the tourists. I found a Sansa-Odori (dance) preformance played in fromt of the railway station.

 

They had Chagu Chagu Umakko, a parade of around 100 horses, on June 10. The event continues from long ago to show people’s thankfulness for their horses. The horses are decorated with beautiful cloths. They walk about 14km from Takizawa City to Morioka.(See also the top photo, 2nd and 3rd photos) 

The event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid-19.

I watched the parade at Asahi Bridge near JR Morioka station. The bridge is over Kitakami River.

Various people --politicians, men and women, and kids – were on the horses.

 Many people gathered to see the events.

 

I walked the bank of Kitakami River. It is about 200km from the mouth of the river to Morioka. We used to find many salmon arriving from the sea, in autumn. Now, it is seldom.

Mt. Iwate (Iwate-san) is behind the river.

 

There are many spots related to Kenji Miyazawa, the country’s famous novelist, in Zaimokucho area near Kiytakami River. He published one of his most famous works from a company in the area. It is now a shop/café.

 There is a statue of Kenji Miyazawa in the Ihatov Street. Kenji included his dream for Utopia in “Ihatov” when he created the word.

The old Morioka castle is now turned to a park.

 

Many cultural facilities, including a museum for Kenji and Takuboku Ishikawa, another famous poet born in Iwate, are in the area.

 

A restaurant of Wanko Soba, Morioka’s special noodle, attracted many tourists. It serves guests tens of (or hundreds of) small noodle bowls.