I make regular visits to Iwate Prefecture every year. I visited the area around Lake Gando and Shibutami district, both are located around the outskirts of Morioka City.
Lake Gando is a man-made lake situated about 30 kilometers northeast of central Morioka. The place is Known as the coldest place on Honshu, the main island of Japan. It once recorded a temperature of minus 35 degrees Celsius before World War II.
Surrounded by Japanese red pine and white birch trees, Lake Gando offered a beautiful landscape. In the morning, the air was filled with the singing of wild birds.
I joined an activity to collect wild grape bark in the mountains near the lake. The material is used to make craft items such as bags. This activity is one of projects run by "Save Iwate," an NGO that has been engaged in local recovery efforts since the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011.
In recent years, encounters with bears have been increasing in Japan's mountainous regions (bears have even appeared in urban areas, making headlines). The risk of encountering a bear during this particular activity was not high, as a large group of people was working together and making plenty of noise. Even so, we remained cautious while we worked.
I also visited the Shibutami district, located about 20 kilometers north of central Morioka. A roadside station (michi-no-eki) named "Tamitto" opened along National Route 4 in 2025, offering local agricultural produce and handicrafts for sale. The views of Mont Iwate (west from Tamitt, see the 2nd photo in this post) and Mount Himekami (East) were so beautiful.
Shibutami is the place where the Meiji-era poet Takuboku Ishikawa grew up, and a memorial museum dedicated to him stands there.
His natal house and the elementary school where he once taught are preserved there.
