Morioka
Discover Morioka
Morioka (Japanese: 盛岡) is the capital of Iwate Prefecture. Due to its transport links, it's a good option for a stopover on the way to either Akita or Hokkaido or a base for day trips to Kakunodate and some of the other small towns in the area. The city is also worth visiting in its own right, as there are enough interesting things to see and do for a day or two. For a traveler, Morioka is perhaps not high on any itinerary and is best known as a major transport hub for Tohoku. From here, one can branch off on the Shinkansen towards Akita and some of the tourist towns on the Akita Shinkansen line.
Taste of Morioka...
Morioka is famous its "three great noodles" (盛岡三大麺 Morioka sandaimen), which are: Morioka is a small city, but it offers a number of good drinking options. The water in the area is clean and pure so there are a number of sake breweries. Japanese style 'Izakaya' bars are everywhere, and there are also some German style beer breweries which offer a variety of brews. As with most cities in Japan, karaoke is a good drinking option, especially if you have a large group. Most places cost ¥1,000 an hour, including drinks. A good place is right off Odori on the fourth floor across the street from Ootaru. Budget travellers of the male variety will likely quickly have their attention drawn to a heavily advertised capsule hotel and sauna existing directly opposite the train station. The price can be extremely cheap, but be warned however that capsule patrons can expect a rapidly upward sliding price scale on repeat use of the sauna facilities, and you may well wish to use them a second time in the morning because the air conditioning intake for the sleeping capsules lies in the smoker's lounge. An alternative lies in a relaxation cafe, Kaikatsu Club (快活クラブ, 2-6-8 O-doori) along the main street on the left hand side, about a 1 km from the station. Essentially this is a manga/internet cafe where the owner has thrown away all pretense of people reading manga and focused on the essentials, napping, relaxing, sleeping, showering (small surcharge) and maybe checking the internet.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsIwate Hanamaki Airport (花巻空港, HNA), listed in some flight search engines as Morioka Airport, is in Hanamaki 30 km south of Morioka. It has domestic flights to most major Japanese cities except Tokyo, as well as international services to Taipei. Most travellers will find it easier and cheaper to fly to Tokyo and continue to Morioka by train. Shuttle buses connect Morioka station to Hanamaki Airport for every flight arrival and departure. The trip takes 45 min and costs ¥1600 one-way. The misleadingly named Hanamaki Airport station (花巻空港駅) is about 4 km away from the passenger terminal, so you'll need to connect to the same shuttle bus. Morioka is a major Shinkansen (bullet train) station on the Tohoku Shinkansen line. It is also a major transit station for regular trains. The most frequent Shinkansen services from Tokyo to Morioka are the all reserved Komachi (こまち) and Hayate (はやて), which normally run coupled together as a single train....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Morioka is a small enough city to walk around. The furthest you're likely to want to go is the Morioka Castle site which is about a 30-minute walk from the front of the train station over the steel arch bridge and through the central business district. You can otherwise get the bus to the castle site (below), but the walk through the city is quite pleasant, though can be slippery, snowy and just plain cold in winter and unpleasantly hot and humid in summer. From the station, the easiest and safest way to into the city proper is to use the underground tunnels from the station which go underneath the bus station and the main road. This can be slightly confusing at first for people who cannot read Japanese signs. The tunnels are wheelchair accessible via lifts. Sticking to the left side of the road from the station to the castle allows you to use overbridges to cross some intersections, though they don't save much time.
Where to Stay
Budget travellers of the male variety will likely quickly have their attention drawn to a heavily advertised capsule hotel and sauna existing directly opposite the train station. The price can be extremely cheap, but be warned however that capsule patrons can expect a rapidly upward sliding price scale on repeat use of the sauna facilities, and you may well wish to use them a second time in the morning because the air conditioning intake for the sleeping capsules lies in the smoker's lounge. An alternative lies in a relaxation cafe, Kaikatsu Club (快活クラブ, 2-6-8 O-doori) along the main street on the left hand side, about a 1 km from the station. Essentially this is a manga/internet cafe where the owner has thrown away all pretense of people reading manga and focused on the essentials, napping, relaxing, sleeping, showering (small surcharge) and maybe checking the internet. Morioka has quite a few mid-range options, though note that most appear to be somewhat elderly and dated.
Money & Budget
There are some good shops selling local souvenirs in the station. The station shopping centre also has an underground area with a number of restaurants, including a McDonald's if you're so inclined. If you're in Morioka as a stopover destination and need to stock up on basics, there is a large supermarket, Jusco, by walking left on the main road in front of the station for about ten minutes, it's on the right just after you walk under the overpass. A large branch of Daiso, a national ¥100 shop chain, that sells cheap and basic and sometimes strange Japanese goods, can be found in the city centre. If you walk in a straight line from the station across the bridge and into the city you will find it on the right. There are also plenty of convenience stores in the area.