Museum / Science Museum Spots in Iwate Area

Area

Iwate
- Japan
- Hokkaido / Tohoku
  
  Hokkaido
  
  Aomori
  
  Iwate
  
  Miyagi
  
  Akita
  
  Yamagata
  
  Fukushima
- Kanto
  
  Ibaraki
  
  Tochigi
  
  Gunma
  
  Saitama
  
  Chiba
  
  Tokyo
  
  Kanagawa
- Koshinetsu / Hokuriku
  
  Niigata
  
  Toyama
  
  Ishikawa
  
  Fukui
  
  Yamanashi
  
  Nagano
- Tokai
  
  Gifu
  
  Shizuoka
  
  Aichi
  
  Mie
- Kinki
  
  Shiga
  
  Kyoto
  
  Osaka
  
  Hyogo
  
  Nara
  
  Wakayama
- Chugoku
  
  Tottori
  
  Shimane
  
  Okayama
  
  Hiroshima
  
  Yamaguchi
- Shikoku
  
  Tokushima
  
  Kagawa
  
  Ehime
  
  Kochi
- Kyushu / Okinawa
  
  Fukuoka
  
  Saga
  
  Nagasaki
  
  Kumamoto
  
  Oita
  
  Miyazaki
  
  Kagoshima
  
  Okinawa

Category

Leisure / Hobbies

Leisure / Outdoors

Museum / Science Museum

Tono Municipal Museum

4.5

35 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Pref. Tonoshi Higashidatechou 3-9

Established in 1980, this museum is the first of its kind in Japan. It is a museum introducing the folklore and folk culture of the Tono peoples' lifestyle, environment, history, and culture. The life of the Tono people in the Tono basin valley is displayed in an easy to understand manner through documents and photographs. One can enjoy viewing the Tono Story, the picture works based on local folklore and topics, and the animated film ''Shigeru Mizuki's Tono Story.''

This is of surprisingly high standard for a municipal museum. The 500 yen admission fee includes the loan of an audio visual device which provides a commentary in English. The displays are well...
Kuji Amber Museum

4.0

39 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Pref. Kujishi Kokujichou Dai19chiwari 156-133

This museum is located in Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture. Among the amber used in jewelry, this is where you can see amber from Kuji, which has the world's oldest deposits. There are exhibits that show the production of amber and artworks using it. With prior reservations, you can also participate in events where you can experience digging amber.

様々な種類の琥珀や琥珀のモザイク画等が展示されていました。琥珀を触れたり、歩いたり出来るコーナーがありましたが、コロナ禍で触れず残念でした。一番の目的は琥珀の採掘体験で、春から秋にかけて体験出来ます。スタッフの方が色々気に掛けてくれて、アドバイスをくれたり親切でした。 1時間があっという間に過ぎ、夢中になり楽しめました。体験後に小さい琥珀の御守を貰えます。
Iwate Prefectural Museum

4.0

15 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Pref. Moriokashi Ueda Matsuyashiki 34

This museum that opened in 1980 in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the creation of Morioka Prefecture is located in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture. It exhibits materials about the natural environment in Iwate and the history of the prefecture from the geological age to the modern era. You can see Mt. Iwate from the second floor on day with clear weather. The private houses Former Sasaki Residence and Former Fujino Residence, both Important Cultural Properties, are exhibited on the premises and visited by many tourists.

盛岡駅から松園バスターミナル行き路線バスに乗り、松園バスターミナルでバスを乗り換え片道410円、約40分位。入館料310円。予想以上に立派な建物で、展示内容もとても充実していたので大満足。新型ウィルス感染症の世界的流行で観光施設が軒並み営業中止している中やる事がなくなり、博物館へ急遽行き先変更。特に、岩手県の地質についてはとても印象的で、化石が数多く発掘されているのが面白かった。ただ、松園...
Denshoen

4.0

8 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Pref. Tonoshi Tsuchibuchichoutsuchibuchi 6-5-1

Located in Tono, land of Japanese folklore, Denshoen is a facility which exists to share the lifestyle of farmers in the area once lived to future generations. Visitors can learn about old folk tales, experience traditional events, and try making folk crafts. The facility also engages in silkworm raising. Each year a festival to pray to the household god Oshira-sama is held at Denshoen. In addition, the facility regularly has a storyteller share old Tono folktales (fee and reservation required). You can enjoy local Tono cuisine in Denshoen’s cafeteria, and there’s also a memorial museum dedicated to Tono storyteller Kizen Sasaki, as well as the Oshira-do Hall.

古民家や水車小屋・雪隠・井戸などの昔の建物や、土着神オシラサマを祀るオシラ堂を見ることができます。また遠野物語の語り部である佐々木喜善に関する展示もしています。レストランもあり、郷土食のひっつみ(すいとん)やけいらん(もち粉の皮で餡を包んで茹で汁をはったデザート)を食べることができます。総じてなかなか満足度が高い施設でした。
Ichinoseki City Museum

4.0

14 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Pref. Ichinosekishi Gembichou Okinono 215-1

This museum is located in Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture. You can learn about the history and culture of the Ichinoseki area and the accomplishments of previous generations. It shows cultural assets and tools from the stone age until the modern era. In addition to permanent exhibitions separated by theme, it also hosts temporary exhibitions, lectures and experiential learning events.

いわゆるローカル観光地にありがちな取って付けたような博物館かな思いきや、蘭学・辞書編纂・和算などのテーマ別に掘り下げて展示することで地元出身の学者の業績をわかりやすく展示していたり、舞草刀(もぐさとう)という、日本等の源流となる刀の展示もあり、かなり見応えがある博物館でした。厳美渓に来たらここにも立ち寄らない手はないです。
Sekino-ichi Brewery Sake-no-minzoku Culture Museum

3.5

14 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Ichinoseki-shi Tamuracho 5-42

A sake folk museum runs by Iwate's 100-year-old Sekinoichi brewery. Originally it was Tohoku’s largest storehouse for the initial stages of the brewing process, then was remodeled into a museum. A variety of sake brewing equipment is on display, including a large barrel for preparation. The sake making process is explained in detail. You can also visit the brewer’s room, dedicated to Matsuo Daimyojin, the god of sake. There is also a literary museum with materials from authors with ties to Ichinoseki.

以前にも来たことがありました。今回は併設されているレストラン（ビアレストランと和食レストランがある）で餅御膳をいただきました。おいしい日本酒がたくさん陳列されていて、利酒をしながら選ぶとよいなあと思いました。
Kesen Carpentry and Folklore Museum

4.5

10 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Rikuzentakata-shi Otomocho Myoga 1-237

A museum located a 90-minute drive from the Ichinoseki Interchange on the Tohoku Expressway. The museum is modeled after early Meiji period Kesen homes and was built to pass on the techniques of Kesen carpentry to future generations. The museum was built exclusively with local materials like Kesen cedar wood. The main building is made of wood and modeled after a single story thatch roof family home. Looking up from beyond the irori sunken hearth, visitors can spot Kesen carpentry techniques everywhere, such as three stage beams. There's also a 3.11 Light of Hope eternally lit gas lamp on the grounds which was lit from the 1.17 Light of Hope in Kobe.

The Kesen carpentry style is unique to the area and unfortunately there are very few carpenters (if any) left to carry on the techniques. Inside the main building with high ceilings is a...
Morioka Study Museum of Archeological Site

4.0

10 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Morioka-shi Motomiya Araya 13-1

"The museum is located in ""Morioka Central Park"" in Hongu-araya, Morioka City. The museum exhibits excavated materials from the Odate Town Ruins, a historical site designated by the prefecture, as well as other ruins excavated in the city. In addition to thematic and special exhibitions, the museum also offers hands-on learning opportunities such as pottery making. There is also a library with access to historical materials."

入口が道路とは反対側にあるので、ちょっと見過ごしてしまいがちですが、結構おもしろい博物館です。土器や石器がたくさんあって、時代ごとの変遷も併せて学べます。
Hachimantai City Museum

4.5

3 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Hachimantai-shi Kamasuda 230

This museum is located in Kamasuda, Hachimantai City. It houses a collection of materials about the culture and history of the old town, which grew up as a key transport center leading to Tsugaru and Akita. Its four permanent exhibitions are “Life and Culture in the Appikawa and Yoneshiro Watersheds,” “Lacquerware: Beauty in the Midst of Everyday Life,” “Carrying Past Ways of Life into the Present Day,” and “Literature, the Jomon Era, and Skiing.” Other exhibits include specially produced Appi lacquerware, everyday goods from the past, and items connected with Kojun, the 15th great high priest of Kan’eiji Temple Gokoku-in.

It was a great place to see Japanese ancient histories and their old stuff. There are many sections by each era, starting from Jomon period. The most fascinating things are Appi Urushi bowls and...
Kujira To Umi no Science Museum

4.5

2 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Shimohei-gun Yamadamachi Funakoshi Dai7-chiwari 50-1

山田町の過去の商業捕鯨時代の捕鯨の展示があります。また、それ鯨以外にも三陸の漁の展示があり楽しめます。南部もぐりの展示では、実際に重い装備を持つことができます。地味かもしれませんが、見どころはたっぷりです。
The Cattle Museum

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Oshu-shi Maesawa Minamijinba 103-1

A museum located a seven-minute taxi ride from Maesawa Station on the Tohoku Main Line in Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture. The museum contains a variety of exhibits on cattle such as cattle skeletons and how milk is produced, the relationship between humans and cattle from ancient times to the present, the history of Maesawa beef, and the cattle industry. The museum holds events such as symposiums and picture book readings, as well as classes like butter making and recreating Meiji period ice cream. The museum store sells original merchandise like T-shirts featuring a cow stomach design, and leather cell phone straps.
Hekishoji Temple Museum

4.0

1 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Waga-gun Nishiwagamachi Sawauchi Ota 3-32

This museum is located on the grounds of Hekishoji Temple in Ota Sawauch, Nishiwaga Town, Waga County. It houses a collection of over 10,000 items related to local folkways, including National Important Cultural Properties, the tools used by “matagi,” traditional local wintertime hunters, and items used in everyday life. Visitors can encounter the unique culture that grew up in the harsh natural environment of Japan’s “snow country.”

山に入り熊を撃つという猟師を岩手と秋田のこの辺りではマタギというようですが、その文化を伝える展示内容が充実しています。
Stone and Kenji Museum

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Ichinoseki-shi Higashiyamacho Matsukawa Takinosawa 149-1

A museum located a three-minute walk from Rikuchu-Matsukawa Station on the Ofunato Line in Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture. The museum was established for future generations to share with and make it possible to come in contact with the ideas and lifestyles of engineer Kenji Miyazawa and Tohoku Rubble Factory owner Tozo Suzuki. The museum has lapis lazuli, amethyst, and ammonite fossils on display and a library of books collected by Suzuki. Visitors can also take a tour of the former Tohoku Rubble Factory, which was erected in 1924 and registered a National Tangible Cultural Property in 1996 (note: at the present time, tours are not possible due to renovations; tours are scheduled to reopen in the spring of 2020.)
Kitakami City Oni no Yakata

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Kitakami-shi Wagacho Iwasaki 16-131

"A museum located a 20-minute drive from JR Kitakami Station. The museum was opened in 1994 to present information on oni, mythical Japanese creatures alternately translated as ""ogres"" and ""demons."" The museum introduces all kinds of oni, from scary ones to cute and cuddly ones. Exhibits include a large number of oni masks, including a giant mask three-meter-tall and weighing 80 kilograms. The museum also introduces masks depicting oni-like creates from around the world with a focus on Thailand, Nepal, and other Asian countries."
Oshu Koromogawa History Fureai Museum

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Oshu-shi Koromogawa Hina 60-18

A museum that conveys the history of the Abe clan, progenitor of the Northern Fujiwara clan. It has an impressive display of wax figures of Abe no Sadato and Minamoto no Yoshiie depicting a scene in which they compose poems during the Former Nine Years’ War. The exhibition begins with a display of artifacts excavated from a Jomon period site. It also showcases the history and traditions of the region including Masuzawa-nuri lacquerware, first developed during the Northern Fujiwara period and further advanced during the Meiji to Taisho periods. Every Tuesday the Koromogawa Lacquer Association gets together to make Masuzawa-nuri lacquerware at the museum's studio. It’s open to public viewing with a reservation.
Esashi Local Culture Hall

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Oshu-shi

An experience-based museum showcasing the history, culture, and local industries of the Esashi region. It is located about 15 minutes by car from the Mizusawa Interchange on the Tohoku Expressway, adjacent to the Esashi-Fujiwara Heritage Park. It consists of an agricultural center and the Okunoin exhibition area. It's display of the Nakazen Obara family's 101 statues of the Bodhisattva Kannon are notable and exemplify the beliefs of the region. They also have hands-on programs with culinary and craft themes that let you try making soba noodles, pottery, magatama amulets, and more. During the summer and winter holidays they organize other special hands-on programs too.
Oshu City Archaeological Research Center

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Oshu-shi

A historical museum that showcases the culture of Ezo (pre-modern Northern Japan) and exhibits buried cultural properties excavated from Oshu City. It's on Prefectural Road 270, a five-minute drive from Mizusawa Interchange on the Tohoku Expressway. Isawa Castle Ruins Historical Park is right in front. Displays focus on the way of life of the Ezo culture during ancient times. It has anime screenings about Ezo leaders known as Aterui that even children can understand. There are also hands-on classes making clay figurines, Jomon period accessories, and more. It's an accessible way to learn about the world of archaeology and ancient history.
Oshu Space and Astronomy Museum

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Oshu-shi Mizusawa Hoshigaokacho 2-12

This museum is located approximately a 10-minute drive from the Tohoku Shinkansen Mizusawa-Esashi Station. It has a long history spanning over 100 years, and was reconstructed and recreated in the image of Japan's first international latitude observatory, in 1921. Visitors can see equipment that is currently in use, as well as historical astronomical instruments. The permanent exhibition room on the first floor teaches visitors about the universe, from the things that we can experience from the ground to space and the universe. There is also a theater room with 4D digital space theater screenings, as well as a permanent Universe Exhibition Room, where visitors can experience the universe by touch. Visitors can also listen to various event lectures while relaxing at the cafe.
Ryusenshindo Science Museum

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Shimohei-gun Iwaizumicho Iwaizumi Kannari

A limestone cave discovered after the Ryusendo Cave–one of Japan's three major caves–in Iwaizumi-cho. In 1967, Ryusendo Cave was discovered during construction to widen a prefectural road. The well-developed cave system and its water course markings have scientific value, and in 1975 it was opened to the public as a science museum. In addition to the stalactites and stalagmites that are still being surveyed, there are abundant traces of pre-modern people. The cave has displays depicting life in the cave, which acted as shelter from the elements. There is also an area of water that looks beautiful when lit up.
Hayachine and Kenji Gallery

Leisure / Hobbies

Iwate Hanamaki-shi Ohasamamachi Ohasama 3-161

This exhibition gallery is located approximately a 23-minute drive from JR Shin-Hanamaki Station. It opened in 2007. The building is a reconstruction of the former Hienuki District Office, and is said to have been modeled on Kenji Miyazawa's fairytale, The Cat's Office. The museum contains exhibits of works by Hayachine and Kenji Miyazawa, as well as molybdenum ore from Mount Nekoyama, which is said to have been the setting for Kaze no Matasaburo. Visitors can also see a reconstruction of the former Ishikawa Inn, which Miyazawa often stayed at.

Iwate

Morioka City / Shizukuishi Town / Koiwai Hanamaki / Tono Hachimantai / Appi Highland Sanriku Coast Hiraizumi / Oshu / Ichinoseki

Leisure / Hobbies Leisure / Outdoors Museum / Science Museum

Iwate Areas

A northern Tohoku prefecture promising peace and quiet, Iwate is sparsely populated, replacing people with snow-capped mountains, history-rich sites, and fields of crops that are to thank for the region’s delicious local cuisine. Meander along the three-city Golden Route, where you’ll visit the grand Buddhist temples of Hiraizumi and the Tono folk villages before tasting the three famed noodle dishes of Morioka.