Culture / Tour Spots in Hiraizumi / Oshu / Ichinoseki Area

  • Iwate Safari Park
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    3.5
    18 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Iwate Pref. Ichinosekishi Fujisawachoukinomi Yamaya 121-2
    This zoo is located in Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture. Besides animals including white lions and tigers, you can also interact with herbivores such as giraffes and camels inside the park. In addition, you can feed animals up close while riding in a bus designed with a tiger motif. Various events are held in the park, drawing many people and their families.

    ゾウライドは正直あまり良い印象を受けませんでした。象にドリルのようなものを刺して痛みを与えて従わせていたからです。人が乗るたび毎回刺されているかと思うと、あまりに可哀想なのでもう乗りません。

  • Ichinoseki City Museum
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    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
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    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。

  • Hekishoji Temple Museum
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    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.)
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Sankozo
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Iwate Nishiiwai-gun Hiraizumicho Hiraizumi Koromonoseki 202
    This is a treasure house located within the precincts of Chusonji Temple in Koromonoseki, Hiraizumi, Hiraizumi Town, Nishiiwai County. In addition to the 15 scrolls of the Chusonji Sutra, a National Treasure, it contains more than 3,000 Important Cultural Properties, including Buddhist statues from the Heian Period (795-1115) and funerary goods from the Oshu Fujiwara clan.
  • Motsuji Temple Treasure Museum
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Iwate Nishiiwai-gun Hiraizumicho
    This treasure museum on the ground of Motsuji Temple makes up one of the components of the “Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land” UNESCO world heritage site, and is located along Motsuji-dori Street in Osawa, Hiraizumi, Hiraizumi Town, Nishiiwai County. It holds and displays treasures such as Buddha statues given to the temple, excavated artifacts, and tools used for the national important intangible folk cultural property “Ennen no Mai” (longevity dance).
  • Iwate Prefectural Floriculture Center
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Iwate Isawa-gun Kanegasaki Cho Rokuhara Kashiranashi 2-1
    This botanical garden is located along Prefectural Route 159 in Kashiranashi, Rokuhara, Kanegasaki Town, Isawa County. It has a greenhouse where you can see subtropical fruit trees, carnivorous plants, Okinawan subtropical plants and succulents, and a flowerbed and herb sample garden outside. In addition, there are exhibitions of duplicate paintings by Koko Fukazawa, a painter from Iwate who drew a lot of works with wild flowers as motifs, and a flower bed for cultivating the flowers drawn in the works.
  • Michinoku Folklore Village
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Iwate Kitakami-shi Tachibana 14-62-3
    This open-air museum is located in Tachibana, Kitakami City. Besides a number of kominka (old houses) owned by farmers and samurai in the surrounding area that have been relocated and restored, there is a folk museum that uses the former Kurosawajiri Girls High School, hands-on workshops and teahouse. The Michinoku Folklore Village Festival is held every October, and various events such as folk performing arts performances are held.
  • Kawamura Dessin House
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Iwate Waga-gun Nishiwagamachi Uenono 39-142-1
    This art museum is located in Uenono, NishiwagaTown, Waga County. It is attached to the Nishiwaga Municipal Kawamura Art Museum, which exhibits works by Isamu Kawamura, a western-style painter from the same town. It has a collection of mainly drawings and exhibits his favorite paints.
  • Nishiwaga Municipal Kawamura Art Museum
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Iwate Waga-gun Nishiwagamachi Uenono 39-190-2
    This art museum is located in Uenono, Nishiwaga Town, Waga County. It opened with a donation from the Western-style painter Isamu Kawamura, and exhibits a number of works that he made over 30 years. In addition, there is also a drawing hall that mainly exhibits drawings.
  • Former Numata Etake Family's Residence
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    3.5
    20 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Iwate Ichinoseki-shi Tamuracho 2-18

    一ノ関の駅前の観光案内所で教えてもらって訪問しました。 中に入るとガイド人がいて説明してくれます。私達は次の予定があり30分弱しか時間がなかったので慌しくなってしまって申し訳なかったです。 古い建物ですが、綺麗に保存されていました。

  • Akio Fukasawa Museum (NPO corporation)
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    4.0
    3 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Iwate Waga-gun Nishiwagamachi Sawauchi Ota 2-chiwari 68

    豪雪地帯の沢内村。かつては貧困と乳児死亡率が日本一とも言えるほど高かったこの村で、国に先駆けて老人と乳幼児の医療費を無料にし、日本で初めて乳児死亡率をゼロにするという偉業を達成した、偉大な村長の資料館。様々な資料を見ているうちに、感動の涙を流していました。本当に小さな資料館ですが、通りかかったときには是非立ち寄ることをお勧めします。

  • Aiport / Kitakami River Learning Exchange Center
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    3.0
    3 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Iwate Ichinoseki-shi Kozenji Ishi No Se 155-81

    北上川の治水に関して国土交通省が建設した施設らしいです。北上川のことをいろいろ勉強するには良い施設だと思います。

Iwate Areas

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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.

Iwate Photo Album

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