In January 2023, the New York Times selected Morioka as one of its places to visit in 2023, listing it right after London. The world’s eyes are on Morioka – and we’d like to show it off to you!

In this article, we’d like to first say that walking around Morioka is a delight in itself, because of the historic buildings and natural rivers and parks within the center of the city.

In the middle lies the ruins of the old Morioka Castle, now a park for everyone to enjoy. It’s a gorgeous spot for cherry blossoms in the spring; vivid autumn leaves adorn the park’s trees in the fall. Every September, the Ishigaki Music Festival is held within the park, which hosts both major and independent musicians. As you can see, this park is beloved as a gathering spot for the people of Morioka.

Next to the park and behind the City Hall is Nakatsugawa River; you know autumn has begun when you start to see salmon travel upstream to lay their eggs.

We’ve also been praised for our city’s culture; we’ve got coffee shops, bookstores, and jazz cafés.
There are also a ton of cafés in Morioka (called “kissaten” in Japanese), and many city residents tend to have a café or two that they personally love.
In fact, there are a lot of small shops run by individual proprietors here, not just cafés. There are also shops that have been passed down within single families. It is these charming little shops that have fostered the culture we have in Morioka.

And there’s much, much more! There’s the Three Great Noodles of Morioka – wanko soba (all-you-can-eat soba noodles), Morioka reimen (chewy noodles in a cold, spicy broth), and Morioka jajamen (flat noodles mixed with a meaty miso paste). There’s Morioka apples, Morioka short-horned wagyu beef, and lots of other tasty delicacies. There’s also the Morioka Sansa Odori festival in summer, which fills the city with the sounds of taiko drums and flutes. There’s so much to enjoy in Morioka, so we hope to see you here in 2023!