Morioka (盛岡市) is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture (岩手県), which is one of the prefectures of the Tohoku Region. As the city is located in the far north of Japan, it experiences short summers and long winters each year. Furthermore, unbeknownst to many people, its history stretches as far back as the Jomon Period (縄文時代), which dates back approximately 1,000 BC.
Like Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, Morioka’s central location provides easy access to popular sites in Iwate Prefecture. Think Hiraizumi (平泉), one of Japan’s coveted UNESCO World Heritage Site and the country’s historical epicentre; and APPI Kogen Ski Resort, a marvellous winter wonderland that rivals other famous ski resorts in Japan.
Furthermore, it is home to the JR Morioka station (JR盛岡駅), so visitors can also have quick getaways by Shinkansen to neighbouring prefectures such as Aomori (青森県), Akita (秋田県), and Miyagi (宮城県). Visitors can even consider making day trips especially if they are travelling light. They can go to Aomori, Akita or Sendai in the neighbouring prefectures and visit beautiful natural spots like Lake Towada (十和田湖), and the Oirase Keiryu (奥入瀬渓流), all while basing in Morioka.
As more visitors increasingly visit Japan, they want to see something exciting and novel. At the same time, while wanting to visit lesser-known places, they still need access to halal or Muslim-friendly meals, and prayer spaces. Morioka is one of the most promising travel destinations in Japan over the years. For this article, I will showcase some of the best things Morioka can offer, especially for my Muslim readers.
Symbolic buildings: Morioka Castle and Morioka Masjid
Morioka shares a stark similarity with Sendai: both boast a castle overlooking their respective city skylines. While Sendai has the Sendai Castle Ruins and the imposing statue of Date Masamune overlooking the city skyline, Morioka has the Morioka Castle Site Park (盛岡城跡公園).
The castle was built in 1597 and was originally known as Kozukata Castle (不来方城). It served as the place of residence for feudal lords until the buildings were demolished in the late 19th century. The stone wall remains were preserved, and in 1906 the former castle grounds were officially designated as a public park. The Morioka Castle is long gone but the stone walls give the surrounding park a historical and ambient feel.
The Morioka Castle Site Park now serves as an idyllic and relaxing park that visitors can stroll throughout the year. The park is now known as a venue to showcase the city’s natural beauty for each season, serving as one of the main sites for cherry blossom viewing (花見 hanami) in spring in late April and being covered with scarlet maple leaves and yellow ginkgo leaves in autumn.
Every February from the second Thursday to the second Saturday of the month, there is the Morioka Yukiakari Festival (盛岡雪あかり祭り), which means “snow light festival.” During this time, the locals will build small igloos and light candles to symbolise the warmth of the people of Morioka despite the cold winter. Visitors can see them not only at the park, but everywhere around the city!
The Morioka Castle Site Park is a shoo-in for anyone visiting Morioka, especially for the first time. Muslim visitors can easily visit this park without any hassle, but they can also explore another lesser-known symbolic place. Finding a place to pray is one of the main concerns for any Muslim traveller, more so when Morioka is more rural than cities with bigger Muslim communities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Kobe.
Thankfully, there is a mosque in Morioka named Masjid Al Tawheed, more commonly known as Morioka Masjid (盛岡モスク). This unassuming mosque is the common gathering site for Muslims living in Morioka and neighbouring cities, and regularly conducts sessions such as Friday prayers and Quran classes.
Completed in 2015, Morioka Masjid serves the local Muslim community whose people originated from countries such as Malaysia, Egypt, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. It maintains its rental fee from donations from the community, and they are currently planning for a bigger mosque in a different location.
Morioka Masjid (盛岡マスジド)
Address: 2-23 Abetatecho, Morioka City, Iwate 020-0126
Access: 20-minute walk from Iwate Ginga Railway Aoyama Station (いわて銀河鉄道線青山駅)
Festivals galore in summer and autumn
The Tohoku Region is particularly known for their larger-than-life festivals. After all, it is home to the Tohoku Three Great Festivals (東北三大祭り), namely the Aomori Nebuta Festival (ねぶた祭り), the Akita Kanto Festival (竿燈祭り), and the Sendai Tanabata Festival (七夕祭り). Iwate also has its fair share of festivals, most of which are held in Morioka.
The Morioka Sansa Odori (盛岡さんさ踊り) is Iwate’s largest summer festival, held every 1–4 August each year. With over 10,000 taiko drummers and dancers parading the city, it is also recognised as the world’s largest taiko drum festival according to the Guinness Book of World Records! Advice for all participants: the weather can get extremely warm during this period―temperatures can go as high as 40°C even in the evening―so better to drink up and stay hydrated.
Autumn in Iwate takes place earlier than in most other places, with the foliage turning red and yellow as early as mid-September. It is at this time that the Morioka Autumn Festival (盛岡秋祭り) takes place, ushering the end of summer and the arrival of autumn season.
During this festival, many ostentatiously decorated floats parade through the city along with 200 participants for each float while playing taiko drums and other musical instruments. The festival features other activities as well: there is a horseback archery ceremony at the Morioka Hachimingu Shrine (盛岡八幡宮), and even a night parade takes place from evening onwards.
Festivals are a great way to know a city in Japan, and Morioka’s plentiful festivals throughout the year showcase the city’s warmth and hospitality. The festivals are open to the public, and all visitors―local and foreign, including Muslims―can join the fun.
The 3 big noodles of Morioka
Morioka is also known for one thing: they are big on noodles, and one of them is wanko soba (わんこそば), which has become synonymous with Morioka. The objective of eating wanko soba is simple: eat as many bowls of soba as possible. When the guest finishes a bowl, the food server will top up the noodles into the bowl and chant “hai dokkoi, jan-jan!” (trans. “Okay done, one more!”). This is a practice called otebachi (おてばち), a polite expression of gratitude to the guest. The server will continue this process until the guest gives up by covering his bowl with a lid. The bowls are stacked up to showcase how much the guest has finished.
Best of all, Muslims can also join in the wanko soba-eating competition! Azumaya (東家) is a famous restaurant established in Morioka, and here Muslim guests can enjoy halal wanko soba! Guests must call the restaurant to make a booking first (and get mentally prepared)!
Azumaya Main Branch (東屋本店)
Address: 1-8-3 Nakanohashi-dori, Morioka-shi, Iwate 020-0871
Access: 30-minute walk from JR Morioka Station (JR盛岡駅)
The other famous noodle dish in Morioka is reimen (冷麺). This cold noodle dish has origins from North Korea, and was imported into Japan in the 1950s. What separates reimen from Pyongyang cold noodles, which already existed in Japan, is the distinct flavours from North Korea’s version. The dish became a hit and has now become an identity of the city itself. The dish typically features stewed beef or chicken, and comes with a dash of kimchi.
Curious Muslim diners can also try this dish. There is a restaurant named Seiroukaku (盛楼閣) close to JR Morioka Station that serves reimen, and Muslim guests can request for meatless version of this dish. But an important note for our Muslim friends: the stock used for reimen is commonly made from beef (and in other restaurants, a mix of beef, chicken and pork). Kindly check with Seiroukaku first if the stock used here is meat-based.
Seiroukaku (盛楼閣)
Address: 15-5 Moriokaekimaedori, Morioka City, Iwate 020-0034
Access: 10-minute walk from JR Morioka Station (JR盛岡駅)
The last noodle in Morioka is jajamen (盛岡じゃじゃ麺), which might seem familiar to some people. It draws inspiration from zhangjiangmian (Chinese: 炸酱面), a Northeastern Chinese dish which literally means fried sauce noodles, and jjajangmyeon (Korean: 짜장면), a Chinese-Korean dish known for using black bean paste. Jajamen uses meat-based miso paste with firm noodles, and diners mixed them up before eating. The unique thing about jajamen however, happens at the end of the meal: with the remaining noodles in the bowl, diners can request an egg and broth to make egg soup to finish the meal.
But another note to our Muslim friends: the meat mixed with the miso paste is commonly ground pork, so if you like to try this out, you may need to find a place that serves a vegetarian version.
Make a trip to Koiwai Farm
There is one more surprise that awaits near Morioka. For fans of something more pastural and idyllic, they can make their way to Koiwai Farm (小岩井農場), a sprawling 3,000-hectare private farm located at the base of Mount Iwate.
The farm is popular among locals and foreign visitors, drawing as many as 750,000 visitors every year. Visitors here can engage in various activities, such as milking cows and riding horses. It is also known for its amazing dairy products, and during winter, it serves as a venue for the Iwate Snow Festival. But the most captivating feature of the farm? A lone cherry blossom tree with Mount Iwate in the background. People flock here simply to capture this picturesque scene, which looks like an artpiece in real life. Better yet, the scene changes according to the season, so people would come here periodically to view it.
Koiwai Farm (小岩井農場)
Address: 36-1, Maruyachi, Shizukuishi-cho, Iwate 020-0507
Access: 35-minute bus ride from JR Morioka Station (JR盛岡駅
Closing
I have not visited Morioka before, but I visited Iwate many years ago. It was in August 2011, a few months after the earthquake and tsunami had severely affected the prefecture, when I went as a disaster relief volunteer. It was very unfortunate that I did not get to visit Morioka, and I make it an imperative to go there whenever I have the opportunity. And now that the city is gradually becoming more Muslim-friendly, it has become a travel destination I earnestly encourage my readers (Muslim readers, especially) to explore.
JR EAST PASS (Tohoku area)
The JR EAST PASS (Tohoku area) is an affordable pass that offers unlimited train rides on JR East lines, including bullet trains, within the valid area for 5 consecutive days. It’s only ¥30,000, making it a considerable option for rail travelers (e.g. the return fare from Tokyo to Morioka is approximately ¥30,420). Pass holders can also reserve seats online for up to a month in advance for free on the JR-EAST Train Reservation.
The JR-EAST Train Reservation. | ©JR East
Header image credit: 岩手県観光協会
