Iwate岩手県

Long stretch of coastline with abundant marine products. Wonderful seafood and saw-toothed coastlines surrounded by cliffs.

Iwate Prefecture, which boasts the largest land area among Japanese prefectures, is situated in the northeastern part of the Japanese main island, with its eastern side facing the Pacific Ocean. North of the coastline are cliffs eroded by the sea, and beach dunes. The contrast between the long stretch of dynamic cliffs and calm Jodo-ga-hama beach at Miyako City is magnificent. On the south is a saw-toothed coast with many inlets, revealing various contrastive scenery from the north to the south.


The long coastline blessed with natural good ports makes fishing ports at which abundant marine products are unloaded throughout the year, and there are quite a number of restaurants in the vicinity where you can enjoy fresh seafood such as scallops, oysters and sea urchins.


There are primeval forests on Mt. Iwate-san and the Appi Plateau that stretches from the Hachimantai Plateau, all of which together make up the Ou Mountain Range that runs along the border of Iwate and Akita Prefectures, and you can enjoy various outdoor activities such as skiing, as well as onsen, the hot springs.


You can also come to feel the Japanese rural culture and history at places like Hanamaki, which has the only airport in the prefecture and is known as a hot spring resort, the prefecture capital Morioka which developed as a castle town, and Hiraizumi which has many national treasures, important cultural properties and historical ruins such as Chuson-ji Konjikido (Chuson-ji Temple, Golden Hall).