Morioka Customized Private Tour in 1 Day — Guide Hitoshi

What Is a Private Walking Tour of Morioka Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

From Kaiun Bridge, Mount Iwate was unfortunately hidden by clouds, but the guests seemed to understand why it is called the "bridge of two cries." Because restoration of Morioka Castle Ruins Park had been completed in November of the previous year, we were fortunate to be able to enter via the proper castle approach beside Sakurayama Shrine. After viewing the Ishikawa Takuboku poetry monument and the Nitobe Inazo memorial at the Ninomaru ruins, we visited the pedestal of the lieutenant's bronze statue at the Honmaru ruins. The guests seemed to deepen their understanding of the nozura-zumi stonework from the construction period and the sangi-zumi stonework from the expansion period. They took memorial photos with great interest of the drum bridge at the inner moat ruins, which had been featured in a major newspaper (they said they had learned about the article for the first time on this occasion). Nitobe Inazo passed away in Victoria, Canada, which became the catalyst for the sister-city partnership between Morioka and Victoria, so we extended our walk a little to near his birthplace. Then we walked along Victoria Road beside the Nakatsugawa River, viewing and photographing a maple tree donated by the city of Victoria. Right nearby, after viewing the Nambu ironware exhibition and festival floats at the Morioka History and Culture Museum, we visited and photographed the Ishiwari-zakura (rock-splitting cherry tree) on the court grounds. After seeing the "demon's handprint" at Mitsuishi Shrine, we visited the five hundred rakan at Hoon-ji Temple. Around this time the snow began to fall heavily. After a grilled meat lunch at Niku no Yonai, we headed straight to Johnny's (a jazz café) by Kaiun Bridge. By coincidence, since the place where the guests live is famous for its international jazz festival, we had a lively conversation about jazz with the owner's spouse (the owner was away for a live performance at another venue) (photo). I guided them to the ticket office at Morioka Station, ending the tour. The weather worsened from the afternoon, but the guests seemed to appreciate the connection between Morioka and North America through the sister-city partnership and jazz. Just after we parted at the station, I received an email saying "Thank you again for a wonderful day," and I replied wishing them an enjoyable continuation of their trip in Japan. Since the guests use a messaging app, I also installed the app on my smartphone, which allowed us to communicate well. This assignment made me realize how convenient the app is.

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Tour Report by Hitoshi

My name is Hitoshi Ohata. I’ve been an interpreter and guide for about six years since I retired. I live in Takizawa City which is at the foot of Mt. Iwate, the highest mountain in Iwate Prefecture. My hobby is playing table tennis once a week. I’m not a competitive player, I’m just having fun. I also play go, a board game. The main guides are a guide to Hiraizumi’s cultural heritage and a guide to cruise ship tours in Aomori and Iwate Prefecture. I’ve experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake, so I can talk about things like that. I try to convey Japanese culture and society to people overseas in an easy-to-understand way as much as possible.