Morioka Customized Half-Day Tour — Guide Hitoshi

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

The guests enjoyed the natural scenery from Kaiunbashi Bridge in front of Morioka Station, looking out over the Kitakami River, the fifth longest river in Japan, and Mount Iwate, the highest peak in Iwate Prefecture. Walking along Teramachi-dori, selected as one of Japan's 100 Best Roads, they curiously looked at the flower shops and stone shops lining both sides. After being impressed by the majestic main gate of Hoonji Temple and taking photos, we entered the Rakando hall. In addition to the Rushana Buddha statue, I introduced the statues among the Five Hundred Rakan said to represent Marco Polo and Kublai Khan. It is also said that there is only one female statue among them, and one of the guests found it immediately, and I was amazed by their sharp powers of observation. I had visited many times before but had never been able to find it. The person running the shop said they were delighted that we had made the effort to visit. Next, we took a coffee break of about an hour at Kurambon, a coffee shop in Konyacho that was featured in the New York Times, and they liked the flavor so much that they also bought some beans. We strolled through the streets of Konyacho, which retain an Edo-period atmosphere, including Banya and Goza-Kyu Morikyu Shoten, and arrived at the former Iwate Bank Red Brick Building to take photos. Crossing Nakanohashi Bridge, we entered Morioka Castle Ruins Park, one of Japan's 100 Famous Castles, crossed the arched bridge that appeared in a photo in the New York Times, and visited the main enclosure ruins, the pedestal of the Nanbu lieutenant statue, the memorial statue of Inazo Nitobe, and the poem monument of Takuboku Ishikawa. Exiting from the third enclosure, we arrived at Sakurayama Shrine, which enshrines the lords of the Nanbu domain. They seemed overwhelmed by the triangular giant rock called Eboshi-iwa. After paying respects at the main shrine, I guided them through the Odori shopping street and we arrived at the Hotel, ending the guiding. The guests were all friendly and full of curiosity. They seemed to enjoy the walk through Morioka, a city rich in history and culture, and remarked that they especially liked the quietness that differed from large cities such as Tokyo.

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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.