The people of Morioka grow up in the cradle of rivers and mountains. Kitakami River, Shizukuishi River, Nakatsu River. Mt. Iwate, which Kenji sang about, and Mt. Himekami, which Takuboku loved. There are also Hakogamori, Mt. Namsho, and Mt. Higashine, the “Orahono Mountains.”
In particular, the Nakatsugawa area, which extends from Morioka Castle Ruins Park, where the stone walls that draw neat ridgelines and the rich trees color the seasons, is a place where nature and history gently blend into the cityscape.
When spring comes, the Nakatsugawa River is blue with forget-me-nots and snails. In the summer, just like sweetfish anglers and children playing in the water, when the season is right, salmon swim upstream and swans fly in. Because it is a “living river,” it seems to soothe everyone’s heart. Just one street away, along the river where willows are swaying, is Konyamachi, where you can find many hand-spun masterpieces. Nanbu ironware, purple dyeing, Nanbu rice crackers, and a sake brewery. You can feel that the heart of Morioka resides quietly in these techniques that have been passed down steadily since the feudal era.
You can also enjoy Morioka’s three major noodles around here. “Jajamen”, which you can eat with locals in a shared table, is so delicious that you’ll get addicted to it, “Wanko Soba” is fun to have fun with friends, and a cold noodle shop with delicious soup has a top with a bronze fake jewel. At the foot of the bridge.
The upper bridge, which is likened to Kyoto’s Kamogawa Ohashi Bridge, is the starting point for climbing the Oshu Road. As you follow the path, you will find black plaster storehouses from the late Meiji period, banyas from the early Taisho era with hexagonal fire watchtowers watching over the city, merchant houses from the feudal period, and modern banks built in the modern Western architecture of the Meiji period, all of which blend seamlessly into the cityscape. I’m here. Please take a leisurely walk around this area. It is a place where you can be surrounded by the flow of time and feel extremely rich and gentle.
