Menkoi Art Museum

Minami Iwate Exchange Plaza

Located within the premises of Mizusawa-Esashi Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen, this museum exhibits and introduces Minami-Iwate's products, sightseeing, and history. Inside the museum, a model of the music stall from the Hidaka Fire Prevention Festival is displayed, recreating the colorful festival scene.

cow museum

This is the only museum in Japan that specializes in cattle, researching and exhibiting not only Maezawa beef but also cattle from all over the world. In addition to exhibits that look at things from a biological perspective, such as stuffed cows, skeletons, and fossils, there are also exhibits that look at the relationship between cows and people from an ethnographic perspective. There is also an introduction to delicious beef dishes by cut, and the exhibit is fun for everyone from elementary school students to adults.

Takano Choei Memorial Museum

Memorial Hall for Choei Takano (1804-1850), a pioneer of the late Edo period. Located in a corner of Mizusawa Park, the hall displays portraits and letters. Among them, the "Kakubu Shibun," a poem written by Choei in prison on what appears at first glance to be a blank piece of paper, is a valuable document that secretly expresses his intention to escape from prison. 　Many of the materials in the museum are designated as National Important Cultural Properties of Japan.