Sightseeing Spots

Genbikei

A place of scenic beauty and a natural monument. The Iwai River, which flows from Mt. Kurikoma, erodes the huge rocks, creating a 2km-long beautiful valley that changes its appearance from a hole to a waterfall to an abyss. As you stroll along the promenade, you can see the contrasting views of the turbulent flow upstream from the suspension bridge and the calming depths downstream. In the spring, you can see cherry blossoms in full bloom and the beauty of the valley flowing with melting snow, in the summer you can hear the cool sound of a mountain stream, in the fall you can see the changing colors of the mountains, and in the winter you can see a landscape reminiscent of an ink painting. You can enjoy the atmosphere of each. There is a shop on the other side of the mountain stream that sells Kakko Dango, a specialty of Genbikei.When you place your order and payment into a basket hanging from a rope stretched over the river and hit a mallet, the basket is pulled up and replaced. It comes with the dumplings and tea I ordered. [Best time to see cherry blossoms] Late April to early May [Best time to see autumn leaves] Mid-October to early November

Azalea of ​​Mt. Murone

Mt. Murone, designated as a national recreation area and a prefectural natural park, is home to an estimated 200,000 azaleas. Particularly on the mountaintops and along the roadways, communities are formed and you can enjoy the magnificent natural scenery. [Best time to see] Mid-June to late June

Beetle contact dome

``Beetles Fureai Dome'' where many beetles are released inside the dome and you can easily interact with them. Approximately 10,000 beetles are released during the season. [Open period] Usually from early July to early August

Takano Choei Memorial Museum

Memorial hall for Takano Nagahide (1804-1850), a pioneer at the end of the Edo period. Located in a corner of Mizusawa Park, the museum exhibits portraits and letters. Among these, the ``Kakuhitsu Poetry'', which Choei wrote while in prison and appears to be blank at first glance, is a valuable document as it contains content that is thought to secretly express his intention to escape from prison. Many of the materials in the museum have been designated as national important cultural properties.

Hachimantai Mountaintop Rest House

A relaxing space on the summit of Hachimantai. On the 1st floor above ground and the 2nd basement floor, there are rest corners offering meals and local products to soothe the fatigue of sightseeing. Also, the natural environment information corner is full of information about Hachimantai. It provides information on alpine plants and hot springs.

Matsukawa Valley

A valley that continues from around Matsukawa Onsen. In addition to catching char and yamame trout, the colorful autumn leaves are spectacular in the fall. [Best time to see autumn leaves] Early October to late October

Miyazawa Kenji Stone Monument (Koharasha)

A stone pillar carved with a portion of the fairy tale ``The Crow's Big Dipper'' and a monument to the place where the same fairy tale ``The Restaurant of Many Orders'' was published are erected at Mitsuharasha in Zaimoku-cho. “Ah, Majiel-sama, please, please help this world become as soon as possible without killing enemies you cannot hate, and for that to happen, I wouldn’t mind having my body torn apart. ” In Taisho 10, when the work engraved on this stone pillar was written, Kenji suddenly moved to Tokyo and joined the religious organization ``Kokushukai'', but returned home due to his younger sister Toshi's illness. In that year, he became a teacher at Hanamaki Prefectural Agricultural School, and it was the year when he was most active in creating children's stories.

Mitsuharasha

Kogensha is the publisher of Kenji Miyazawa's collection of children's stories, ``Restaurant with Many Orders,'' published before his death. Although it is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of Japanese fairy tale literature, it was not talked about at the time and hardly sold. In the courtyard facing the Kitakami River, there is a monument marking the place where the book was published, a stone pillar carved with part of the fairy tale ``The Crow's Big Dipper,'' and there is also a museum exhibiting Kenji's handwritten manuscripts. In addition, at the ``Kakaikan'' coffee room, which has a pleasant atmosphere decorated with stained glass, you can enjoy hand-brewed coffee and the famous ``walnut cookies.''

mysterious cave

A limestone cave discovered 1.3km north of Geibikei. Boasting a geological history dating back approximately 350 million years, there are flowstones (stalactites), icicles, stalagmites, and cave corals that have formed from the ceiling to the walls, as well as an emerald green underground lake.

Fumonji Temple

It is said to have been founded by Osho Kigai, the son of the monk Eisai of Kenninji Temple in Kyoto, and there is a garden with a three-storied pagoda, a large Buddha statue, and a statue of the Nio, as well as a row of giant cedar trees, and azaleas bloom profusely in early summer. The three-storied pagoda in the garden (a prefectural cultural property) is a wooden building with a copper plate roof that was built in 1809. There is also a seated statue of the Bodhisattva Sho Kannon, a tangible cultural property designated by the prefecture, and crape myrtles, a natural monument designated by the prefecture. ・Kesen 33 Kannon 29th temple ・Oshu 33 Kannon 29th temple

Daikagura

It is said to have been introduced from Ise at the end of the Edo period, and a master Kagura dancer named Okame Kuramatsu worked hard to pass it down, and it is one of the Machikata dances that has been passed down in today's Daiku-cho.

Ungiwaji Temple

Ungiwaji Temple was a branch of a mountain temple that was the predecessor of the Tendai Sect's Sekizan Chusonji Temple, founded by Jikaku Daishi Ennin in 850. In 1186, when Minamoto no Yoshitsune came down to Hiraizumi, Oshu, with his 12 masters, servants, and legal wife Kitakata, this temple was rebuilt by Kitakata. After the defeat, the memorial tablets of Yoshitsune and Kitakata were enshrined by the monks who attended the temple. Destroyed by fire in 2008. The building has been rebuilt, but a replica of the memorial tablet is on display at the History Museum.