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As one of the six prefectures in the Tohoku region, Iwate Prefecture is blessed with one of the Tohoku region's most iconic natural landscapes, where the sea and mountains make up the majestic natural beauty of Iwate, and where the harsh natural environment fosters an optimistic and naturalistic human spirit.
Iwate has not only preserved the old towns of Edo period castle towns, but also the secluded Hanamaki Onsen Hot Springs and the natural beauty of the Kitayamazaki Coast. In addition to the natural scenery, there is also a rich traditional culture. In Iwate Prefecture, you can see ancient southern ironware, precious comfrey-dyed cloth, and real sea women!
Morioka is a city in the interior of Iwate Prefecture near the center of the prefecture, and has a long history as a castle town centered on Morioka Castle, which was built between the 16th and 17th centuries. When you come to Morioka, you must visit Konya-cho Banya, the old neighborhood of Morioka, where many historical buildings such as merchants' houses and residential houses built between the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries are preserved in a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere.
Konya-cho Banya has many quaint old stores along the street, all of which are very old and still in business today.
The old streets have a peaceful and quiet atmosphere, full of life everywhere, walking along the streets and alleys inadvertently come across sunbathing and napping meow star.
Passing by a very characteristic old hardware store, I went in and found out that it had a history of more than 180 years. The old hardware store sells a variety of household items, especially bamboo baskets, which are traditional handmade items commonly used by local people.
Kama Jinya, a southern ironware store, was founded at the end of the Meiji era. The old store was founded by the grandfather of the current owner, Miyashinho, Miyashinho's grandfather, Miyashinho's father, Shotaro Miyashinho, who was the second generation of smiths, and Miyashinho, who was the third generation of smiths. The name of the workshop is taken from the word “kettle” in kama-ya and the word “ting” in his grandfather's name.
Nanbu Ironware has an ancient history and has been produced since the time of the Nanbu feudal lords, but Nanbu Ironware bottles were born out of the demand of the feudal lords to be used in the tea ceremony, and became famous throughout the country as a specialty product of Morioka. In the early days of Kamaideya, only southern iron bottles were made, and at that time there were many workshops in Morioka specializing in iron bottles. However, with the change of the times, iron bottles gradually became a collector's item, and many iron founders were forced to stop production of iron during the Second World War, and the few remaining workshops for iron bottles were closed down after the war. “Kama-din” started to transform from the second generation to make ironware for daily life such as iron pots, iron plates, candle holders, etc. Later, it also started to make tea kettles, as modern Japanese people prefer to drink juice or coffee, so ‘Kama-din-ya’ sought for innovations in the traditions, and came out of the iron industry in the southern part of the country to make a way out of it.
Nowadays, you can buy various kinds of southern ironware for various purposes at “Kabutoya”, and these ironware are very delicate and precious crafts that are hard to find elsewhere.
In addition to ironware, Morioka is also famous for its cloth, so be sure to visit an old cloth store in Konya-cho. “Konya” originally referred to the craftsmen who used the technique of ‘konyaku’ in blue dyeing, but since the Edo period, when blue dyeing was popular, it has become a synonym for dyeing workshops, and the place where the craftsmen lived together became ”Konya-cho. Konya-cho”. The old store, Kusshidou, is a specialty dyeing store in Morioka, and the cloth dyed from the roots of this purple grass, which is almost extinct in Japan, is extremely valuable and very expensive.
In the store you can buy purple-dyed and cee-dyed handmade fabric items, all objects are not cheap.
There are also some good traditional experiences in the old town. You can try grilled senbei at the old store “白沢せんべい”.
The traditional southern senbei is a famous specialty of Iwate, and unlike the common Japanese senbei, it is a hat-shaped pancake with a wide variety of flavors at a good price, and the Japanese-style wrapped gift box is especially suitable for souvenirs.
At the store, you can also experience baking your own senbei. Put the batter and nuts into an iron mold, and bake them over charcoal for a few minutes, and you're ready to go!
Freshly baked senbei are especially sweet and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside! It's so nice to sit in an old store and enjoy a southern snack!
It's a beautiful day to stroll around the old town and enjoy the old buildings of Morioka. The prominent building is the Iwate Bank, a European-style building built during the Meiji Taisho period and designed by the architect who designed Tokyo Station, which has a long history and is a precious old building in Morioka. it was used as a bank until 2012, but now it is a museum, and you can go in and learn about the building's history for 300 yen.
For lunch, we ate at the locally famous “Shiratsuyu” fried noodles, which is a decades-old store with a small but very popular location. Morioka is famous for its noodles, and is known as the “Noodle Capital”. There are three types of noodles, known as the “Three Great Noodles of Morioka”, namely, Bowls of Noodles, Morioka Fried Noodles, and Morioka Cold Noodles, and we had the Fried Noodles~!
This type of fried noodle is a food that was brought to Morioka from Northeast China, but it has been modified to better suit Japanese tastes, and the ingredients are a little different, so it's a must-try when you come to Morioka! The specialty of Shiratsukuri noodles is to break an egg after eating the noodles and finish it with noodle soup and miso.
Fukuda Pan, a popular bakery in Morioka, is also a must-try in Morioka.
- Author:japan guides
- URL:https://japan-guides.com/article/culture-71
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