If you are guiding guests from abroad around Morioka

Recently, when I attended an event in Tokyo, I met someone from France who was planning to visit Morioka the following week. When I told them I lived in Morioka, they asked me to recommend places to go and food to eat, so I ended up making a list and sending it to them via email.

What I realized then is that it is not that easy for guests from overseas (who do not understand Japanese) to obtain effective information. In particular, when someone with specific tastes wants to find pinpoint information rather than just the standard spots everyone goes to, there may be no English websites, or they may be hard to find, making it difficult to reach the information effectively. Also, I could not find anything that could be considered a definitive portal site (for example, TripAdvisor has few reviews and mixes introductions of the city center with the suburbs, so I felt it was not very useful considering the characteristics of Morioka, where each individual place is not that prominent).

Therefore, I plan to write an article on this Note later about the places I recommend to such guests, but for now, I have decided to summarize my policy for doing so.

1. Teach them how to use the Dendenmushi (loop bus)

Morioka is a compact city that can be navigated on foot, and you can use taxis if necessary, but it is still convenient to be able to use the local bus network. In that case, since regular bus routes are a bit complicated, if they can at least understand how to use the Dendenmushi (loop bus), their range of movement should expand.

2. Provide alternatives for super-famous shops in advance

Regarding individual shops (non-national chains) represented by Seirokaku for yakiniku and cold noodles, Pairon for jajamen, and the Nagatacho main store of Fukuda Pan, although their operations are smooth, they have capacity limits and are therefore extremely crowded. Rumor has it that the line at Pairon during Golden Week can last for several hours, so I cannot lightly recommend it even to guests from within Japan, let alone the fact that understanding and ordering from the Fukuda Pan menu in Japanese is by no means easy (of course, I recommended using a translation app, but there are still situations where anxiety remains). Considering these factors, I thought it would be better to provide simpler alternatives for places where crowding is expected, so that they can choose the one they like.

Specifically, when recommending jajamen, I mentioned that while the Pairon main store is in Sakurayama, there is also a branch at Morioka Station, and there is also a small eatery in the Menkui Yokocho in the basement of Morioka Station. I also did not recommend Nagasawa Coffee, which was featured in the New York Times, because it is crowded and a bit far from the center, and instead recommended shops around Sakanacho. Also, while mentioning that Morioka is famous for yakiniku and cold noodles, I included Yamanakaya in Odori in the list as a 'hidden gem' for when other shops are crowded. Regarding Fukuda Pan, I told them that it is fun to order at the main store, but also that they can buy pre-made ones at Morioka Station (the price seems to be slightly higher than at the Fukuda Pan store, but if you think of it as a service fee, it should be well worth the benefit).

3. Recommend experiences unique to Morioka

The guest this time said they were also visiting other small regional cities like Matsumoto, and seemed to have a desire to experience a more raw, authentic culture and life in Japan, rather than just tourist spots.

In such cases, it is better to recommend places where you can have experiences unique to Morioka, rather than things that can be found elsewhere. Naturally, the Iwate Bank Red Brick Building should be included, but I think it is better to recommend places where you can have a condensed experience. I made the list imagining situations where they could walk around while looking at nature and architecture, or enter hideaway-like shops mixed in with the locals and relax.

Also, for that reason, I think an explanation of why that place is recommended is necessary. For example, I will make sure to write that the Iwate Bank Red Brick Building is a symbol of Morioka and was actually operating as a bank until just before its renovation, or that at Nanshosou, the greenery and autumn leaves reflected on the wooden floor of the large hall are beautiful.

Specifically, I recommended Nanshosou and Hoonji Temple with its Five Hundred Arhat statues, but considering they were also staying on a Saturday, the Yoichi market might have been a candidate as well.

Summary

So, the list below is what I came up with. Basically, I wrote it focusing on places I often go to, so I think if someone else wrote it, the result might be different (it might be a bit surprising, but I actually included Momodori Ekimae Shokudo in the list). However, I decided to respect the basic policy written above, and I think those who are familiar with the area will probably understand my intentions.