[Travelogue] The Happiness of Having 'Morioka' - 'Souvenirs & Sightseeing' Part
Another story about my trip to Morioka
Although I was able to safely meet the 'Zashiki-warashi' who was the purpose of my trip
I also encountered a certain unexpected happiness
What on earth could that happiness be!?
Well then, please enjoy the second half!
By the way, if you look at the table of contents, it will spoil the surprise (bitter laugh)
Souvenirs
1. Long-established Shirasawa Senbei Store
I want to buy the Iwate specialty 'Nanbu Senbei' as a souvenir, but I wonder which shop is best...
What if I end up choosing something I could have bought locally after all that worrying...
There was a perfect shop for someone like me who was struggling with that
I happened to encounter the scene where they were carefully hand-baking them one by one at the shop
It's wonderful to see the old-fashioned way of doing things, rather than just mass-producing them with machines
Also, when I looked around the store, I discovered free small bags and cute stamps
A souvenir with a special touch is complete (laughs)
Nanbu senbei crackers are about 100 to 150 yen each
It is a 30-minute walk or a 15-minute bus ride from Morioka Station
I bought them as souvenirs for my office, and they were well-received, including the stamps!
2. Sekiguchiya Kashiten
A shop that continues to make Morioka dagashi (traditional snacks) using old-fashioned methods
They are particular about their ingredients and use no additives
This is what children's snacks are all about
Since they are dagashi, they aren't exactly what you'd call "Instagrammable," but
For someone in their 40s like me, it's a moving lineup that makes me say, "I used to eat snacks like this!"
(Kinako-nejiri, the jelly in the photo above, etc... do you get what I mean? (sweat))
Here is what I bought for myself along with the souvenirs
It looks modern, but it is definitely a dagashi
It feels like a maruboro cookie with white bean paste coated in chocolate
If I had to compare it, maybe a "Choco-Bat" with white bean paste?
It was a nostalgic and delicious taste
Chocolate buns are about 120 yen.
It is a 30-minute walk from Morioka Station, or about 15 minutes by bus.
3. Yamazen Kashiten
A Japanese confectionery shop founded in 1909 (Meiji 42).
They handle local Morioka sweets like "Budo-ame" (grape candy) and "Mameginto," all of which are sweets I've seen before.
(However, I wonder when these kinds of sweets started disappearing from around us.)
In addition to local sweets, they also offer Japanese confections such as "Morioka Emaki," which was purchased by the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita, as well as steamed buns and dumplings.
They are also particular about their ingredients and production methods, and there are many confectionery shops in Morioka that I find very likable.
The main store is about a 10-minute walk from Morioka Station.
They also have a branch in the Fesan station building, so you can buy them before boarding the Shinkansen.
4. Clammbon
A shop located on the way from Sugawara Bekkan, which I wrote about in the previous article, to Morioka Station.
Unfortunately, it wasn't open yet, so I couldn't use the cafe, but I was able to buy some coffee beans.
Even though they were busy roasting, they were so kind and polite, which left a really great impression... Thank you very much.
I bought this Ethiopia here.
As you can see, this is a shop I recommend for those who love dark roasts.
I will definitely use the cafe next time I visit.
It is a 30-minute walk from Morioka Station, or about 15 minutes by bus.
Sightseeing
5. Mitsuishi Shrine / Mitsuishi (Demon's Handprint)
This is a place you absolutely must visit if you go to Iwate.
Why, you ask?
...Because this is the origin of the name 'Iwate' (Boom).
To summarize, it's something like this.
Long ago, there was a demon that caused mischief, and a stone deity punished it.
After making the demon press its handprint onto a rock as a promise that it would never cause mischief again, the deity drove the demon away.
And so, the place name "Iwate" (Rock-Hand) was born from the "hand" print of the demon on the "rock".
The rock containing that demon's handprint is located here at Mitsuishi Shrine.
When you enter the shrine grounds, there are three rocks so large you have to look up at them...
There, the demon's handprint is clearly visible...
Excuse me, not this one... it's this one.
Can you see the demon's handprint?
If you look at it while comparing it to the picture in the green frame visible to the right of the rock... I feel like it sort of looks like a demon's handprint.
As an aside, I saw the words "Kozukata Award" and "Kozukata Bridge" many times in Morioka, and I thought, "What is 'Kozukata'? Is it a bit eerie?"
...but I learned that 'Kozukata' is actually a positive place name derived from the legend that 'the mischievous demon stopped coming,' and it refers to the Morioka of old.
My sincerest apologies!
It is a 35-minute walk from Morioka Station, or about 20 minutes by bus.
6. Sakurayama Shrine / Eboshi-iwa (Kabuto-iwa)
Sakurayama Shrine, which enshrines the four deities of the Nambu family of the Morioka Domain
The Nambu family crest, 'Mukaizuru' (facing cranes), is cute, cool, and impressive
The 'Choju Kamenosuke' (Long-lived Turtle) statue at the water purification pavilion, said to extend your life by 10 years if you rub it three times, and
the 'Eboshi-iwa' (Eboshi Rock) / 'Kabuto-iwa' (Helmet Rock) located in the back to the right of the main hall are also must-sees
When visiting Eboshi-iwa, don't forget to take one of the 'purifying stones' located next to the main hall
This is because the proper etiquette is to offer a purifying stone to Eboshi-iwa
...I didn't know this etiquette, so I ended up having to go back to the main hall to get a purifying stone (lol)
On my way back after finishing my prayers, I casually pointed my finger at a dragonfly flying in the shrine grounds, and...
It landed on my finger!?
It landed on my finger no matter how many times I tried, and it even let me take pictures... how cute (smile)
By the way, since the aforementioned Mitsuishi Shrine is unmanned,
you can receive the goshuin (shrine seal) for it here at Sakurayama Shrine as well
It is a 25-minute walk from Morioka Station, or about 10 minutes by bus.
7. Takuboku's Newlywed Home
The only samurai residence in Morioka
And, it is the house where Takuboku Ishikawa, whom even I, with my lack of literary knowledge, know, once lived.
This is the setting for one of Takuboku Ishikawa's representative works, "My Four-and-a-Half Mat Room"...
How do I know this is the setting, you ask?
Because it says "My Four-and-a-Half Mat Room (Takuboku and Setsuko's Room)" (laughs).
This room has an unusually low ceiling, which is a remnant of it being a samurai residence, designed to prevent people from swinging swords.
It's a remnant of the samurai residence.
Also, the panels in the entrance detailing the turbulent life of Takuboku Ishikawa are a must-see.
...Like how he didn't even show up to his own wedding (laughs).
About a 15-minute walk from Morioka Station.
You can enter for free!
8. Ishiwari-zakura (Rock-Splitting Cherry Tree)
The Ishiwari-zakura (Rock-Splitting Cherry Tree) on the grounds of the Morioka District Court
It is an Edo-higan cherry tree said to be 400 years old and is a National Natural Monument
When you see the magnificent appearance of this cherry tree
"Never give in to any adversity"
"Small efforts will eventually bear fruit"
...I think various words will come to mind
By the way, the first words that came to my mind were
"It's right in the middle of the city!"
...I'm such a fool (laughs)
It is a 25-minute walk from Morioka Station, or about 10 minutes by bus
9. Iwate Bank Red Brick Building
Completed as the head office of the Morioka Bank
It is a building designed by Kingo Tatsuno, who also worked on Tokyo Station and the Bank of Japan head office
Once you step inside, you are greeted by a stunning, massive atrium hall
This observation space was an "office" back in the day
I wonder if they lined up a bunch of desks here and the bank employees talked to customers across the counter
It really helps you imagine the scene from the Meiji era (sorry for the dad joke (lol))
There is a paid area for 300 yen for adults and 100 yen for elementary and junior high school students, but
you can fully enjoy it just by visiting the free observation area
It is a 30-minute walk from Morioka Station, or about 15 minutes by bus
A story of happiness
10. Ebony Damselfly
Everyone...
Are you familiar with the Ebony Damselfly?
With its jet-black appearance,
it is a rare dragonfly that you don't often encounter
It is considered a good omen that brings positive change and financial luck, and is also called the "God Dragonfly"
I, who didn't know about the existence of such ebony damselflies
Seeing a pitch-black dragonfly flying in a shopping street in Morioka
"Wow, a rare, pitch-black dragonfly!"
As I held up my smartphone to take a picture
My wife said one thing
"Don't take a picture of that dragonfly!"
When I asked her why,
She said that a friend of hers recently told her
"An ebony damselfly appeared when my father passed away"
That's what she said
Hearing that, I felt a sense of eeriness
I quickly put my smartphone back in my bag
And left the scene as if nothing had happened
...but this was a complete misunderstanding (sweat)
Later, when my wife told a friend that she had seen a damselfly in Morioka,
it seems the damselfly is considered a good omen.
When her father passed away, a damselfly came to visit,
and she was happy because it felt like her father had come to see her,
so it was a positive episode.
The meaning changes 180 degrees depending on how you talk and listen, doesn't it? (sweat)
I looked it up myself, and it really does seem to be a good omen...
I should have taken a picture with my smartphone! (sweat)
If anyone else has ever seen a damselfly,
I would be happy if you could comment on whether something good happened afterward.
That's all!
As an aside, the station building "Fesan" at Morioka Station is a place I visited many times during this trip.
This seems to be the English name for the "green pheasant," the prefectural bird of Iwate Prefecture.
Also, there is an area inside Fesan called "Odense-kan," which is the Iwate dialect for "welcome."
Come to think of it, one of the broadcasting stations in Iwate Prefecture is "Iwate Menkoi TV."
Isn't it wonderful that they use local dialects instead of just relying on foreign languages?
People in Iwate really seem to cherish their dialect.
See you later!