Because Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, is originally a city where the Shinkansen came to a castle town, as is quite common in regional cities, the traditional castle town downtown area and the front of the station are separate. You may hesitate whether to stay in front of the station considering location and movement, or stay in the downtown area to enjoy gourmet food and izakaya bars.

“I’m going to Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, but around where should I get a hotel? Is it thriving in front of the station?”

“Morioka City is a traditional castle town, and places like in front of the station and Odori have their own characteristics. Recommendations change depending on your purpose, such as whether to choose the downtown area or choose near the station with high convenience. I will introduce the characteristics by location and recommended hotels.”

In this article, we introduce recommended hotels by area in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture.

Morioka City’s Recommended Hotel Areas Are Broadly 3 Areas

Broadly classifying hotel areas in Morioka City results in the following 3 areas:

Hotel areas in Morioka City are broadly divided into 3 areas. Each has characteristics in location (transportation convenience), suitability for city sightseeing, dining/gourmet, and the like.

The station area just a short walk from Morioka Station is an area recommended for business travelers and first-time Morioka tourists. Above all, being close to the station, there is almost no getting lost, offering peace of mind.

Morioka’s downtown area is “Around Morioka Odori,” but this is a short walk from Morioka Station. This area has many eateries such as izakaya bars and is suited for enjoying Morioka’s gourmet food and enjoying night-time Morioka.

Proceeding further, the area around “Nakanohashi” has a calm atmosphere. It is an area whose “goodness” becomes understood after becoming knowledgeable about Morioka, so you can target little-gem hotels with relatively good cost-performance. It is an area where you can also go to Morioka City sightseeing spots such as Morioka Hachimangu and Iwate Castle Site Park, making it one of the recommended areas known to those in the know.

Morioka Station Area Recommended for Business Travelers and First-Time Morioka Tourists

Reasons Morioka Station Area is Recommended

Morioka Station Area’s characteristic above all is its location and transportation goodness reachable on foot from “Morioka Station.” If visiting Morioka on business, convenience is high and handy; even for Morioka stays with sightseeing purposes, not to mention trains, buses are also substantial, making it optimal as a departure point for moving around.

Highly Recommended Hotel in Front of Morioka Station

Hotel Metropolitan Morioka New Wing

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Hotel Metropolitan Morioka New Wing

A hotel offering peace of mind with refined design, calm building interior, and high quality throughout the hotel. Favorable location a few minutes from the station.

Recommended Hotels Around Morioka Station

Introducing recommended hotels around Morioka Station by price range. Every hotel is clean and can be stayed at with good cost-performance, making it friendly to business trips too! A recommended area.

Price Range	Hotel Name
From 12,000 JPY	Hotel Metropolitan Morioka New Wing Featuring 121 guest rooms, this major hotel offers well-balanced facilities and comfortable rooms, ensuring a reliable and worry-free stay.
From 9,000 JPY	Daiwa Roynet Hotel Morioka Ekimae A reliable hotel from the trusted Daiwa Roynet Group. With high-quality rooms, a well-balanced breakfast, and dependable nationwide chain standards, it sits near the station with great amenities and river views that add extra value.
From 8,000 JPY	Richmond Hotel Morioka Ekimae Overall very clean and well-maintained, with chic rooms that offer a comfortable stay. With relatively affordable prices, it is a great value-for-money option.
From 6,000 JPY	Hotel Route-Inn Morioka Ekimae A standard business hotel offering great value for money with a good balance of price and quality. The large public bath on the top floor is also a great feature.

Odori Area to Enjoy Gourmet Food and Morioka’s Downtown Area

Reasons Around Morioka Odori is Recommended

Morioka’s number one downtown area is around Morioka Odori Shopping Street (arcade street). It is an area where you can enjoy izakaya bars and the like with many dishes centered on blessings of Iwate Sanriku.

Highly Recommended Hotel Around Morioka Odori

Hotel Royal Morioka

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＼Booking hotel early is more advantageous／

Agoda, Click here for hotel details and reservations

Worried about room availability? Book early!

Hotel Royal Morioka

Despite relatively cheap prices, rooms are spacious, clean, and comfortable. Despite having a downtown area nearby, because it is slightly removed, it allows an unexpectedly quiet and comfortable stay in the middle of town. There is also a major department store in the basement, allowing you to enjoy meals and shopping.

Recommended Hotels Around Morioka Odori

Introducing recommended hotels around Morioka Odori by price range. Every hotel is clean and can be stayed at with good cost-performance, making it friendly to business trips too! A recommended area.

Price Range	Hotel Name
From 8,000 JPY	Daiwa Roynet Hotel Morioka A reliable hotel from the trusted Daiwa Roynet Group. Room quality is consistently high, and common areas are kept spotlessly clean, making it a safe and comfortable choice.
From 7,000 JPY	Hotel Royal Morioka Despite its relatively affordable rates, the rooms are spacious, clean, and comfortable. Conveniently located just a few minutes’ walk from the lively Odori downtown area, with a department store right across the street for easy shopping and dining.
From 7,000 JPY	ART Hotel Morioka A prominent hotel located right along the route you take when walking from Morioka Station toward Odori Street. Although it is a long-established hotel, it has been renovated to maintain high quality with clean interiors and rooms.

Preferred by Morioka Experts! Little-Gem Nakanohashi-dori Surrounding Area

Reasons Nakanohashi-dori Surrounding Area is Recommended

Although slightly far to walk from the station (taxi recommended), around Nakanohashi-dori is a place where nearby sightseeing is also delightful, such as Iwate Castle Site Park where Morioka’s castle ruins have become a park, Nakatsu River with comforting greenery, and Iwate Bank Red Brick Hall with architectural beauty resembling Tokyo Station.

Shopping and dining at “monaka,” a new commercial facility in Morioka’s good old arcade shopping street “hot line Sakanacho,” are also recommended.

Hotel Mazarium: A Highly Recommended Hotel Near Nakanohashi-dori

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Hotel Mazarium

A new facility with many tourist spots and eateries nearby, an area known to those in the know within Morioka. The exterior, lobby, and rooms have a commitment to design that is interesting. Because there are rooms devised in various ways, it is a fun hotel right from choosing a room.

Recommended Hotels Around Nakanohashi-dori

Introducing recommended hotels around Nakanohashi-dori by price range. Every hotel is clean and can be stayed at with good cost-performance.

Price Range	Hotel Name
From 10,000 JPY	HOTEL MAZARIUM A newly opened hotel on Morioka’s Nakanohashi Street. Although slightly far from Morioka Station, it sits in an area rich with dining options and surrounded by the charm of a good old regional city stretching from Morioka Castle Site Park and the Nakatsu River. Its modern design makes it a hotel you’ll definitely want to try at least once.
From 6,000 JPY	Hotel Bright Inn Morioka A recommended hotel if you want to keep costs as low as possible and look for great value for money. It offers a good balance relative to its price, and its location near Morioka Castle Site Park and the Nakatsu River makes the surrounding area very pleasant.

Recommended Sightseeing in Morioka City

Morioka City is the central city of the former Nambu Clan; although inland, because it is a “city of rivers” where rivers such as the Kitakami River, Shizukuishi River, and Nakatsu River converge, the air is good and comfort is supreme. While preserving the good old town, there are also modernized parts, with many tourist spots in the city.

Introducing part of the recommended tourist spots reachable on foot from recommended hotel areas (Morioka Station, Odori, Nakanohashi-dori).

Iwate Castle Site Park and Nakatsu River

A recommended strolling area where walking while feeling the fresh greenery overflowing in the clear Nakatsu River, its riverbed, and further continuing Iwate Castle Site Park is pleasant. Iwate Castle Site Park no longer has a castle (castle tower) and has become a free-entry park where Morioka citizens gather.

During cherry blossom season (April to May), Iwate Castle Site Park in full bloom lets you feel even more beauty.

So Wonderful! Article on the Walking Path of Morioka Castle Site Park (Iwate Park), a Relaxation Spot for Citizens of Iwate and Morioka introduced here

Recommended

Morioka Castle Site Park: A Relaxing Haven for Iwate & Morioka Locals

Introducing Morioka Castle Site Park (Iwate Park), former home to Kozukata Castle (officially Morioka Castle) of the Iwate Nanbu Domain and now a beloved park for local residents. It is a pleasant park filled with water, lush greenery, and a rich sense of history.

＼ A Relaxing Park for Morioka Locals ／

Click here for the article on walking trails in the wonderful Morioka Castle Site Park (Iwate Park), a relaxing haven for Iwate and Morioka locals

Morioka Castle Site Park, surrounded by beautiful rivers and lush greenery

Morioka Hachimangu

“Morioka Hachimangu,” a shrine representing Morioka, is about a 10-to-15-minute walk from Nakanohashi-dori. In summer, beer gardens are sometimes held during the daytime within “Morioka Hachimangu.”

Exploring Morioka! Article on Visiting Nostalgic “Daiji Shimizu” and Beautiful “Morioka Hachimangu” on a Morioka Trip introduced here

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Nostalgic “Daiji Shimizu” and Beautiful “Morioka Hachimangu Shrine”

In Morioka, an ancient capital where the charming ambiance of a good old river town lives on, Morioka Hachimangu Shrine—located slightly away from the station—and Daiji Shimizu, about a 15-minute walk from the shrine, are nostalgic landmarks that evoke the beauty of old Japan.

＼ Good Old Morioka, An Ancient Capital ／

Click here for the article: Exploring Morioka! A Journey Visiting Nostalgic “Daiji Shimizu” and Beautiful “Morioka Hachimangu Shrine”

Introducing “Daiji Shimizu” and “Morioka Hachimangu Shrine.”

Iwate Bank Red Brick Hall

Exploring Morioka! Article on the Masterpiece of Retro Architecture “Iwate Bank Red Brick Hall” introduced here

Standing on the corner of the Nakanohashi-dori intersection, Iwate Bank Red Brick Hall is a building still active today. With architectural beauty as beautiful as Tokyo Station’s design, it is a landmark you can go see together with a stroll along the nearby Nakatsu River and Iwate Castle Site Park.

Recommended

A Masterpiece of Retro Architecture: “Bank of Iwate Red Brick Building”

Located along the Nakatsu River in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, the “Bank of Iwate Red Brick Building” is a brick structure completed in 1911 (Meiji 44). Formerly used as the bank’s head office, it has been restored and is now open to the public as one of Morioka’s iconic historical buildings.

＼ A Truly Beautiful Building ／

Click here for the article: Discovering the Charm of the Retro Architectural Masterpiece “Bank of Iwate Red Brick Building”

You can tour the inside with a full-access admission ticket (paid entry).

Zaimokucho Street

“Zaimokucho Shopping Street,” reachable on foot from Morioka Station, is lined with good old shops; highlights include enjoying meals and beer at the restaurant of Iwate’s local beer “Baeren Beer,” and Kogensha, a place associated with Kenji Miyazawa.

Morioka District Court “Ishiwari-zakura” (Rock-Splitting Cherry Tree)

On the premises of the Morioka District Court, reachable on foot from Morioka Odori, stands the Ishiwari-zakura growing by splitting a rock. It is designated as a National Natural Monument.

Recommended Gourmet Food in Morioka City

Sandwiched between the Ou Mountains and Kitakami Mountains, mountain blessings are rich, and as a city where seafood of Iwate Sanriku is transported first, sea blessings are also rich; furthermore, as a city where clear river streams intersect, water is clean, making Morioka a city where cuisine is exceptionally delicious.

Introducing part of the recommended gourmet food.

“Morioka Cold Noodles” with Unique Spicy and Delicious Soup

“Morioka cold noodles” are what you definitely should eat when going to Morioka. Unique smooth and chewy noodles in a spicy-delicious soup containing kimchi and the like—the more you eat, the spicy it gets, and the more you eat, the more you cannot stop and keep eating in a cold noodle unique to Morioka. Watermelon, pear, or other fruits are included, providing a moment of refreshing time when spiciness continues.

Shops for Morioka cold noodles also exist inside Morioka Station premises.

Main Morioka Cold Noodle Shops

Unique Meat Miso, Unique Flavor, Unique Noodles: “Morioka Jajamen”

Said to make you wonder “Hmm?” after eating once, wonder “Oh?” after eating twice, and become addicted after eating three times: “Morioka jajamen.” Eaten by entangling acrid-flavored meat miso onto flat, udon-like noodles. Due to strongly distinctive seasoning, those not good with it might remain dislike it forever, while for those who come to like it, it is an irresistible dish.

After eating all the noodles, cracking a raw egg and making “Chitantan” with soup added for an extra charge along with meat miso is supremely delicious.

Morioka Jajamen Shops

All-You-Can-Eat Soba: “Wanko Soba”

“Wanko soba,” where soba continues to be put in endlessly until you close the lid; even if you say “Stop already~,” it does not end until you close the lid. Quick reflexes to close the lid right after eating are necessary, but waitresses also aim and thrust soba in, making that offense and defense a fun dish.

Soba is delicious at first, but gradually becomes “Impossible already~” all-you-can-eat wanko soba. Rather than gourmet food, enjoyment as an event is stronger. It is an event you want to experience at least once in a lifetime.

Wanko Soba Shops

Speaking of Morioka: “Nambu Senbei”

Speaking of Iwate / Morioka, “Nambu senbei” is famous. There are crackers of various flavors, but recommended are Nambu senbei with peanuts. Peanut sweetness serves as a good balance to simple rice crackers and is delicious. A rice cracker you want to eat slowly while drinking tea. Optimal for souvenirs too!

Sold at “Odense-kan” inside Morioka Station premises.

Famous Confectionery Known to Those in the Know: “Morioka Ochamochi”

“Ochamochi,” a hidden famous confectionery of Morioka known to those in the know, is sweet, bitter, and delicious—a famous confectionery guaranteed to make you a fan after eating once. A sweet made by flattening non-glutinous rice flour, skewering and steaming it, then coating with walnut sauce (soy sauce flavor or miso flavor) and grilling. Saying it is supremely delicious is an understatement!

Sold at “Odense-kan” inside Morioka Station premises. Quite popular and often sold out, so purchasing immediately upon finding it is recommended.

Book Your Hotel on Agoda!

For hotel reservations, Agoda is convenient and user-friendly.

On Agoda, there is almost no discrepancy with displayed prices, allowing you to book with peace of mind; furthermore, becoming a member offers cashback benefits, making it more advantageous the more you use it.

Highly Recommended Hotel in Front of Morioka Station

Hotel Metropolitan Morioka New Wing

PR

＼Booking hotel early is more advantageous／

Agoda, Click here for hotel details and reservations

Worried about room availability? Book early!

Hotel Metropolitan Morioka New Wing

First, start by checking whether there are vacant rooms on your planned travel date! A quite popular hotel, during high season targeted rooms may already have no vacant rooms, so early booking is recommended.

Tohoku Shinkansen “Gran Class” Boarding Report / Experience Report “Tokyo” → “Morioka”
(From lounge to all-you-can-drink wine)

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Tohoku Shinkansen “Gran Class” Tokyo → Morioka: Ride Report & Experience

Gran Class is the top-tier seating on the Tohoku Shinkansen. Priced over 10,000 yen higher than a regular ticket, it offers a train journey of a few hours where you can fully indulge in luxurious services.

＼ Incredibly Comfortable ／

Click here for the article: Tohoku Shinkansen “Gran Class” Tokyo → Morioka Ride Report & Experience

An exceptionally comfortable Shinkansen journey.

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