Things to do in and nearby Morioka

Morioka has a great variety of onsens and breweries in the area ideal for visiting after a day on the slopes or on a down-day.

Onsens Near Morioka

Matsukawa Hot Springs (approx 40 - 50 mins drive north of Morioka)

Matsukawa Onsen is a small hot spring town near Mt Iwate, where there are a few ryokans that open their onsen to non-guests. The onsen water is renowned for its cloudy blue appearance and its ability to relieve various ailments.

The Shofuso Ryokan is probably the most popular onsen, despite its lobster pot temperature! It has an outdoor mixed onsen (thankfully the water isn’t translucent!), a ladies outdoor bath, and there are also gender segregated indoor baths. The amenities are rather rustic with no showers or fancy toiletries or hairdryers on offer, just buckets for pre-washing.

Matsukawaso is another ryokan in Matsukawa Onsen with a lovely outdoor onsen with mixed bathing (konyoku onsen). 

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Hanamaki Area (approx 40 - 50 mins drive south of Morioka)

Hanamaki is a famous hot spring resort town located approximately 40 kilometers south of Morioka. It features numerous ryokans with hot spring baths, as well as public bathhouses where visitors can experience the healing waters and take in the natural beauty of rivers and mountains.

In particular, the quant onsen village of Osawa has some of the finest hot springs in the region. The Tojiya Onsen is a lovely experience where you enter the various baths via an historic ryokan. You feel like you are in a time warp as you walk down the narrow passage ways. The featured onsen is an outdoor pool overlooking the river. This hot spring pool is mixed gender however for ladies, be aware there is no discrete entry into the water so if you are a bit shy this might nit be the place for you. And even once in the water, it is crystal clear so there is no hiding anything. If you want to sample a few of the hot springs here, make sure you bring your yukata to easily shuffle between baths without having to get entirely dressed each time.

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Breweries Near Morioka

The Iwate region is renowned for some of its local sake and Morioka is home to some of the finest including:

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