Traveling in Morioka, Iwate
I write with a missive from the nihonshu highway, finally at the end of a road which led from Morioka, Iwate, in the far North of Japan, all the way through Sendai, Yamagata, Fukushima, Nagano, and finally Tokyo.
Those who follow me often ask for recommendations, but I’m wary of spot burn, so I try to keep my favorite Tokyo/Kyoto spots to personal conversations and DMs. But with how little tourism Tohoku (the north) sees, only 2% of Japan’s total, I think there’s little concern in sharing widely. I think you should ALL include Tohoku in your travel plans, and I believe that Morioka contains as much joy and discovery as Kyoto or Osaka. The truth is, as a non-native and English-speaking tourist, despite your best intentions you will likely not recognize or access the niche and hidden corners of these large cities, and in fact you'll probably be overwhelmed by their density. Decision paralysis is inevitable in the largest city in the world: a city with 37 million people.
On your first few trips to Japan everything is unique: countryside cafes are delicious and exciting and charming, small town locals are friendly and kind. Being in a remote and special place like Iwate with almost no tourists and a distinct local identity is something really special. And in these small towns, people aren't so tired of foreigners' shit-- they're (generally) happy to practice their English with you, make recommendations, and exchange a few kind words, as long as you're kind too and know a few small basics (arigatou gozaimas, ittadakimas, gochisosama, sumimasen).
Tohoku is vast, it’s like Northern California if you’ve been— Tokyo (San Francisco) is a starting point and as you go north you enter Tohoku, pushing further into the countryside. The cities are farther apart, swaddled by foreboding forests and mountains, and the number of people with a passport goes down. Regions famous for mythology, indigenous history, ironworks, game meat…
In Morioka, we spent most of our time near the odori (main street) and castle grounds. Hotel Ace (~$40/nt) was inexpensive and pleasant, and the AC worked well. Daiwa Roynet (~$65/nt) — a chain throughout Japan— was similarly small and efficient but a little more modern and had easy to use laundry machines, thankfully common throughout Japan.
Our first stop is always Rokugatsu no Shika, a very quiet, peaceful, meditative coffee bar (no laptops and minimal conversation, please!) accepting cash only. If you can sit at the bar, you can watch them prepare your pourover oh-so-lovingly, and hand sorting the beans before storing them away in antique-looking bean filing cabinets. For totally different reasons, we loved Hataya Cafe— they specialize in aged coffee (dark roast only) and have excellent house baked sweets. A 15 year old Kenya kind of blew my mind with its savory, foresty, umami-driven profile and super mild acidity and bitterness, mellowing much like a tannic wine. Kogensha Coffee-Kan can be found hidden within a craft shop/museum (it opens at 10) and has a lovely view of the river and gardens: go for a rest, a view and a little snack, but don’t expect a third wave masterpiece. Wakakusa Bunko, 2nd floor on the main street, is open at 7 and the first time we went here (their Akita location) we were thoroughly charmed by the Disney-like magical library vibes. The kissaten-style food is solid, particulaly the egg toast, get the Spaghetti Napolitan gratin if you dare. Izakaya mass (mass sakeo yobu shokutaku) had great service and really delicious izakaya bites, especially the deep dark oden and the omusubi (huge! So fluffy!) They have a great local sake selection, but like most izakaya sake menus it’s a little hard to navigate the selections (there are more than shown on the menu) so you might just want to “osusume onegaishimas”— recommendation please— your way through. Ask for “ichi go okan onegaishimas”— one carafe of hot sake— if you’d prefer something warm. Nanashi no Iori (reservation required) is across the street and was recommended highly by our friends, but we didn’t make reservations far enough in advance to visit this time.
A big reason we came here was to visit our friends from Tonoya-yo and check out their new restaurants, which were all fantastic. Ponkotsu Coffee, way too far under the radar if you’re perusing maps and reviews, is a coffee bar in the afternoon (expect only dark roast this far north, but nonetheless lovely) but by evening your reservation (walk-in if you’re lucky, there are about 6-7 seats) explores an a’la carte menu of wine bar small bites that lean a bit more Japanese than the other two concepts. The drink menu is about half natural wine, half natural sake, with a heavy emphasis on limited aged releases from Juji Asahi, Tenon and others, plus Nondo doburoku. The young chef is really talented and really creative. If Ponkotsu Coffee were in my neighborhood, I’d be here all the time.
Ponkotsu Sakaba, a Japanese take on French country fare, was as surprising as it was well executed. It leans a bit more French/euro countryside but there are plenty of dishes that are totally Japanese in execution (liberal use of satsumaimo, taro root, raw shrimp, sausage, etc… but also meyer lemon, beets, French cheeses…) The building is rustic but gorgeously re-done, a little romantic in how hidden it is.
Tasting menu restaurant Amayadori somewhat defies description— it most closely resembles the menu at Tonoya-yo, where chef Ishikawa-san has trained the last 10+ years, but even Tonoya-yo is one of a kind. Wild foraged herbs, house fermented and cured ingredients, poetic combinations (what grows together goes together, seasonality, and other such themes) that are sadly lost on a foreigner like myself… Amid rice-fermented fish (narezushi), multiple types of housemade nattou, and donuroku vinegar, you’ll find surprisingly delicate flavors and seasoning, and a very focused and elegant sensibility overall. Amayadori might have one of the best wine lists north of Yamagata, including the full line of Nondo sake and an exceptional range of (mostly minimal intervention) French, Italian, and some Japanese producers. Reservations definitely required, and prepare to be totally blown away by the decor in this intimate restaurant.
If you wake up in time, the hidden second floor Waraku Cafe offers toast house-baked by the older lady who runs the cafe/bakery. She only makes a few loaves per day so she runs out on busy days. In addition to the usual toast, she offers a set with soup, salad and yogurt, as well as seasonal toast. I got the cheesy potato mentaiko with a poached egg in the middle, and it was fantastic. She was so kind, and asked us about the hurricane that hit Florida recently, sharing her regrets. For lunch, line up early for Chokurian: I hear everything is good, but the shaved onion and bonito soba is outstanding and very unique, topped with a healthy mound of shaved, washed white onion and bonito. I ordered a cold soba with daikon oroshi and regretted my choice when I tasted the onion soba.
If you want to take a day trip, Hanamaki— about 30 minutes away by train— is home to the Nanbu Toji guild, the brewers’ collective that directed regional sake brewing and trained seasonal brewery workers for nearly 400 years. It is still one of the most influential guilds today.
We visited Morioka primarily for the Kita no Craft Fair (Northern Craft Fair) held annually at the castle grounds. If you’re thinking about a trip to Japan, consider lining up your travel with one of the large craft fairs, such as this or the Lake Hamana Craft Fair in Shizuoka. The quality of Japanese artists’ work is truly astonishing… it’s really so far beyond the average standard in the US (and I say this as an artist myself) that I can’t believe it. Even if you’re just window shopping, it’s a visual feast. If you’re not here at the right time for Kita no Craft, public transit runs regularly to the Morioka Handicrafts Village at Gosho lake nearby. On the south side of the lake, there are multiple public foot baths to rest your feet. A fantastic respite after a day of exploring!
