気候は西側に連なる奥羽山脈、県の東側に横たわる北上高地、北上川・馬淵川沿いの盆地的な平野部があり、それらの地形的要因により一様とならず、「内陸」「沿岸北部」「沿岸南部」の３つの区分で天気予報が発表されます。

盛岡の年平均気温は、札幌に次いで低い方から二番目の10.2℃となっています。

県のシンボル的存在の「岩手山」

岩手県の最高峰であり、日本百名山にも名を連ねる「岩手山」は、盛岡市内からもくっきりと見える岩手県のシンボル的存在です。古くから信仰の山として親しまれ、現在もたくさんの登山客で賑わいます。
標高は2038.2m。中腹より上は、国指定天然記念物「岩手山高山植物帯」を有しており、可憐な高山植物を観察することができます。登山適期は６月下旬から１０月上旬ごろで、秋には紅葉により山を真っ赤に染めます。また、冬はスキーやスノーボードなどのウィンタースポーツも楽しめます。

世界遺産奥州平泉・中尊寺「金色堂」

平泉は、平安時代の末期に奥州藤原氏三代によって黄金時代を迎えました。戦のない平和な世界”理想郷”を実現させるために「中尊寺」は設立されました。中でも、建物一面に金箔を重ねた豪華絢爛な「金色堂」は、一番の見どころでしょう。中尊寺には、金色堂の他にも中尊寺経蔵や能舞台など国宝と重要文化財が3,000点以上もあります。また、平泉は２０１１年に世界遺産に認定されています。

青の世界・ドラゴンブルーに輝く「龍泉洞」

龍泉洞は日本三大鍾乳洞の一つとされており、洞内に棲むコウモリと共に国の天然記念物に指定されています。洞内はすでに知られているだけで4,088m以上あり、全容は5,000mに達すると言われています。現在、見つかっている地底湖は８つあり、そのうち３つが公開されています。湧き上がる清水は世界有数の透明度を誇り、ドラゴンブルーと称される幻想的に輝く湖面を望むことができます。

使うほどに味わいが増す「南部鉄器」

保温性が高く、蓄えた熱を全体にまんべんなくゆっくりと伝えるため、温度差ができにくい特性を持った「南部鉄器」は、岩手県を誇る伝統工芸品です。その歴史は深く、約４００年前より文化に造形の深い代々の南部藩主に保護育成され、今日まで受け継がれています。
南部鉄器でお湯を沸かすと、水道水に含まれるカルキの多くが除去されるため、まろやかな味わいになります。

まち全体が大いに盛り上がる「盛岡さんさ踊り」

盛岡市とその周辺地域に踊り注がれてきた伝統さんさ踊りは、各地域によって振り付けや衣装が異なります。８月１日〜４日までの４日間、盛岡市中心部の中央道路をメイン会場としてパレードが行われ。「サッコラチョイワヤッセ」という独特のかけ声と共に踊り手が舞い、太鼓が打ち鳴らされます。

岩手県のケンミン食といえば

わんこそば

「はい、じゃんじゃん」とのかけ声とともに、お給仕さんによって手元のお椀にひと口ぶんの蕎麦が投げ込まれる名物料理で、なめこおろしや、海苔、胡麻、ネギ、もみじおろしなどの薬味と一緒にいただきます。１５杯分で約１杯のかけ蕎麦分になっています。食べ終えたお椀は、マッチ棒サイズの算木（数え棒）を使って数えていきます。

盛岡冷麺

もともと朝鮮半島の郷土料理だったものが盛岡で独自に進化した「盛岡冷麺」は、コシのある麺と鶏ガラなどをベースとしたすっきりとした冷たいスープでいただきます。
ゆで卵やキュウリの酢漬け、キムチ、牛チャーシュー、ネギなどがトッピングされるのが定番で、スイカやりんご、梨など季節やお店によって異なるフルーツが載せられるのも特徴です。

盛岡じゃじゃ麺

わんこそば、冷麺と並んで「盛岡三大麺」と称される麺料理のひとつ。平打ちの麺に、特製の肉味噌とキュウリ、ネギがのせられる。麺を食べ終わった後の仕上げに、卵と割り味噌を加え茹で汁を注いだスープを飲むのがおきまりの食べ方なんだそう。

もりおか短角牛

日本短角種は和牛全体の１％にも満たない希少な肉専用種で、主に北東北と北海道で飼われていますが、岩手県に最も馴染みのある牛です。岩手県内で生産される粗飼料と配合飼料を与えた牛を「もりおか短角牛」と呼びます。
脂肪分が少なくタンパク質が多いのが特徴。赤みが多く、噛めば噛むほど肉本来のうま味や香りが感じられ、ヘルシーでナチュラルな味わいにファンが急増中のブランド肉です。

南部せんべい

小麦粉を主原料とした煎餅の一種で、八戸南部氏が藩主家だった旧八戸藩主地域に伝承の焼成煎餅。

かもめの玉子

岩手県大船渡市の郷土菓子で、白あんを薄いカステラ生地に包んで焼き上げ、ホワイトチョコでコーティングした卵型の菓子。岩手県のお土産品としても人気です。

あまちゃんで全国区となった「岩手三陸鉄道」

「三鉄（さんてつ）」の愛称で呼ばれている「岩手三陸鉄道」は、２０１３年のNHK朝の連続ドラマ小説「あまちゃん」の舞台となったことでも有名です。
久慈から宮古までを結ぶ「北リアス線」の車窓からは緑美しい山々を、釜石から盛岡までを結ぶ「南リアス線」の車窓からは雄大なリアス式海岸などを望む絶景スポットが各所にあります。
また、季節や年によって異なる企画を開催する「企画列車」もおすすめです。春〜秋の「お座敷列車」や、冬の「こたつ列車」など、お弁当を食べながら贅沢は時間を過ごすことができます。

まとめ

他にも「銀河鉄道の夜」や「注文の多い料理店」で有名な「宮沢賢治」も岩手県花巻市の出身です。そのため、花巻には「宮沢賢治記念館」や「宮沢賢治イーハトーブ館」などがあり宮沢賢治の世界に浸れる観光スポットも充実しています。
また、宮沢賢治も愛した「花巻温泉」や、小岩井のミルクコーヒーで有名な「小岩井牧場」などもあり、豊かな自然に触れるだけでなく、文学や、伝統工芸、美味しいグルメも存分に堪能してみてください。

Miso Chaya: your one-stop shop for snacks, meals, and everything miso

This business not only makes its miso from scratch, but they teach their hard-earned secrets in their miso-making classes. The beginner’s course is 3000 yen and is held once a month between October and June. They might give you a peek in their storehouse during the off-season if you asked nicely enough.

If you don’t have time to make miso, you can still buy some of their expertly-crafted miso and koji. The lunch they offer gives you a sample of everything for only 800 yen. They also sell a wide variety of products including amazake, pickles, sauces, and strange desserts. Have you ever wondered what miso soft serve or koji pudding tastes like? They’re better than you might think!

Kosaka Town: historical influence attracting crowds and tech companies

Many of Japan’s cities have seen wealth and fame throughout history. For Kosaka, their prosperity has continued since the discovery of its large deposits of copper, lead, zinc, gold, and silver in the early 1800’s. Kosaka is now the leader of metal salvage technology and recovers about $42,000 USD of gold every day.

Its old town office which looks like a three-story mansion has reopened as a museum. You can learn about Kosaka’s ages of prosperity while walking through an international architectural marvel. All of the building’s design components came from Europe and the Middle East except for the ceiling, which has the same design found in most Japanese castles. No nails were used in the construction process!

Across the yard from the office building stands Japan’s oldest wooden playhouse. Famous Japanese actors are featured in place twice a day between April and October. From December and March, guests are welcome to try on costumes in the makeup rooms for free.

http://www.akita-ecotown.com/english/kosaka_zim.html

Odate Wappa Building: build a bento to treasure for life
Odate, Akita prefecture

The finest souvenirs are the ones you make yourself. One of Akita’s famous crafts is magewappa. These boxes and cups are simple, refined, and what Marie Kondo would say spark joy. Why not make one for yourself in this craft experience? It’s 5000 yen per person and it takes about 2 hours from start to finish. There’s enough room for a group of roughly 20 people to participate at once. You’ll also learn how to keep your creation looking beautiful for decades to come. There’s also a café next door which uses a few magewappa items to serve its fare. You can always try using the containers here before deciding to own some!

http://magewappa.com/

Hikage Onsen: bathe in an abundance of minerals

As an avid onsen enthusiast, I can say for certain that this ryokan experience is magical. Your arrival is met by five women beating taiko drums and big, fluffy Akita inu. From there, you are lead to a beautiful lobby with amenities before entering your very own suite for the night.

Hikage onsen has healed the wounds of soldiers during WWII and continues to help those suffering from rashes, eczema, arthritis, menopausal symptoms, and digestive disorders. I wish I lived nearby because it really helped my eczema! There are so many minerals in the water here that the ryokan needs to change its baths’ pipes once every month or two. Just imagine what a 20-minute soak could do for you.

The views are equally breath-taking, especially during snowy months. I highly recommend taking advantage of one of the private outdoor baths for the full experience. The hotel was renovated about two years ago but there’s still a sense of antiquity in the air. At times, it’s even a little spooky.

The food is a real sight to behold. Photos don’t do it justice. You’ll get everything you can hope for and more.  As a guest in the winter, I was treated to a local fish known as hata hata. This deep-sea dweller hides in the sand most of its life and the two I was served were females packed full of roe. I’d recommend searching for other delicacies unless chewing hard eggs is something you’d like to try.

Taiko Museum: a “hit” for children

It’s not every day you get to see something in Japan break a Guinness World Record for being big. This museum’s 6- and 3-meter tall drums are paraded around the town in processions of dancers during the local summer festival. The reason these drums got so big was because the town’s north and south neighborhoods have had a long history of competing with one another for having the largest drum that year. That tradition has proven much more peaceful than their original race to be the first to give offerings to the local shrine.

Beyond the huge taiko drums is a fun, interactive museum with an international drum collection. Most of the drums can be used by attendees. It’s a great place to play and get a little silly, and the admission fee of 420 yen is worth it. There’s also a store in the same parking lot which sells souvenirs and snacks. If you haven’t tried butter mochi yet, I suggest you take this opportunity to buy some. The only complaint is that the lighting isn’t very good for taking photos. You’ll find most of them look green.

http://www.city.kitaakita.akita.jp/kankou/category/kankou_shisetsu/takanosu/001.html

Matagi Museum: Akita’s bear hunters

The Matagi have been hunting bears in Akita’s forests since at least the 14^th century. Their stories, history, tools, and legends are being preserved in this museum. Its founder is a gentleman with a passion for teaching the world about Matagi. He is also fond of the local bears in many ways. The museum’s restaurant even has bear meat on it! What is perhaps crazier is that he convinced us of the medicinal properties of bear stomach. He generously offered us some shavings and let us taste it for ourselves before giving us a full tour of the premises. Although it was extremely bitter, it seemed we all felt a bit refreshed after having our share. For medicine that costs 10,000 yen per gram, I really hope our imaginations weren’t playing tricks on us.

Moreover, visitors can enjoy a taste of traditional Matagi bear stew. I’m sure you can find bear stew in a chic part of Tokyo, but here you can eat it with an exquisite view of snowflakes tumbling gently to the ground in winter. Who knows how fresh exotic meat in Tokyo is anyway? The wild bears have a very healthy diet and their meat is rich in oils and fats. It’s very tender and has a light taste reminiscent of beef. There are other meals available for the less adventurous.

http://www.mataginosato.com/

Akita Nairiku Jukan Railway

The finale of my trip was a ride along a once-abandoned railroad which stops at a shinkansen station. Train travel is the best way to end a trip because it brings you close to nature without any of the footwork.

The interior of the train is very unusual. Riders sit atop pillows on tatami flooring. It gives the feeling of classic Japan while gliding through the countryside in a dream-state. The Nairiku Jukan railway is a perfect blend of farmland, forest, and rocky river.