World Heritage Hiraizumi and Morioka Castle Town: a walking guide to Tohoku’s largest prefecture

About Iwate

Iwate is the largest prefecture in Honshu by area, with the Sanriku coast on one side and inland mountain ranges on the other. The capital is Morioka.

Main walking areas in Iwate

Here are some of the prefecture’s most popular places to walk, where public smoking spots and facilities with smoking rooms tend to be available nearby.

• Morioka (Morioka Castle Site Park, along the Nakatsu River)
• Hiraizumi (Chuson-ji, Motsu-ji)
• Hanamaki (Miyazawa Kenji Fairy Tale Village)

Iwate trivia

The cultural sites of Hiraizumi, including Chuson-ji’s Golden Hall, are inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

Tips for finding smoking areas in Iwate

• Use designated smoking spots in areas with no-smoking-on-the-street ordinances
• Stations, large commercial complexes and tourist information centres are good starting points
• Heated-tobacco-only rooms are growing — switch the tobacco-type filter to match your device
• Use a portable ashtray or the ashtray in the smoking area — good etiquette helps keep these spots open for everyone

Find efficiently with Mottosuitai

Allow location access on the Mottosuitai map to see smoking areas within 2 km of you. To browse by region, visit /search/?prefecture=iwate for the Iwate list.