The Nakatsugawa River is a symbol of Morioka that flows right beside Morioka Castle Remains Park (Iwate Park), where you can feel the refreshing atmosphere of the four seasons.

Despite flowing through the middle of the city, the stream is so clear that you can see to the bottom, where water fowl play and salmon spawn in the autumn. On the stream banks, wildflowers bloom in season, while literary monuments stand quietly in the grass.

The more you walk, the more you can see of the city's different aspects. Merchant houses and storehouses with a Japanese atmosphere, elegant Western-style buildings, such as red brick banks, and long-established stores of Nanbu Tekki Ironware colour the streets. Why not take a walk along the river while enjoying the cityscape where the remnants of the castle town can be seen?