About Morioka City
Morioka – a bustling city amidst mountains, rivers, and trees
The City of Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, is 490 square kilometers in area and has a population of about 300,000. It is situated at the same latitude as Beijing, Ankara, Lisbon, and Washington D.C. It has four distinct seasons; its average summer temperature is 22 ℃ while its average winter temperature is -2℃. It is located approximately 500 km northeast of Tokyo, from which it takes two and a half hours to reach Morioka by bullet train. Many poets, artists, and scholars have called Morioka home. More than 50 monuments and statues commemorate them around the city. Mt. Iwate, whose elevation is 2,038 m above sea level, rises high in the background of the city, while three major rivers converge at Morioka’s heart.
Sansa Festival
The Sansa Festival is held at the beginning of each August in Morioka. In this festival, which is held in downtown Morioka, people perform a traditional dance, while playing Japanese bamboo flutes and Japanese drums.
Every year, a large number of Chuo students participate in the Sansa Festival. Their performance of the Sansa dance is very impressive, and the students sometimes win prizes in the Sansa competition.
