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Iwate Prefecture (岩手県)

Iwate Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Tohoku Region of Honshu. It covers 15,278 sq km and has a population of just 1.3 million people. It has the lowest density of any prefecture except Hokkaido. The prefectural capital is the city of Morioka.

Iwate Prefecture has numerous recreational opportunities for visitors from fishing to hiking, boating and camping. There are also a number of famous Buddhist temples here.

Osawa Onsen, Hanamaki, Iwate PrefectureOsawa Onsen, Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture
Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%C5%8Csawa_Onsen_%E5%A4%A7%E6%B2%A2%E6%B8%A9%E6%B3%89.jpg
Author: Roddy McDougall
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Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the west and Miyagi Prefecture to the south. It faces the Pacific Ocean to the east, where it forms a sheer wall against the ocean.

On the western side, the Ou Mountains form a border with Aomori Prefecture. There are a number of active volcanoes on the mountain range, among them Mount Iwate, which is the highest point in Iwate Prefecture at 2038 meters, and Mount Kurikawa, at 1627 meters. Running through the middle of the prefecture is the much older Kitakami mountains, with Mount Hayachine (1,917m) located farther away from any other large mountains in Japan.

Iwate Prefecture used to be a major mining area in Japan. It produced gold, iron, coal and sulfur. Today the prefecture has a number of hot springs which is now a thriving tourism industry.

Oizumi Pond, Motsu-ji Temple, HiraizumiOizumi Pond, Motsu-ji Temple, Hiraizumi
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iwate_Prefecture
Author: Geomr
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Update

11 March 2011
A 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused massive damage to towns and villages along the coast of Iwate Prefecture.

Going to Iwate Prefecture

By Train
Take the Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo. It makes stops in Ichioseki and Morioka in Iwate Prefecture.

Michinoku Folk Village, KitakamiMichinoku Folk Village, Kitakami
Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20-181michinoku_folk_village3872.jpg
Author: 663highland
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Cities of Iwate Prefecture

  1. Hachimantai

  2. Hanamaki

  3. Ichinoseki

  4. Kamaishi

  5. Kitakami

  6. Kuji

  7. Miyako

  8. Morioka

  9. Ninohe

  10. Ofunato

  11. Oshu

  12. Rikuzentakata

  13. Tono

Tourist Attractions of Iwate Prefecture

  1. Chuson-ji Temple

  2. Geibikei Gorge

  3. Motsu-ji Temple

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.
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