Museums in Iwate

Iwate Prefecture has a wide variety of museums, from the Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum to the Tōno Folktale Museum. These museums offer insights into the region's history, culture, and natural environment.

Not sure where to start? Read our guide to the 20 best

Ōfunato City Museum

Ōfunato City Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

This museum in Ofunato City showcases local nature, culture, and tsunami history.

Yahaba Town Museum of History and Folklore

Yahaba Town Museum of History and Folklore

IWATE · MUSEUM

Explore Yahaba's history, from ancient artifacts to a traditional magariya house.

Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum

Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

Learn about the 2011 tsunami and recovery at this free memorial museum.

Tōno Folktale Museum

Tōno Folktale Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

Explore Tōno's rich folklore and history at this unique museum complex.

Michinoku Folklore Village

Michinoku Folklore Village

IWATE · MUSEUM

Open-air museum with relocated historic buildings, showing feudal domain life.

Satō Hachirō Memorial Museum

Satō Hachirō Memorial Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

Explore the life and works of poet Satō Hachirō in his wife's hometown.

Ichinoseki City Museum

Ichinoseki City Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

Explore Ichinoseki's history and cultural heritage, including local scholars and sword craft.

Mifune Jūdan Memorial Hall

Mifune Jūdan Memorial Hall

IWATE · MUSEUM

A Kuji City museum and judo dojo, commemorating Mifune Kyuzo Judan, designed by Kisho Kurokawa.

Denshōen

Denshōen

IWATE · MUSEUM

Denshōen is an open-air museum preserving Tōno's folklore and traditional architecture.

Kojin Toneyama Memorial Museum

Kojin Toneyama Memorial Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

This museum, once an artist's studio, showcases his works and hosts art exhibitions.

Kitakami City Museum

Kitakami City Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

Kitakami City Museum: a local history museum with a folk village next door, worth a visit.

Ōshū City Cattle Museum

Ōshū City Cattle Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

A unique museum dedicated to cattle, showcasing their biology, history, and cultural impact.

Iwate Prefectural Museum

Iwate Prefectural Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

Explore Iwate's history and nature at this museum, featuring historic homes and gardens.

Goshono Jōmon Park

Goshono Jōmon Park

IWATE · MUSEUM

Explore a large Jomon-era park with reconstructed dwellings and a museum showcasing ancient life...

Museum of Contemporary Japanese Poetry, Tanka and Haiku

Museum of Contemporary Japanese Poetry, Tanka and Haiku

IWATE · MUSEUM

Japan's only poetry museum, preserving and showcasing haiku, tanka, and contemporary works.

Sakura Chijinkan

Sakura Chijinkan

IWATE · MUSEUM

This museum showcases works by famous Japanese artists, founded by Kenji Miyazawa's doctor.

Museum of Stones and Kenji

Museum of Stones and Kenji

IWATE · MUSEUM

A museum preserving the history of a crushing plant where Kenji Miyazawa once worked.

Hanamaki Museum of History and Folklore

Hanamaki Museum of History and Folklore

IWATE · MUSEUM

Explore Hanamaki's past through folk materials and tools, offering a glimpse into daily life.

Tōno Furusato Village

Tōno Furusato Village

IWATE · MUSEUM

Step back in time at this open-air museum of traditional rural life.

Tōno Castle Town Museum

Tōno Castle Town Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

Explore Tono's samurai history and Edo-period artifacts at this engaging museum.

Tōno City Museum and Library

Tōno City Museum and Library

IWATE · MUSEUM

Explore Tono's folklore and history at this museum, home to original Tono Monogatari manuscripts...

Tōno Kura no Michi Gallery

Tōno Kura no Michi Gallery

IWATE · MUSEUM

This free gallery in repurposed storehouses promotes local art and culture, offering unique exhi...

Takamura Memorial Museum

Takamura Memorial Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

A museum honoring sculptor and poet Kotaro Takamura, worth visiting for art and literature.

Rikuzentakata City Museum

Rikuzentakata City Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

Rikuzentakata City Museum showcases local history and marine life, rebuilt after the 2011 earthq...

Ōshū Space and Astronomy Museum

Ōshū Space and Astronomy Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

This museum, housed in a historic observatory building, offers insights into space and astronomy...

Cultural Assets Repository, Mōtsū-ji

Cultural Assets Repository, Mōtsū-ji

IWATE · MUSEUM

See rare iron trees from the Heian period, crafted by local blacksmiths for a Fujiwara lord.

Hiraizumi Cultural Heritage Center

Hiraizumi Cultural Heritage Center

IWATE · MUSEUM

This center displays a reproduction of a twelfth-century bronze mirror, offering a glimpse into...

Shizukuishi History and Folklore Museum

Shizukuishi History and Folklore Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

This museum offers a glimpse into local history and culture, with a unique farmhouse where horse...

Kimura Hisashi Memorial Museum

Kimura Hisashi Memorial Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

Explore Japan's oldest observatory, where a Nobel-winning discovery was made.

Hachimantai City Museum

Hachimantai City Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

Hachimantai City Museum: explore local history, archaeology, and lacquerware in Iwate.

Iwate Museum of Art

Iwate Museum of Art

IWATE · MUSEUM

Discover Iwate's artistic heritage at this museum, showcasing local artists in a spacious settin...

Morioka Takuboku & Kenji Youth Museum

Morioka Takuboku & Kenji Youth Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

A literary museum in a historic bank building, celebrating two famous Japanese authors.

Ishikawa Takuboku Memorial Museum

Ishikawa Takuboku Memorial Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

A literary museum in Morioka honoring Ishikawa Takuboku, with historical buildings and a promena...

Kamaishi City Iron and Steel History Museum

Kamaishi City Iron and Steel History Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

Learn about Japan's iron industry pioneers and history at this award-winning museum.

Sumita Town Folk Museum

Sumita Town Folk Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

Explore a beautifully restored 1928 elementary school, now a museum showcasing local history and...

Senmaya Machikado Museum

Senmaya Machikado Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

Explore Japan's sole surviving former tobacco monopoly office, now a free museum of local histor...

Whale and Sea Science Museum

Whale and Sea Science Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

Explore marine life and whale science at this museum, rebuilt after the tsunami.

Gunba-no-sato Rokuhara Museum

Gunba-no-sato Rokuhara Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

This museum showcases local history and a famous adventurer, housed in a historic Japanese-Weste...

Former Kamaishi Kōzan Office

Former Kamaishi Kōzan Office

IWATE · MUSEUM

Explore a 1950s office and mining history in this preserved cultural property.

Morioka Museum of Letter

Morioka Museum of Letter

IWATE · MUSEUM

Explore a unique collection of Japanese letters and manuscripts, offering insights into history...

Tadashi Chida Memorial Museum

Tadashi Chida Memorial Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

A free museum in Iwate preserving the residences and legacy of former Governor Masashi Chida.

Kikuta Kazuo Memorial Museum

Kikuta Kazuo Memorial Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

Explore a historic brick building housing a museum dedicated to Kikuta Kazuo and local festival...

Morioka Children Science Museum

Morioka Children Science Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

A science museum for children with interactive exhibits and a planetarium.

Kuji Amber Museum

Kuji Amber Museum

IWATE · MUSEUM

Japan's only amber museum, with a mining tunnel, shop, and workshop, is worth a visit.

Museums elsewhere

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