Iwate

Situated in northeastern Honshu, Iwate was another prefecture that was badly damaged by the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, although its swift recovery has started to draw visitors back again to its many tourist sites.

Iwate is perhaps most famous for Chuson-ji and Motsu-ji, which are two of the five sites that make up the World Heritage Site “Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi.”

Iwate is enjoyable any time of the year - ski at Appi Ski Resort in the winter, marvel at Tenshochi’s cherry blossoms in the spring, swim in the pristine waters of Jodogahama Beach and cool down in Ryusendo Limestone Cave in the summer, and hike at Mount Iwate while being surrounded by fall foliage in autumn.