Iwate Prefecture

Hokkaido & Tohoku region · Prefecture

Iwate is the largest prefecture after Hokkaido. It is known for the ria coastline of the Sanriku coast, the culture of Hiraizumi built by the Oshu Fujiwara clan, and as the home of Miyazawa Kenji. Wanko soba (buckwheat noodles served in small bowls, one after another) and Nanbu ironware are also local specialties.

Hiraizumi (World Cultural Heritage Site)
Sanriku Coast
Nanbu ironware
Wanko soba

Key facts

Prefectural capital: Morioka City
Municipalities: 33 (14 cities, 15 towns, 4 villages)
Population: 1,124,652 32nd in Japan2025 Census
5-year change: −7.1% 3rd in Japanfrom 1,210,534 in 2020
Area: 15,275 km² 2nd in Japan
Population density: 74 people/km² 46th in Japan

Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2025 Population Census (population, area and density); area from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI), Area Statistics of Prefectures and Municipalities (2025). National ranks are among the 47 prefectures, ordered by this site from these values.

Places to know

Morioka City A city of three great noodle dishes: reimen (cold noodles), jajamen and wanko soba.
Hiraizumi Town The Konjikido (Golden Hall) of Chuson-ji Temple, and Motsu-ji Temple.
Hanamaki City The birthplace of Miyazawa Kenji, with many hot spring resorts.

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Places to visit in Iwate Prefecture

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Museums and art museums20

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Chosen automatically, most popular first, from landmarks and cultural properties registered in Wikidata (we have not checked whether each is open). Names and descriptions: Wikidata (CC0); photos: Wikimedia Commons (photographer and license under each photo).

National parks in Iwate Prefecture

Towada-Hachimantai National ParkTotal park area 855 km²Also in Aomori, Akita
Sanriku Fukko (Reconstruction) National ParkTotal park area 285 km²Also in Aomori, Miyagi

Chosen by overlaying the park boundaries (Ministry of the Environment, Biodiversity Center of Japan, "National Park Areas" GIS data, updated April 28, 2025, combined and simplified by NIPPON ATLAS) with municipal boundaries (National Land Numerical Information, January 2021), keeping overlaps of about 0.5 km² or more (approximate). Areas are the land areas from the Ministry of the Environment, "Overview of National Parks" (April 10, 2026). All national parks

Municipalities in Iwate Prefecture (33)

Municipality	Population	5-year change	Area
Morioka City	278,444	−3.9%	886 km²
Miyako City	44,247	−12.2%	1,259 km²
Ofunato City	30,565	−12.0%	323 km²
Hanamaki City	87,233	−6.4%	908 km²
Kitakami City	90,811	−2.4%	438 km²
Kuji City	29,622	−10.4%	624 km²
Tono City	22,625	−10.8%	826 km²
Ichinoseki City	101,810	−9.0%	1,256 km²
Rikuzentakata City	16,395	−10.2%	232 km²
Kamaishi City	27,992	−12.7%	440 km²
Ninohe City	22,975	−9.9%	420 km²
Hachimantai City	22,060	−8.2%	862 km²
Oshu City	103,802	−8.1%	993 km²
Takizawa City	53,711	−3.4%	182 km²
Shizukuishi Town	14,286	−9.2%	609 km²
Kuzumaki Town	4,874	−13.5%	435 km²
Iwate Town	10,652	−13.3%	360 km²
Shiwa Town	31,441	−2.2%	239 km²
Yahaba Town	26,981	−3.8%	67.32 km²
Nishiwaga Town	4,355	−15.2%	591 km²
Kanegasaki Town	15,110	−2.7%	180 km²
Hiraizumi Town	6,422	−11.4%	63.39 km²
Sumita Town	4,331	−14.2%	335 km²
Otsuchi Town	9,850	−10.5%	200 km²
Yamada Town	12,680	−11.5%	263 km²
Iwaizumi Town	7,421	−15.0%	992 km²
Tanohata Village	2,678	−12.5%	156 km²
Fudai Village	2,132	−14.3%	69.66 km²
Karumai Town	7,410	−12.0%	246 km²
Noda Village	3,609	−8.3%	80.80 km²
Kunohe Village	4,713	−12.4%	134 km²
Hirono Town	13,406	−11.2%	303 km²
Ichinohe Town	10,009	−12.9%	300 km²

Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2025 Population Census (population in 2025; change compared with 2020). Area: GSI (2025). Designated cities are shown as one city (wards combined). "Temperature now" is the latest JMA AMeDAS observation (preliminary) at the nearest station in the same prefecture, loaded and shown unchanged when you open the page.

Figures come from official Japanese statistics (such as the 2025 Census by the Statistics Bureau of Japan), with the source and year shown next to each one. Photos are freely licensed images from Wikimedia Commons; the photographer and license are shown under each photo.

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