is no one gonna comment on that guy skipping happily as a workout? I wish I were as happy as him working out.

As a Morioka-kko (盛岡っ子), I am so impressed by your Morioka history introduction. Well done, Quinlan❣️

It’s really hard to explain the charm of Morioka but it’s very real. Good people.

Hey Quinlan, just wanted to write and say you are doing great with the videos. You have come so far from when I started watching a few years ago. Keep up the good work and spirit!

日本語で失礼します。 盛岡はとても美しい街です。夜には降るような星空が広がり、街のあちこちに冷たく美味しいわき水が湧き出ていて、誰でも味わうことができます。 名高い文学者が青春時代をおくった街でもあります。 私は西日本の出身ですが、盛岡は忘れられない場所ですね。

So nice to learn more about the history! I've read plaques at historical sites in Japan before but I've always felt like I was missing too much context to really get it ('who *were* these people??'). I've also visited Morioka before, as Sharla had made me curious, but I would definitely like to visit again! And I'm glad to hear the wanko soba place is worth a visit if you're not into eating contests 😅

The more you said not to Eat too much Wanko Soba the more my American side says I have to Eat 100 bowls on my next visit 😂 Thank you for sharing it's always interesting

Thank you for visiting and introducing Morioka I was born in Iwate prefecture I want many people to know about Iwate more!

Great historical overview of one of Japan's nicest places to visit! I've been to Morioka twice for sightseeing, 22 years apart (in 1991 and 2013).

I saw the NYT article about a month and a half after I visited. (I think I DMed you without any real plans at that time and you were busy at the time too.) It was #2 on the list of places to go! I really enjoyed Morioka and agreed with the article. This year I went south so I wasn't able to visit.

I love Morioka. It's a bigger city than you would expect it do be when arriving for the first time. The stunning views, temples, nature, and neighbourhoods all left an impact on me. To anyone reading this comment, whether in Japan or a tourist, definitely give a few days of your time to explore this hidden gem of a city. You won't regret it!

Excellent video! I have been living in Kanagawa Prefecture for a year and I’m dying to get farther north for a visit and learn more about the Japanese culture in that part of Japan.😊

Very interesting - thanks 🌿

Great video Quinlan! Really liked Morioka when we visited back in October, glad you’re featuring it on your channel. Would love to see more of Iwate in a similar style to this!

What a great love letter to the city you clearly know and love so well! I lived in Asahikawa many years ago, and it's a similarly sized city: just big enough to feel a bit urban, but also small enough that you aren't overwhelmed and can explore almost every part!

Hi Quinlan, the wide picture camera and drone footage that you used was stunning, it really does show off the how amazing the area looks. This video was very interesting and informative and I really do look forward to seeing and hearing more about this city. I hadn’t heard of the article (I’m from England) but it is great to see that the city is getting global recognition in a positive light. The picture of John eating the soba did make me laugh, he was the first ‘KZfaqr’ that I watched around 8 years ago when I was becoming more interested in Japan and I’ve always found his genuine love and respect for the country and especially areas away from the bigger known cities to be admired. I think this could become a very interesting series of videos and your knowledge and passion really does come through in your content. Thank you for sharing this brilliant video with everyone. Safe travels and best wishes to you. Have a great weekend 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇺🇸🇯🇵

Lovely video! Thanks for sharing your insights

Thanks!

Another good episode with some good history lessons learned!

Another informative and beautiful video. Thank you

Love the historical content. More!

Loved your narration! Keep up the good work!

Thankyou. What great information and beautifully told.

Huzzah !!!! Great video !!

I love going to Morioka (from Misawa), such a great city, the beautiful river walk, the view of the mountain, and bonus - the best whisky bar The Scotch House!

Thank you for the insightful video.

Another beautiful presentation lol even the human gazelle.

Awesome job on this video! I love a good history lesson. I'm looking forward to your future videos about Morioka!

thank you for this video. It really help in the research. hope to see future videos on the sights and food of Morioka.

I really enjoy ur videos!!! I love Japan. So much history and so much to explore.

I hadn’t heard of that article, but I did visit Morioka in 2023 and loved it. Such a lovely vibe

This was very interesting! I'm looking forward to hearing more about the history and culture of Morioka, thank you!

I hadn't heard of the article, bit this video was fascinating!

Happy to watch more of your history tours! thank you! I did not hear about the ranking of Morioka, but that is a big deal, congratulations.

Thank you for this love letter about my Japan hometown. I spent my first two years in Morioka in the 1980s, living in Hakoshimizu area with a view out my door of Hachimantai. And I thought no place was as cold as my first hometown Minneapolis...Yes, I read that NYT article, and a fellow digital business partner from Morioka and I were somewhat amazed at it. Good on you Quinlan!

Fantastic video! I'm originally from NY and a cousin of mine who always reads the Times actually mentioned it to me. It's definitely a region of Japan that deserves more recognition! Thanks Quinlan!

I was hoping for a video on Morioka as I like learning about smaller, regional Japanese towns and cities, and thanks to your channel, Morioka sparked my interest, especially as it is situated near so much amazing scenery. Your video didn't disappoint. I loved the history angle too. I loved the architecture and aesthetic of that soba restaurant, and it has to be said, the polite gentleman in the background who didn't want to intrude on your filming when you were talking about the sankin-kotai was very sweet. I hadn't heard about the NYT article - but then I haven't heard about most things so I don't think I count lol

Lol at the guy in the background from 10:00 - 10:30. Great video!

My wife and I spent 3 days in Morioka last September - it is a truly lovely little city. It felt comfortable and familiar to me - coincidentally, it is sister city to my province's capital, and it has a similar laid back vibe. The area was beautiful, the people especially friendly, and the food was outstanding in a country that already sets the bar extremely high! Funny about the NYT article, we read it while on the Shinkansen on the way to Morioka. I have very fond memories of going for an extremely pleasant run along the rivers, wandering around the city, and sampling the various noodle-feasts on offer. I think we'll be back in October :)

I have absolutely heard of that NYT article. Look forward to each year's publishing to be honest. Love the content of your videos as always good sir and really look forward to exploring Northern Japan some day soon.

I first heard about Morioka via Craig Mod's blog :)

Great video! This is the kind of Japan content I long for. As a Japanophile, I definitely know about Craig Mod.

I visited Morioka late last year partly out of inspiration from your videos. Didn’t get to spend too much time in the city itself, but love your videos providing history and context and look forward to future ones!

Found you through an interview with Takashii. Cheers from Tampa, Florida! 🇺🇸 love 🇯🇵

Hi, such a great and interesting video, would love to see a series about Morioka and Iwate. I have not read the article but now you’ve sparked my curiosity and I’ll give it a read.

No I have not heard of that article, but know of Morioka quite well. I have been many times to Morioka, really like the city. Thanks for the awesome history lesson Quinlan, hope that you treat us for some more videos like this.

Many thanks for the informative video, Quinlan! My wife and I spent some time in the Morioka area last winter right after that NY Times article came out. We both agreed that it’s a spot we could easily live. The skiing around Hachimanti and Appi was great and so uncrowded. And there’s so many great onsen too

Iwate is the place where Shohei Ohtani was born and raised, and so are his senpai Yusei Kikuchi and Roki Sasaki. You can't call yourself a baseball fan without knowing Iwate.

I miss HOT JAJA right next to the station. :)

I found this fascinating. And I would love to see more the history of Morioka. I did not see the article.

Great video! I didn't know about the article you mentioned but I am watching from Germany and therefore consume less English language newspapers.

Hehe, I’m here from your interview with Takashii. Had to hear more of your stories.

I’ll be staying in Morioka for 11 days in August and doing some day trips throughout Tohoku. Looking forward to this city and region

Never heard of it... I really did enjoy the history lesson though it was rather interesting and well presented... I did the whole tourist route in Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, all that...) plus Hokkaido previously, but I really want to see the less explored parts next time. I want to road trip the entire length of Japan really. Who knows, I may pass through one day...

Not sure if I wrote it on another video already, but I could listen to you for hours about those myths and historical event 😊👍.

I am heading to Morioka in a week! :). We leave for japan Saturday. I’m so excited! I wish your series came out a few weeks ago! I probably wont have the benefit of them until after my visit,

The series on Morioka sounds great. I did read the NY Time's article and was somewhat surprised that Morioka was on it. My wife and I have wanted to visit Iwate for a few years now as we are scouting out potential places to retire. Morioka is on that list. We took a visit to Iwate and visited Morioka in winter 2022. This winter we visited southern Hokkaido. While walking around Hakodate this winter we came across a sign which described a former Nanbu Clan House that was established there. Apparently they were not very successful in Hakodate.

Convincing me to move up north!

Great video Quinlan, thankyou for topping up my Japanese history. I spent a few nights in Morioka last February, and managed to find the Demon stone site whilst exploring backstreets! Is that Hoonji temple behind you at the end? If I remember correctly it was quite close by!

Moriaka keeps moving up my list of places to visit in Japan and look forward to the series. I hope to one day run around there just like the gentlemen at 0:04 I started following Craig Mod after hearing him on the Japan Times Deep Dive podcast - episode: "The sublime boredom of walking in Japan". Yamaguchi City was his suggestion for 2024 and landed at #3 on the list.

Hello from Madison!

Looking forward to more videos on Morioka, Quinlan! I've been to many of the places you filmed in this video, but now I have more to check out! It's a shame how warm this year's winter has been. I had not heard of the New York Time's article featuring Morioka. That's really interesting. Northern Japan needs more attention, in my opinion. It's just simply not the popular place to be yet. Doesn't have the SEO power behind it. I'm hoping to film some of my own stuff in Morioka as well. Love a fellow KZfaqr in Northern Japan!

いつも楽しみにしています! 九戸政実の乱までご存知とは!

I'd heard about the article but possibly only because I've been to Morioka a couple of times on my trips to Japan, because I've got a friend who has been teaching English their for quite a few years now, and I often visit her when I go to Japan.

Well done, Quinlan! We were hoping you would shed some light on the article in the NYT. I read it when it came out and asked you (in the comments to another video, so you probably didn't see it) why you thought Morioka might merit such consideration. The "History of Japan" is a great podcast that I heartily recommend, for those with an interest in the subject.

First time hearing about the NY Times article. If I recall my Japanese history, one of the reasons the Daimyo were made to travel to Tokyo every other year was to keep them from amassing any sizable amount of wealth so they couldn't fund the building of an army. The trip to Tokyo and back was quite costly.

Heard of criag and been to morioka. Would like to come back to the region this Xmas but looking for ideas

I was thinking of staying in Morioka but I did Aomori, Kakunodate and Sendai instead

Morioka's

Thanks for the interesting history! 3:50 Weren't both sides basically from the same clan? Brutal.

Never say that news article

Душевный город, красивый, особенно в октябре-ноябре. Кто любит подземное метро тому будет не по вкусу - там только подземные переходы =)

Hi Quinlan! I’ve been to Japan several times and I’m celebrating my 60th in November. Currently I’ve planned to go to Ginzan Onsen but since I’m only in Japan 7 days this time I’m trying to decide on that plan or just going to morioka. Are there any really nice onsens nature areas near morioka? And what’s your thoughts on Ginzan? I can’t stay in Ginzan because it’s booked but I have a place 50 minutes from there currently. Also would morioka for a day trip be doable? I’ll have the Tohoku regional pass. Thank you!! Doug from New York State

Where in the city is the view at 0:20 ? Will be visiting Morioka and trying to figure out where to go to catch that view.

I had heard of the NY Times article, and my father was even excited to suggest I go there based on the article. It seems nice, but just nothing that made me go "wow, I need to go there!" so I didn't include Morioka when I spent a few days in northern Tohoku last year.

Hey is there any tattoo friendly around morioka area? I'm planning to visit next year

I didn't know about the article, but that doesn't speak to its popularity, I just don't read/watch the news much.

Interesting video. So yeah, I have to go to Morioka for business next Tuesday. I'm aware of an article about Morioka that was written last year, not sure if the same one, which called Morioka 'very walkable'. It's not. I didn't have a car for the first 18 months I lived here. I've been there a handful of times, and It is not walking friendly. Basically, the article I read was bull sh*t, but Morioka is a very beautiful place. I do have a car now, but I don't want to drive my 2 cylinder death trap of a car in the potentially icy conditions. Thus I'm taking the train. As someone who has lived there so long, can you recommend anything walkable from the train station? I guess I consider 30 minutes reasonable. Beyond that, it's inconvenient. I did go there for natsu yasumi last year. It was... very crowded. The food I chose was pretty much on the high end of pretty good. At this point I prefer Sendai, and I live in Ichinoseki pretty much right in the middle of the two. But maybe there are just things I don't know about Morioka that are good or great. I had to walk before, so I wasn't about to walk to the castle ruins, zoo, amusement park, or any of that - too far. Jajamen is pretty good, and I'll probably get one of those on Tuesday, as it's good cold weather food.

Hey Quinlan, next year I will go to japan for almost 2 years, any to give me? I will live in karuizawa

I was not aware of the NYT article, but I also despise NYT for their fascist editorial sympathies so I make a point to avoid that rag

Small detail Morioka was originally called Kuzugata. The pic of the procession under the Sankin Kotai is actually not the Sankin Kotai, its the new year procession at Edo Castle, whats interesting is this pic is the one after 1822. Before the Nanbu clan was only ranked as Josyu with 100.000 koku and all his samurais would wear the dress Suou which from Heian period was the traditional clothe for the knight rank (its open in front so you can take your armor on or move faster), on the pic his samurai wears Hoi which is a Kyoto Nobility unformal attire and this dress was for Samurais just under the Daimyo class. in 1822 Nambu clan was elevated to 200.000 koku and with that elevation his samurais was elevated too.

Yep, I knew about the NYT article but haven't read it. Have been following Craig Mod on Instagram for a little while, so that helped. I definitely want to explore Morioka more the next time I get back there.

Thanks!