With some great day trip options available in the surrounding area, having your own car makes good sense. Without one, it’d be much more difficult to experience everything that Morioka, 30 miles away, has to offer. Among your first few stops here should be Iwate Museum of Art, Morioka Hachiman-gu Shrine and Morioka Castle. Tono is another terrific option. It’s 35 miles away and has an array of awesome things to do. Chiba Family Magariya, Tono Furusatomura and Gohyaku Rakan are just the start.