Miyazawa Kenji Memorial Museum 宮沢賢治記念館

Immerse yourself in the life and times of Iwate's greatest poet, Kenji Miyazawa at the Miyazawa Kenji Memorial Museum in Hanamaki. A talented man known for his accomplishments in literature, science, agriculture, and education. Visit the museum to explore his thoughts, ideas, and limitless imagination.

The closest station to the museum is Shin-Hanamaki Station. The station is served by the Tohoku Shinkansen and Kamaishi lines. Reach Shin-Hanamaki Station from Tokyo via bullet train in approximately three hours.

From Shin-Hanamaki Station take an Iwate-Ken Kotsu Bus to the Miyazawa Kenji Kinenkan stop. The museum is a 10-minute walk from there.

At the Miyazawa Kenji Memorial Museum, you can learn about the master poet's works, his life, and his accomplishments. Miyazawa's fascination with space, fairy tales, and fantasy worlds is explored in great detail. The poet's personal items and copies of his original works are just some of the works on display.

Be sure to check out his most famous work, Ame nimo Makezu. It isn't so much a poem as a guide to living. Elementary school students in his hometown of Hanamaki are expected to memorize the poem before graduating. Even today, Miyazawa is so revered in Hanamaki that he is referred to as Kenji-sensei.

Just outside the Memorial Museum are a rose garden and floral clock. When the sun hits the floral clock, it casts a shadow over the surrounding flowers indicating the general time of the day. While not exact, the calculation runs pretty close.

From the museum, you can walk to the Miyazawa Kenji Dowa Mura(Village of Fairy Tales). The village has several displays based on Kenji's works, and a wide-open space suitable for picnicking or for kids to run around. On some weekends and holidays, local craftspeople set up tents and sell their wares.