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Food window and entrance of center. — Indian Arts Center

Steaming Tender Restaurant

Tiptree Jam Museum entrance. — Tiptree Jam Museum

The Reading Room blends the intimacy of an inviting bar with the inviting solace of a good bookstore. — The Reading Room

Building — The Mountain House

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Moose are frequently spotted around Flattop Mountain and the Glen Alps Trailhead. — Anchorage: A City Within the Wild

Where to See the World’s Creepiest Dolls and Toys

The Hunterian Museum in London. — Where to See the World’s Most Famous Preserved Body Parts

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Morioka

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Morioka

4 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Morioka, Japan

Updated April 4, 2025

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Unusual Attractions in Morioka

The grave of Princess Centipede.

Morioka, Japan

Grave of Princess Centipede

Legend says that a swarm of centipedes and snakes once crawled out of the tomb of this cursed princess.

The “three rocks” tell the legend of a demon.

Morioka, Japan

Demon’s Hand Prints in the Rocks

According to local folklore, a demon left his handprints on these boulders, which became the prefecture’s namesake.

Morioka, Japan

Rock-Splitting Cherry Tree

A 360-year-old cherry tree grows out of a granite boulder.

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One of the bronze finials on the Upper Bridge.

Morioka, Japan

Bronze Finials on the Upper Bridge

A rare surviving set of early 17th-century bronze finials remain on this bridge.

Are we missing something unusual?

Hachimantai, Japan

Matsuo Mine

Abandoned Japanese ghost town gives a glimpse into what our own metropolises may leave behind.

15 miles from Morioka

The mural at night.

Hanamaki, Japan

‘Future City Galactic Earth Railway’

A fantastical glow-in-the-dark mural inspired by the city’s most famous writer, Kenji Miyazawa.

21 miles from Morioka

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