Japan has many destinations for tourists. However, the American newspaper does not recommend that readers come to see the sparkling lights in Tokyo, Osaka or visit temples and other memorable places of the ancient capital Kyoto.
The New York Times also does not recommend travelers to unique snow fields in Niseko, historic neighborhoods in Nara or Kamakura, or poetic landscapes of Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
Instead, the New York Times said that, after London, the next great place on the planet to visit this year is Morioka. Even local government officials responsible for promoting tourism for this small and quite ordinary city in Iwate province admitted that they were surprised by the choice of the US newspaper.
Ms. Norie Hatayama, director of the tourism department of Morioka city, said: "We were really surprised because we didn't know anything about the article in advance. We were completely shocked when we first read the article but were also happy to know that the city and local businesses have been recognized for everything they have been doing and are doing to attract more tourists to Morioka," she said.
The city is located at the confluence of three rivers, with the Kitakami River flowing south. The city is home to nearly 290,000 people and is surrounded by mountains and Iwate. Iwate is an active volcano in the northwest of the city.
The New York Times described Morioka as a place to explore that is not bothered by crowds and is just a few hours away by high-speed train from Tokyo.
The author of the article appreciated Morioka for many traditional buildings that are still preserved, with some traditional boarding houses and buildings from the Taisho period (1912-1926). The author also introduced the park that was once the site of Morioka castle as a great place to see the red and yellow leaves in the autumn months.
The city is planning to rebuild Morioka castle, which was partially destroyed. This castle was completed in the early 1800s as a strong stronghold of the Nanbu family but encountered disaster a few years after its construction. The castle was completely leveled in the 1930s.
The city government has called on the public to contribute photos and diagrams of the castle before 1930 and hopes to raise enough funds to bring the classically designed castle back to its former glory.
The New York Times also introduced a coffee shop that has performed jazz music for the past 40 years, a number of restaurants - including a local Wanko soba restaurant - and a nearby onsen hot spring.
However, Hatayama said the writer missed some places not to miss when visiting the city, including Morioka Machiya Monogatari Kan, an old sake winery now a museum.
She is also sure that her visit to Morioka will not be complete without trying a local noodle dish called Morioka reimen - a cold noodle with beef broth, or Morioka jajamen - a noodle dish with unique miso sauce.
Along with Wanko soba, these dishes form the 3 great monas of Morioka.
According to city officials, in the first 11 months of 2022, there were 4,690 foreign tourists to Morioka, much lower than 65,597 visitors in the year before the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the New York Times introduction had a big impact.
The attractions and stores mentioned in the article have seen a spike in visitors. "We expect an even larger number of visitors and look forward to the positive impact of this on our tourism industry," said Hatayama.
The number of hotel searches and bookings is increasing from tourists in Japan as well as abroad. The demand for travel documents in other languages has also increased. The city is also planning to map the city's attractions in many foreign languages.
We have received a lot of very positive feedback from foreign tourists who have visited Morioka after reading the article. Many people agreed with the article and said that the city was a great place to go.
We hope to welcome more tourists to Morioka, whether they are first-time or returning visitors, said the director of the Morioka City Department of Tourism.
