In and around Ichinoseki (Iwate prefecture)
We expected Ichinoseki to simply be somewhere to sleep and break up our journey, but we found out in the local tourist centre that there was so much to see, so we took a few detours before we wound our way up to Lake Towada in Aomori (stop 3). Geibikei Gorge Hiraizumi temples, gardens and archaeological sites (World Heritage site)