点评:Wifey did some homework and noted there is a (lesser-know) observatory near the JR station. In fact it was at the rear side which some of us might miss it.
From the JR station Level 2 west exit we can walk across to the Malios building, mins from the Fesan Shopping Center, and Hotel Metropolitan Morioka . The observatory is at the top of the multi-complex building, 20th floor to be exact.
The Malios was opened in November 1997 and is more an office tower than a touristy place. It was about 5:10pm and about to be closed, normal office hours only. We went to the main lobby and there is signage to point to us the specific lift to take.
The large observatory room is beside some offices, and is definitely expansive, close to a 360-deg view. Our first comment – such a large observatory yet relatively empty! The Café was closed and there’s only another 2 local visitors with us. That to us is welcoming, more cozy and uncrowded allowing for more peaceful city gazing or mountain watching.
One can soak in breathtaking panoramic views of Morioka City and the majestic Mount Iwate, the few coin-operated binoculars will be helpful. There are pictures to show how the landscape has changed over years. From the observation deck we can see the train tracks of the Tohoku and Akita Shinkansen lines – as one witnessed the success story of Japan’s Rail system! In the distance, a series of splendid mountains forms the backdrop to Morioka City, with Mount Iwate standing proudly and steadily..
A pity the observation is open only daytime so one can't see night view.
翻译:妻子做了些功课,发现JR车站附近有一座(不太出名的)天文台。实际上它位于建筑物的背面,我们当中有些人可能会错过它。
从JR车站2楼的西出口出来后,步行即可到达Malios大厦,那里离Fesan购物中心以及盛冈大都会酒店也只有几分钟的路程。天文台就在这座多功能综合大楼的顶端,确切地说是第20层。
Malios大厦于1997年11月落成,与其说是个旅游景点,倒更像是一栋办公大楼。当时大约是下午5点10分,大楼即将关门,仅维持正常的办公时间。我们来到主大堂,那里有指示牌告诉我们该乘哪部电梯。
那个大型观景厅位于几间办公室旁边,空间极为宽敞,几乎能拥有360度的全景视野。我们的第一反应是:这么大的观景厅却相对空旷!咖啡馆已经关闭,当时只有另外两位当地游客和我们在一起。对我们来说,这样的环境反倒令人感到亲切自在。这里更加温馨且人少,适合静心欣赏城市或山景。
可以尽情饱览盛冈市的壮丽全景以及雄伟的岩手山;几台投币式望远镜也能派上用场。现场还陈列着一些图片,展示了这些景观多年来的变化。从观景台上还能看到东北新干线和秋田新干线的铁轨——仿佛亲眼见证了日本铁路系统的辉煌历程!远处……群峰耸立,构成了盛冈市的天然背景,其中岩手山巍然屹立其间。
可惜观景台只在白天开放,因此无法欣赏夜景。