Hot springs in Hanamaki

A hot spring area in Iwate Prefecture spread across eight distinct zones in the hills above the Kitakami River valley. The area is the birthplace of the beloved author and poet Kenji Miyazawa. The narrow-gauge Hanamaki Electric Railway that once connected the spring zones, affectionately called the matchbox train, is widely believed to have inspired the celestial train journey in Miyazawa's masterpiece Night on the Galactic Railroad.