| Scenic areas of Ihatov | |
| Relief: | 1 |
| Location: | Iwate Prefecture, Japan |
| Established: | 2005 |
The is a cluster of landmarks in Iwate Prefecture, Japan connected with the writings of Meiji period author Kenji Miyazawa in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. These locations were collectively designated a Place of Scenic Beauty in 2005.[1]
Ihatov is the name of a fictional land derived from the word "Iwate" as a toponym created by author Kenji Miyazawa.[2] In the author’s works Ihatov is a utopia which ranges from small islands in vast oceans and includes deserts and continents; however, it shares a number of things on common with Iwate, including a tendency towards natural disasters, and a resilient population.
The Place of Scenic Beauty designation spanned six locations in the municipalities of Hanamaki (Miyazawa's birthplace), Ōshū, Shizukuishi, Sumita, Hanamaki Tōno and Takizawa, to which a seventh location was added in 2006. Each of the locations appears in one or more of Miyazawa's poems.