Tohoku Tabi: Lake Towada Area Guide (Part 1/4)
Straddling Aomori and Akita prefectures, Lake Towada (十和田湖, Towadako) is a pristine crater lake part of Towada-Hachimantai National Park. It is the largest crater lake on Honshu, Japan’s main island, that was formed from two ancient volcanoes.
Taking a visit to Lake Towada and the nearby areas of the Oirase River and Towada downtown is perfect for those looking to embed themselves in a local Japanese version of a quiet multi-day getaway.
I had heard about Lake Towada from a Japanese coworker after we were chatting about my month long trip around Tohoku. He said Lake Towada was a must-go destination while up north, especially during the fall when the trees around the Oirase River start changing color.
But if you go during the summertime, you’ll be hard pressed to find any crowds at Lake Towada, especially lakeside in Yasumiya town. When I went, I found a quiet, lakeside town that allowed me to slowly recharge after a hectic few weeks hopping around from place to place in Tohoku.
In part 1/4 of this Lake Towada guide, I’ll tell you how to get to Lake Towada by public transportation, go over using the 2 Day Lake Towada area bus pass, introduce the areas of Towada town and provide a multi-day sample itinerary.
There are three main areas to explore around Lake Towada:
- Lake Towada area (Yasumiya town)
- Oirase River area
- Downtown area (Towada Art Center)
I’ll be writing up separate posts going in-depth about each area. They will be coming up soon and I’ll be updating the links here.
Lake Towada
Get There
2 Day Lake Towada Area Bus Pass
Areas of Towada town
Sample Itinerary
Get There
If you are not driving, buses are the only source of public transportation getting to and from Lake Towada.
The main hub to access Lake Towada is JR Hachinohe station (八戸駅) in Aomori prefecture. It is also possible to get to Lake Towada from JR Aomori or Shin-Aomori stations as well.
If you are coming from Tokyo, you might find it easier (and sometimes cheaper!) to fly to Aomori rather than taking the train or bus. On my summer time journey around Tohoku; however, I had already taken local trains up to the Hachinohe area.
To spare you from taking the 13 hour journey by local train to Aomori, here is how you can get to Lake Towada by Shinkansen (bullet train) and JR bus.
From Tokyo via JR Hachinohe Station (by Shinkansen and JR Bus)
- Take the Shinkansen to JR Hachinohe (八戸駅) Station (takes about 3 hours).
- From JR Hachinohe station, make your way to the West Exit and board a bus towards Lake Towada (十和田湖).
- The last bus to leave from JR Hachinohe Station is at 13:20, so make sure to plan your arrival time to JR Hachinohe station accordingly.
Bus Schedule FROM JR Hachinohe Station (West Exit)
| Bus Stop | Oirase 23 Dep. Time | Oirase 25 Dep. Time | Oirase 27 Dep. Time | Fare |
| Hachinohe Stn. West Exit | 8:00 | 9:35 | 13:20 | |
| Rokunohe | 8:20 | 9:55 | 13:40 | ¥720 |
| Towada Art Center | 8:40 | 10:15 | 14:00 | ¥1130 |
| Oirase Roman Park (Rest Stop) | Arr. 8:59 Dep. 9:09 | Arr. 10:34 Dep. 10:44 | Arr. 14:19 Dep. 14:29 | ¥1540 |
| Towadako Onsenkyo | 9:27 | 11:02 | 14:47 | ¥1950 |
| Yakeyama (End of Oirase River) | 9:30 | 11:05 | 14:50 | ¥1950 |
| Shimeikei | 9:33 | 11:08 | 14:53 | ¥1950 |
| Ishigedo | 9:39 | 11:14 | 14:59 | ¥2060 |
| Makadoiwa | 9:42 | 11:17 | 15:02 | ¥2060 |
| Kumoi no Taki | 9:45 | 11:20 | 15:05 | ¥2160 |
| Kumoi no Nagare | 9:49 | 11:24 | 15:09 | ¥2160 |
| Choshi Otaki | 9:54 | 11:29 | 15:14 | ¥2260 |
| Nenokuchi (Start of Oirase River) | 10:00 | 11:35 | 15:20 | ¥2260 |
| Utarube | 10:05 | 11:40 | 15:25 | ¥2470 |
| Shimo Utarube | 10:06 | 11:41 | 15:26 | ¥2470 |
| Lake Towada (Yasumiya) | 10:15 | 11:50 | 15:35 | ¥2670 |
Bus Schedule TO JR Hachinohe Station
| Bus Stop | Oirase 20 Dep. Time | Oirase 22 Dep. Time | Oirase 26 Dep. Time | Fare |
| Lake Towada (Yasumiya) | 8:00 | 12:10 | 15:20 | |
| Shimo Utarube | 8:05 | 12:15 | 15:25 | ¥430 |
| Utarube | 8:06 | 12:16 | 15:26 | ¥430 |
| Nenokuchi (Start of Oirase River) | 8:13 | 12:23 | 15:33 | ¥610 |
| Choshi Otaki | 8:16 | 12:26 | 15:36 | ¥660 |
| Kumoi no Nagare | 8:20 | 12:30 | 15:40 | ¥770 |
| Kumoi no Taki | 8:23 | 12:33 | 15:43 | ¥840 |
| Makadoiwa | 8:27 | 12:37 | 15:47 | ¥910 |
| Ishigedo | 8:32 | 12:42 | 15:52 | ¥960 |
| Shimeikei | 8:36 | 12:46 | 15:56 | ¥1080 |
| Yakeyama | 8:41 | 12:51 | 16:01 | ¥1130 |
| Towadako Onsekyo | 8:43 | 12:53 | 16:03 | ¥1240 |
| Oirase Roman Park (Rest Stop) | Arr. 9:00 Dep. 9:10 | Arr. 13:10 Dep. 13:20 | Arr. 16:20 Dep. 16:30 | ¥1540 |
| Towada Art Center | 9:27 | 13:27 | 16:47 | ¥1850 |
| Rokunohe | 9:47 | 13:57 | 17:07 | ¥2260 |
| Hachinohe Stn. West Exit | 10:15 | 14:25 | 17:35 | ¥2670 |
The information for these bus schedules are valid as of April 21st, 2018. Before you go, check out updated bus schedules on the JR Tohoku bus website (Japanese only).
2 Day Lake Towada Area Bus Pass
If you are using the JR Rail Pass or the JR East Pass for Tohoku, then you can skip this part as the bus fare to and from Lake Towada will be covered with your passes.
If, like me, you cannot use the JR Rail Pass or the JR East Pass because you are, most likely, a resident of Japan, then the 2 Day Lake Towada Area Bus Pass might help you save some money, depending on your itinerary.
The 2 Day Lake Towada Area Bus Pass (in Japanese it is called: 青森
・ 八戸 ・ 十和田湖フリーパス / Aomori, Hachinohe, Towadako Free Pass) is ¥5000 for adults ( ¥2500 for children) and lets you freely the JR bus in the Aomori, Hachinohe and Towada areas for 2 consecutive days.
I definitely recommend getting this pass if you are only going for an overnight trip as you will make up the money going to and from Lake Towada.
When I went to Lake Towada, I used Yasumiya town as my base and stayed for 4 days and 3 nights. I was able to use the 2 Day bus pass on my last 2 days there and managed to save about ¥2000 on bus fare. I outline my itinerary further down the post if you are planning to stay the same amount of time as I did and want to save some cash!
This bus pass is also flexible if you are doing a tour of Aomori prefecture because it also allows you to travel up to Aomori city (¥3090 one way from Lake Towada) and Shin Aomori. You could go to Lake Towada from Hachinohe and then leave going to Aomori city.
You can can purchase the pass at the Newdays convenience store at JR Hachinohe station. If you are not planning to use the pass on the day of purchase, you can tell the clerk to write down the date from which you want to start using it.
The information for the 2 Day Lake Towada area bus pass is correct as of April 2018. Before you go, check out updated information on the JR Tohoku bus website (Japanese only).
Areas of Towada town
Before actually going to Lake Towada, my image of it was that it was a compact lakeside town where most attractions were easily accessible.
While it is reatively easy to access different attractions around Lake Towada by walking, the entire area of Towada town is far from compact.
The sleepy tourist lakeside town of Yasumiya is small, but also serves as the base for the over 60 km wide lake. The Oirase river spans over 14km and takes over 4 hours to walk it from end to end. The downtown area is over 50 km from the lakeside, but is well-worth a visit to see the Towada Art Center and take in it’s small town charm.
While Towada town itself is quite expansive, it is worthwhile to take a few days to explore Lake Towada and it’s surrounding areas.
If you don’t have time to explore all of the Lake Towada area, here is a quick overview of each area to help you decide which area you should go to!
Lake Towada area (Yasumiya town)
Yasumiya is a tourist town that serves as a good base to explore the larger Towada area. It is busiest during the fall season when the leaves begin to change colors. During the other times of the year, it is a sleepy town that has gorgeous nature but no nightlife. There are probably only 3 restaurants in town that are open past 17:00. Although there is not much to do at night, I found that it was perfect for recharging and relaxing because of the pristine nature and lakeside views in the day time.
Oirase River area:
The Oirase area features the famous 14 km long river that Lake Towada funnels out into. The river has rapidly rushing waters, powerful waterfalls, and a lush ecosystem of beautiful greenery that makes it a dreamy natural wonder. Hiking the Oirase river is easy because it is flat, but it is a long hike, taking about 4 hours end to end. You could also take the bus and hop on and off in between each famous site along the Oirase river. I recommend taking hiking the trail because you’ll be able to fully experience the majestic nature of the Oirase River.
Downtown area:
The Towada downtown area has been voted as one of the most beautiful town centers in Japan and I wouldn’t disagree. It is a pristine town that has a lot of artistic intrigue due to the presence of the Towada Art Center. The Towada Art Center anchors the town and is, in my opinion, one of the best art museums to visit in Japan. The Towada Art Center is thoughtfully constructed so as to optimally exhibit the exhibitions as if they were in “houses.” Art lives in the Towada downtown area, so if you like art and architecture, you should visit Towada town.
Sample Itinerary (4 days and 3 nights)
This was the itinerary that I created while in the Towada area as I wanted to maximize cost efficiency with the 2 Day Lake Towada bus pass. While the itinerary may seem jam-packed, splitting up the trip into a few days and exploring by different areas makes this is a, surprisingly, very laid back schedule. You’ll find that you will have lots of time to be lazy, relax, and take in the natural beauty of Lake Towada.
Day 1
- Take the 13:20 bus to Yasumiya, Lake Towada.
- Arrive at Lake Towada at 15:35.
- Check into accommodation.
- Walk around/explore Towada lakeside.
- Eat dinner at accommodation.
- Take a relaxing bath at an onsen either at your hotel or at Hotel Towadaso (¥500/entry).
Day 2 – Exploring Lake Towada
- Wake up and have a slow morning.
- Hike up to Towada Shrine along the Good Fortune hiking trail.
- Walk along the lake to visit the statue of the Bronze Maidens.
- Try himemasu for lunch, kokanee salmon, only found in Lake Towada.
- Get a close up view of the lake on a sightseeing cruise tour.
- Grab a homemade apple pie and enjoy it lakeside at Cafe Marine Blue.
- Watch the sunset along the lake shore.
Day 3 – Oirase River
- Activate 2 Day Lake Towada bus pass
- Take the 8:00 bus from Lake Towada (Yasumiya) to Yakeyama (the end of the Oirase river).
- Hike along the 14km Oirase river OR utilize the bus between stops on the Oirase river.
- Stop off at several powerful waterfalls and natural sites along the Oirase river.
- Finish hiking the Oirase river at Nenokuchi bus stop, and take the 15:33 bus back to Yasumiya.
Day 4 – Towada Art Center and exploring the Downtown area
- Check out of accommodation.
- Use the 2 Day Lake Towada bus pass and take the 8:00 bus to the Towada Art Center.
- Arrive at 9:27 and visit the Towada Art Center.
- After visiting the Towada Art Center, walk across the street to enjoy interactive public art works from artists like Yayoi Kusama.
- If you are a fan of architecture, make your way to the Towada City Library which was designed by Tadao Ando.
- For lunch, try Towada specialty barayaki, grilled beef stir fry, at the outdoor stall near Art Station, or eat at Farm Cafe Orta for delicious locally-sourced quiche.
- Take the 13:37 bus back to JR Hachinohe station and be on your way to your next destination!
If you are stuck on time or need to condense the trip a bit more, I think it would be possible to see the Oirase river area while heading towards Lake Towada by combining Day 1 and 3 together. Just take the earliest departure bus at 8:00 from JR Hachinohe station. Day 2 and 4 could also be condensed together by taking the latest departure from Yasumiya town to give yourself time to explore the lakeside before heading to the Towada Art Center.
Feel free to comment and ask any questions you might have it you’re heading to Lake Towada! I’ll try to answer them to the best of my ability. Until then, look forward to detailed travel guides on each separate area of Lake Towada!
