How Do You Get to Lake Towada and the Oirase Gorge by Bus and Car?

Published 2026-10-04 · Sources checked 2026-10-04 · Treasure Hunting Co., Ltd.

This guide is for visitors who want to reach Lake Towada and the Oirase Gorge on the border of Aomori and Akita prefectures. It uses the English traffic guide of the Lake Towada National Park Association and the English transport pages of the official Aomori travel guide. All pages were read on 2026-10-04. Timetables, fares and seasonal bus changes are not on these pages, so confirm them with the operators.

The short answer

The association's guide splits the trip into three parts: first reach Yakeyama, the gateway to the gorge; then travel up the gorge to Nenokuchi, on the lake; and finally on to Yasumiya, the lakeside village where most of the inns and cafes stand. From Aomori, Shin-Aomori and Hachinohe stations, the association says a JR bus runs non-stop to Yakeyama.

Getting to Aomori Prefecture

The official Aomori guide names Aomori, Hirosaki and Hachinohe as the three gateway cities. A flight from Tokyo takes about 1 hour 20 minutes, to either Misawa Airport (for the Nanbu area) or Aomori Airport (for the Tsugaru area). By rail, the Tohoku Shinkansen runs directly from Tokyo Station to Hachinohe and Shin-Aomori stations. The guide says its map information dates from January 2022, so check current services.

From the stations to Yakeyama

• From Aomori Station, Shin-Aomori Station or Hachinohe Station: a non-stop JR bus. The association asks you to check the platform and time on the JR bus company's website.
• From Misawa Station or Shichinohe-Towada Station: take a local bus to Towada City, then change to a rental car or a local bus bound for Yakeyama. If you use a local bus, the association says to use the JR bus from Yakeyama onward.

Up the gorge to Nenokuchi

This is the 14-kilometer stretch of the Oirase Gorge. If you ride the JR bus from Aomori, Shin-Aomori or Hachinohe, you do not have to change buses. The association notes that the JR buses stop at several points, so you can get off, walk part of the gorge and continue. From Misawa or Shichinohe-Towada, get off at Yakeyama and change to the JR bus.

From Nenokuchi to Yasumiya

JR buses go on to Yasumiya. Pleasure boats also run between Nenokuchi and Yasumiya, but only in a limited season and not in winter. The association points you to the boat operator's own site for times and fares.

By car

The association's page describes car access as part of the same route, with Yakeyama as the gateway. The Aomori hiking guide adds that Lake Towada sits at a higher elevation than the gorge, so the way from Yakeyama toward the lake is uphill, and the association's walking pages mention a steep road with seven turns on national route 102 and a mountain pass on national route 103. We found no driving times on the pages we read.

Where to stay and eat at the lake

The association's facility page lists cafes, guest houses and inns, some with hot springs, as well as a souvenir shop, a liquor shop and a gas station. Most are at Yasumiya and Utarube on the Aomori side, and several more stand at Yasumitai on the Akita side of the lake. The association's own office is at Yasumiya, inside a cafe, which is the place to ask for current information once you arrive.

A walk plus a ride

Because the JR buses stop at several points in the gorge, you can ride up, get off at one stop and walk, then board the next bus. The Aomori hiking guide's full walk from the Oirase Field Museum to the Nenokuchi bus stop takes about five hours one way, so choose a shorter stretch if you have less time. The association also reminds visitors that the boats between Nenokuchi and Yasumiya do not run in winter, while the lake itself holds a winter festival every February.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• Bus timetables, fares and journey times. The pages do not give them.
• Which dates the boats and buses stop for the winter.
• Road closures and snow conditions on the routes to the lake.
• The Akita side of the lake, which these pages do not cover as an access route.

Related guides

• What is Lake Towada and the Oirase Gorge, and where should you walk?
• What can you do at Lake Towada by season? Cruises, food and festivals

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. Traffic guide (Lake Towada National Park Association) — (bus and boat routes)
2. Transportation from all over Japan to Aomori (Amazing AOMORI) — (airports and Shinkansen)
3. Hiking in Aomori (Amazing AOMORI) — (elevation of the lake)
4. Utarube area walking map (Lake Towada National Park Association) — (national routes)