What Is Lake Towada and the Oirase Gorge, and Where Should You Walk?

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

This guide is for visitors who want to understand Lake Towada and the Oirase Gorge and choose where to walk. It uses the English pages of the Lake Towada National Park Association and the official Aomori travel guide. All pages were read on 2026-10-04.

The short answer

Lake Towada is a large volcanic lake on the border of Aomori and Akita prefectures, and the Oirase Gorge is the stream that flows out of it. The association says the two together are one of the scenic spots that represent Towada-Hachimantai National Park. Walkers usually choose between the gorge, the lakeside villages and the viewpoints above the lake.

The lake

According to the association, Lake Towada is a caldera lake formed by volcanic activity that began about 200,000 years ago. It is a double caldera at 401 meters above sea level with an area of about 46.2 square kilometers, and the association calls it the third largest lake in Japan. Its deepest point is given as 326.8 meters on one page and 327 meters on another, described as the third deepest in Japan. Cliffs along the lake reach 220 meters. The two peninsulas, Ogura and Nakayama, enclose the deepest basin.

The Oirase Gorge

The Oirase River flows out of the lake. The gorge runs about 14 kilometers from Nenokuchi, on the lake, down to Yakeyama and is protected as a special scenic spot and a natural monument. The association stresses that anyone can walk it, because roads and promenades run beside the stream. The Aomori hiking guide says the one-way walk from the Oirase Field Museum to the Nenokuchi bus stop takes about five hours and is uphill, since the lake is higher than the gorge. Because a regular bus links the two ends, you can walk one way and ride the other.

The association's walking map picks out these sights along the gorge:

• Ashura no Nagare (the Flow of Ashura), a rushing stretch between thick trees that the association says is often used in magazines and posters.
• Kumoi Falls, a three-step waterfall 20 meters high.
• Choshi Falls, 7 meters high and 20 meters wide, called the best waterfall on the main stream.
• Ishigedo, a rock supported by a large tree that the page links to a local legend.
• The Nenokuchi water gate, which controls how much lake water flows down. The page says the gate is open in the daytime and almost closed at night and in winter, so the water level in the gorge drops then.

The page also says the gradient is gentle, about 1 meter for every 70 meters.

Utarube: viewpoints and a hike

The Utarube area lies between Nenokuchi and Yasumiya. The association lists the Kankodai viewpoint at 583 meters, the Ohanabe viewpoint at 1,011 meters and the summit of Mt. Towada at 1,054 meters, which it says takes about 2 hours 30 minutes on foot from the Utarube trail. It also names Matsukura Shrine, a red torii on the lakeshore with a local legend, and the Utarube campsite, praised for its sunset.

Yasumiya: the lakeside base

Yasumiya is described as the sightseeing base and the area of inns and restaurants. Sights listed nearby include Ebisu-Daikoku Island, a small lava island in the lake with five-leaf pines; a pair of bronze statues of women at Gozengahama; Towada Shrine, known as a place of religious training since before the Kamakura era; and a path lined with cedars said to be about 250 years old.

Wildlife along the stream

The association's walking map says the stream is home to birds such as the wagtail, the mandarin duck, the kingfisher and the wren, and that char can often be seen in the stream in late September. It adds that Japanese serow sometimes appear on the flat land and slopes along the stream all year round, mostly in early spring, late autumn and winter. If you see one, the page advises making no noise and not moving too much. In May the forest floor is covered with early spring flowers before the trees leaf out.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• Whether every path described on the walking map is open on your date.
• Current water levels and the sluice schedule.
• Bear and other wildlife warnings, which these pages do not give.

Related guides

• How do you get to Lake Towada and the Oirase Gorge by bus and car?
• What can you do at Lake Towada by season? Cruises, food and festivals

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. The Charm of Lake Towada and Oirase Gorge (Lake Towada National Park Association) — (lake and gorge)
2. Experience Lake Towada (Lake Towada National Park Association) — (lake data)
3. Oirase Gorge to Nenokuchi walking map (Lake Towada National Park Association) — (sights)
4. Utarube area walking map (Lake Towada National Park Association) — (viewpoints)
5. Yasumiya area walking map (Lake Towada National Park Association) — (lakeside sights)
6. Hiking in Aomori (Amazing AOMORI) — (walking time)