Verified in Japan

Towada, Aomori / 十和田湖

Lake Towada

A caldera lake straddling Aomori and Akita, 327 m deep at its deepest point (third deepest in Japan) and the source of the Oirase Stream.

Lake Towada with a peninsula reflecting clouds, seen from a mountain
Lake Towada from Mt. Ohanabe (photo taken 2008)Photo: Soica2001 / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (PD-self) (resized) · Terms of use · Source

Last official check

25 Sept 2026

Traveler reports

0

Reports open in Phase 2

Next scheduled check

24 Dec 2026

Decide before you go

A short summary made from the official facts below. Check the rows for details.

Getting there
Train / Bus

Before you go

Only facts we confirmed on official sources are shown. Anything else is listed under “Not yet confirmed”.

Getting there

JR bus from Shin-Aomori Station: about 3 h 10 min in summer, about 4 hours in winter. JR buses run without changes from Aomori, Shin-Aomori and Hachinohe stations to Yasumiya, stopping at Nenokuchi, Utarube and elsewhere. Sightseeing boats link Nenokuchi and Yasumiya (seasonal; not in winter).

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site
Parking

Car parks at Nenokuchi, Utarube and Yasumiya; the one at Yasumiya pier costs 500 yen a day (per the lake cruise notice).

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site
Accessibility

The Towada-ko Visitor Exchange Center "Plat" has a nursing room (per the prefectural tourism site's family information; no physical restrictions are listed).

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site
Not yet confirmed

Opening hours, Closed, Admission, Payment

we have not confirmed this on an official source yet. Check with the spot before you go.

Found wrong or outdated information? Let us know

Address: Towada, Aomori (Japanese address: 青森県十和田市奥瀬)

Official site: https://towadako.or.jp/towadako-oirase/

Location

Smaller pins are other spots nearby.

Open in Google MapsGet directions

Nearby spots

Distances are straight-line distances, not travel distances.

Crowds

Busiest season

Fresh green in May-June and autumn leaves around mid-to-late October; the lake is busy in these seasons.

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site
Not yet confirmed

Crowd level, Best time to visit, Peak time, Busiest days

no official source yet, and not enough traveler reports.

Latest traveler report
None yet

Traveler crowd data by time of day appears after 5 traveler reports (0 so far).

You can check typical busy hours in Google Maps ("Popular times" on the place's page). Open this spot in Google Maps

Visiting respectfully

  • RulesAfter a bear attack near the Kankodai viewpoint at Utarube around 10:00 on August 22, 2026, the prefecture temporarily closed the viewpoint deck and public toilet (per the prefectural tourism site).Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site
  • Local etiquetteCanoeing and boat cruises from April to November; snowshoe tours to see icicles and frozen falls from January to March. The "Maiden statue" by the lake (1953) was Kotaro Takamura's last work.Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site
  • RulesAomori Prefecture has a bear warning in force across the whole prefecture from April 20 to November 30, 2026. On the Akita side, entry to the mountains is banned in some areas near the lake (along the Jukai Line on Prefectural Road 2, and the Towada-Odaira and Towada-Kogen areas of Kazuno).Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a local government page

Verification log