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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

Before you go

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

Opening hours

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

Closed

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

Admission

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

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 the official 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 the official site
Payment

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

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 the official site

Found wrong or outdated information?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.

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Nearby spots

Distances are straight-line distances, not travel distances.

Crowds

Crowd level

Not checked yet — no official source yet, and not enough traveler reports.

Best time to visit

Not checked yet — no official source yet, and not enough traveler reports.

Peak time

Not checked yet — no official source yet, and not enough traveler reports.

Busiest days

Not checked yet — no official source yet, and not enough traveler reports.

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 the official site
Latest traveler report
None yet

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

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 the official 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 the official 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 the official site

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