Oirase Gorge
A 14-kilometre forest stream walk where the Oirase River tumbles over moss-covered boulders and drops into dozens of named waterfalls. The only stream flowing out of Lake Towada, it runs clear green year-round.
Half day (walk); 2–3 hrs (cycle)
Free
Trail: year-round; best May–Jun (green) and Oct (autumn foliage); road open year-round; winter ice columns: Jan–Feb
May–November; mid-October (peak autumn)
JR Bus Tohoku from Aomori or Hachinohe to Yakeyama stop
Location
Why Visit
- 1
Fourteen named waterfalls along the path, with the most photogenic appearing every few minutes
- 2
Autumn maples and beeches turn the gorge into a tunnel of gold and red in mid-October
- 3
Winter transforms waterfalls into ice sculptures and the stream bank into a corridor of frost trees
- 4
A cycling path runs the full 14 km for those who prefer wheels to walking
Local Tips
The 14km gorge walk along the Oirase Stream from Yakeyama to Nenokuchi (Lake Towada) passes 14 named waterfalls and extraordinary moss-covered boulders. The entire trail is paved and walkable in 4 hours. Buses run the route in both directions — take the bus one way and walk the other. In winter, the stream freezes into dramatic ice columns (Jan–Feb).
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