Towada Report

Autumn Color Report 2014
Official autumn color reports by japan-guide.com

Where to see autumn leaves? - When do trees turn colors? - What trees turn colors?Schedule of upcoming reports - Post your own report

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2014/10/20 - Towada Report
by raina

Today I visited Lake Towada and the Oirase stream in the Tohoku Region. Located way up in the northern most part of the region, Lake Towada straddles the border between Akita and Aomori prefectures, and is the largest caldera lake in Japan.

This famous autumn color spot lies along a beautiful forested gorge on the east side of Lake Towada. Visitors can walk along Oirase stream on a nine kilometer trail that runs along the stream; it is an easy and enjoyable hike through nature and visitors can enjoy the scenery of the forest and see several waterfalls along the way that cascade down from the 20 meter high gorge walls that tower above the stream.

I drove towards my first stop, Lake Towada from Hachinohe Station. While it was bright and sunny on the train, the skies became overcast the closer I got to my destination. It was also windy and most people were dressed warmly and those who were underprepared were visibly cold. I was glad that I brought warmer clothes on this trip.

I took the bus from Towadako to Makadobashi and began my walk towards Nenokuchi. There are infrequent buses from Hachinohe Station to Lake Towada and Oirase stream and while not impossible by public transit, getting around by rental car is by far more convenient. The autumn colors around Oirase stream are usually best from late October to early November. Today the colors at Lake Towada and Oirase Stream look like they are at their peak lots of nice yellow, orange and brown leaves. Like most of the autumn color reports this year, the colors are about a week early than average. Depending on which part of the trail you are on, some places are greener while other places are covered in yellow and brown leaves.

There were lots of photographers with tripods here

Yellow maples blocking my view of the trail

More photographers here taking pictures of the rapids

Large groups of tourists at Choshi falls

A bit of red peeping out from all the green and yellow

Yellow, green and brown leaves along the stream

From Nenokuchi, I took the sightseeing boat back to Yasumiya. I am pleased to report that the sightseeing boat between Nenokuchi and Yasumiya are up and running till November 10. The one way trip costs 1400 yen, and takes about 50 minutes with a Japanese commentary of the scenery along the way. Not only is it a convenient way to get back to Lake Towada, it was a beautiful way to see more autumn colors from the water. The autumn colors along the route are at their peak and most people enjoyed the scenery from inside the boat where it was nice and warm, while a small number braved the cold winds outside for pictures.

I ended my trip with a stop at a viewpoint to get a bird's eye view of Lake Towada. The overcast skies and setting sun provided a romantic view, and trees with yellow-brown leaves lined the road back to Hachinohe.