Aomori · Oirase GorgeNo.849★★★Open in map →

Oirase Gorge

natureThe classic — done right

The stream that drains Lake Towada runs down a wooded corridor where a road and a footpath sit side by side. Buses stop all along it, so the gorge can be walked in the length you choose rather than end to end.

FromAomori Station
~2 hr 10 minJR bus, seasonal
Get off atIshigedo (JR Bus Tohoku, Lake Towada line)
On foot
Oirase Gorge

Directions ↗

Where it is

34 more notes in Aomori · open the map →

What to look for — in walking order

Nenokuchithe lake's outlet and the top of the walk, with the pier for boats to Yasumiya
Choshi Otakithe largest waterfall on the main stream, a short way below the lake
Kudan Fallsa stepped fall on the far bank, listed among the gorge's main sights
Kumoi Fallsa fall close to the road with a bus stop of its own
Ishigedothe rest house, car park and bus stop where most walks begin or end

How to actually get there

Aomori Station east exit, stand 11 → Nenokuchi (JR Bus Tohoku, Mizuumi service, about 2 hr 30 min).
Nenokuchi → walk downstream on the riverside path, past Choshi Otaki and Kudan Falls.
Kumoi Falls → Ishigedo, the last stretch of path, ending at the rest house.
Ishigedo → northbound bus back toward Aomori or Hachinohe.

JR bus from Aomori Station: From Aomori Station east exit, stand 11, take the JR Bus Tohoku Mizuumi service toward Lake Towada. It climbs over the Hakkoda range, breaks at Tsuta Onsen and reaches Ishigedo in about two hours ten minutes; Nenokuchi, at the top of the gorge, is twenty minutes further on. Shin-Aomori Station is a boarding-only stop on the same run.
Northbound from Ishigedo: Buses back toward Aomori leave Ishigedo at 9:34, 14:19 and 15:34, reaching the station at 11:44, 16:29 and 17:44. For Hachinohe they go at 10:34 and 16:34. Nothing runs after that, and there is no station in the gorge, so settle your return before you start walking.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Lake Towada has a single outlet, and everything below it is the Oirase. From Nenokuchi down to Yakeyama the water drops about fourteen kilometres through a narrow wooded floor, past named rapids and one waterfall after another. The unusual part is the layout. National Route 102 and the riverside path run beside each other the whole way, and JR buses stop at the named falls and rapids one after another along it. So the walk has no fixed size. Ride to one stop, walk to the next, get back on. Michelin's green guide gives the gorge two stars, and the autumn colour is what most people come for.

How to enjoy it

The recommended full walk, Nenokuchi down to Yakeyama, is quoted at about four hours. Coming from Aomori the first through bus reaches Ishigedo at 10:19 and the last one back leaves at 15:34, which is a long section rather than the whole gorge. Ride up to the lake end first and walk down, and the water runs with you instead of against you.

Background & history

The Oirase exists because Lake Towada sits in a collapsed volcano with one low point in its rim. Water leaves there and cuts down through the old crater wall, and the falls come one after another along that drop. On 1 February 1936 the area was taken into Towada-Hachimantai National Park, which covers ground in Aomori, Iwate and Akita. The road and the footpath were laid along the same narrow floor, and that single decision is still what shapes a visit here.

Before you go

Cash: Fares are by distance and paid as you get off: 2,820 yen from Aomori or Shin-Aomori, 2,380 yen from Hachinohe, 1,120 yen down from the Lake Towada terminus. Transport IC cards work on board. Take a numbered ticket when you board at a stop inside the gorge.
Good to know: The line is seasonal — in 2026 the Mizuumi service started on 1 April and the Oirase service on 11 April — and the gorge is under snow through the northern winter. The buses carry no toilet, so the timetable builds in short breaks. The riverside path is unpaved and follows the water closely.
Another way: From Hachinohe Station west exit the Oirase service reaches Ishigedo in about an hour forty-five. Services 21 and 23 need a reservation if you board at Hachinohe. That route also passes the Towada Art Center, which makes it the better approach if you want a stop in the city on the way.
After you get off: Ishigedo sits on Route 102 with the rest house on the river side of the road. The path down to the water starts at the building, and the walking route runs both up and down the gorge from there.

Nearby notes

Nature · Aomori★★★