Lake Towada 十和田湖
Cruise on the massive crater lake
The largest volcanic caldera lake on Honshū, impressive Towada-ko, in Aomori prefecture, is gloriously undeveloped, surrounded by a steep, forested caldera rim that rises several hundred meters above the lake's surface.
It’s a good place to explore by rental car, circumnavigating the lake and stopping at various viewpoints.
There are sightseeing cruises out on the lake between April and November.
The Oirase Stream, flowing out of Towada-ko, is one of Japan's most famous and popular autumn colors destinations. An easy-to-walk, 9km hiking trail leads along the most scenic, upper passage of the stream’s gorge, between Nenokuchi and Ishigedo. Unfortunately the trail shares the gorge with a busy road, but the colours are magnificent.