Oirase Mountain Stream奥入瀬（おいらせ）渓流

Cascading clear and beautiful waterfalls. White cedar, Japanese beech, and maple trees shimmer in radiant sunshine.

The Oirase-gawa River flows from Lake Towada-ko, and the 14-kilometer source section between Nenokuchi and Yakeyama is called the Oirase Mountain Stream. It runs through a virgin forest rich in variety, containing white cedar, Japanese beech, and maple trees. Along with Lake Towada-ko, the river has been designated as a special scenic spot and natural monument of Aomori.

If you walk along the banks of the stream, you can see close-up the beauty of nature, such as dense green vegetation, ripples in the river, and rocks poking above the water covered with plants and moss.

Also worth seeing are the various waterfalls along the Oirase Mountain Stream. All have different appearances—the 25-meter-high Kumoi-no-taki Falls, the Choshi-otaki Falls with its big flow of water, the Tamasudare-no-taki Falls (where the water rolls down in the shape of balls), and the Shiraito (white thread)-no-taki Falls.

If you walk slowly along the mountain stream, it will take about five hours in all. Or you may take a bus that runs parallel to the walkway. Bicycles are also available for rent at Nenokuchi and Yakeyama. You can ride them just one way and then turn them in at the end of your trip.