Lake Towada-ko十和田湖

The four seasons are reflected splendidly by a dual crater lake. The clear water of the lake is breathtaking.

Lake Towada-ko is at the top of a 400-meter-high mountain on the border between Aomori and Akita. The lake is a dual crater lake that was formed by the caving in of a volcano mouth formed by a giant eruption. With a depth of 327 meters, the lake is the third deepest in Japan. The water is so translucent that you can see down into it for 10 meters. Lake Towada-ko reflects the four seasons in its clear blue water accentuated by the fresh green of spring, autumn leaves, and the snow in winter, giving the lake a mysterious beauty.

There are four observation points set up around the lake, so you can enjoy the lake's appearance from different angles. Sightseeing boats leave from the Yasumiya bus terminal, and go to Nenokuchi at the entrance to the Oirase Mountain Stream and Utarube, which is always alive with fishermen. Seeing the lake from a boat shows a different kind of beauty than can been seen from the lakeshore. Near Yasumiya there are all sorts of facilities, including a campsite, the Towada Visitor Center, and the Towada-ko Tansuigyo (freshwater) Aquarium. If you walk a short distance from Yasumiya, there are a sculpture of a maiden by the lake (the last work of the poet and sculptor Kotaro Takamura) and Towada-jinja, a shrine said to have been built in the 9th century.