Towada, Oirase (Aomori)
Local Guide
5 Family-Friendly Experience Spots in Towada, Oirase and Hachinohe

Towada, Oirase and Hachinohe are full of nature, including the Oirase Stream and Lake Towada. From Activities that allow you to enjoy the scenery of each season, to Country Life where you can get in touch with the local people, to Property where you can learn about traditional crafts, we will introduce you to Experiences that will allow you to fully enjoy the charms of this area.

＜Recommended Activities in Towada, Oirase, Hachinohe

A palm-sized version of Oirase's moss garden

The Moss Ball Terrace features a large display of moss balls
The Moss Ball Terrace features a large display of moss balls

At Oirase Moss Ball Park, you can participate in hands-on experiences such as “Moss Ball Making” and “Gourd Lamp Making.”A “moss ball” is a type of mini-bonsai that’s easy to make. You cover the plant’s roots with soil, shape it into a ball, and attach moss to the surface. The moss-covered appearance looks just like a snapshot of the Oirase Stream scenery, making it perfect for creating lasting memories. Its round, plump shape is also popular for its cute look.
The base uses plants of the same species as those found growing naturally in the Oirase Gorge. You can choose your favorite from several different types of plants. Popular choices include beech and Japanese maple, which are lovely in the green season and also offer beautiful autumn foliage. Ferns are also recommended, as they pair well with the moss and evoke the atmosphere of a deep forest.


Local Guide

The experience of making kokedama (moss balls) is popular with both children and adults. At first, it is difficult to roll the moss as you wish, but with gentle advice, you can easily get the hang of it.

Handcraft your own one-of-a-kind gourd lamp

You can experience crafting in a space surrounded by over 300 lamps
You can experience crafting in a space surrounded by over 300 lamps

Over 300 species of moss have been identified in the Oirase Stream, including the perfectly round “Tamagoke” and the flower-patterned “Kotsubogoke.”In the “gourd lamp” experience, you’ll sketch a design with a pencil and use a awl to punch holes that form the pattern, creating your own original lamp. The light that shines through from inside is very romantic, making for a lovely piece of home decor.
You can also purchase these items as souvenirs. “Gourd lamps” and “moss balls” are displayed, and it’s fun just to browse them.
In addition, Oirase Moss Ball Park features a “Moss Viewing Corner” where you can examine moss through a magnifying glass, as well as numerous photo spots where you can take commemorative photos.

Oirase Moss Ball Park
  • Address64-195 Yakiyama, Horyo, Towada City, Aomori Prefecture MAP
  • Direction Approximately 40 minutes from JR Shichinohe-Towada Station by car, 50 minutes from JR Misawa Station by car
  • Bus Direction From Hachinohe Station, take the JR Bus Tohoku “Oirase” and get off at “Oirase Keiryu Hot Spring.” The ride takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes; from the final stop, it’s about a 1-minute walk.
  • Hours of Operation 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
  • Closed Days Open daily *Closed during winter
  • Admission Fee “Moss Ball” Making Experience: 2,000 yen and up; Gourd Lamp Making Experience: 6,000 yen
  • Phone 080-2165-7454
  • Parking Free
  • Memo For details on Experience times, age groups, etc., please check the official website.

Try your hand at making Nambusaki Ori, a traditional textile!

A table center made by the Nanbu SAKIORI Experience. It takes about one hour.
A table center made by the Nanbu SAKIORI Experience. It takes about one hour.

This is a spot where visitors can experience making traditional crafts and other processed products using locally grown vegetables and fruits. One of the must-try experiences here is making a table center using Nanbu SAKIORI. Nanbu SAKIORI has been handed down in the Nanbu region of Aomori Prefecture for more than 200 years. In the old days, cotton was very precious in the northern part of Japan, so when the cloth became old, it was carefully reworked into obi belts, kotatsu quilts, and other items for use.
In this Experience, you will choose your favorite pattern from a variety of colorful fabrics and finish it on a loom called Izari-bata. Even beginners can feel at ease, as they are taught almost one-on-one in a very detailed manner. The ripped cloth will be transformed into a wonderful work of art.


Local Guide

When they are used up, they are not thrown away but are reborn into the next textile so that they can be used again. I feel the ingenuity, wisdom, and various thoughts of the people living in the northern part of Japan.

Let's make eco-friendly slippers using corn husks!

A completed table center and a pair of slippers made of
A completed table center and a pair of slippers made of "kigara" (a type of Japanese sweet-smelling wood).

Making slippers using kikigara (corn husks) is another experience unique to Towada. Towada has long been known as a production center of horses, and the idea of making slippers out of corn husks was conceived so as not to waste the corn husks grown for feed.
The experience includes making the bottom part, which looks like a straw sandal. The instep part requires technique, so basically the finished product is attached. The work takes about four hours for one pair, which requires a little patience, but the slippers are comfortable to wear and the retro patterns are stylish. They also make great souvenirs.
In addition, once a month, visitors can experience agricultural product processing, making dumplings, tofu, and bread by hand using ingredients produced in Towada City. Visitors can enjoy eating freshly made local delicacies, and the experience is fun for both children and adults.

Roadside Station Towada, Towada Pia
  • Address 37-2 Denbōji-Hirakubo, Towada City, Aomori Prefecture MAP
  • Direction Approximately 26 minutes by cab from Misawa Station
    Approx. 30 min. by cab from Shichinohe-Towada Station
  • Business Hours 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.
  • Closed January 1
  • Phone 0176-28-3790
  • Parking Free

Visit one of the best moss forests in Japan with a nature guide

The
The "Oirase Keiryu Moss Walk" tour is available from mid-April to early November.

The Oirase Stream has been selected as one of "Japan's precious moss forests" by the Bryophyte Society of Japan. The Oirase Nature and Tourism Resource Study Group offers the "Oirase Keiryu Moss Walk," in which expert nature guides show visitors the charms of the Oirase Keiryu through mosses. Visitors can learn how to identify mosses and how they relate to other living things, as well as how to use a loupe for observation and how to take photos with a smartphone or camera.
The tour is also a rambling, leisurely walk of several hundred meters for one and a half hours or three hours. You can enjoy plenty of nature other than mosses, admiring the flowers and grasses in spring and listening to the calls of birds such as orioles in summer.


Local Guide

Mosses that looked the same from a distance had different sizes and types when viewed with a loupe. When I observed them carefully, I began to think that mosses are cute.

There are many ways to enjoy the nature of Oirase each season!

In the
In the "Mushroom*Nokonoko Photo Tour," you can meet cute mushrooms just like the ones you see in picture books.

From June to October, the "Mushroom*Nokonoko Photo Tour" and "Fern Plant Observation Tour" are held to look for a variety of mushrooms, including colorful and uniquely shaped ones.
A winter nature tour in February and March is the "Snowy Oirase Sanpo-Crystal Fantasy-". Visitors can enjoy an exploratory atmosphere by putting on snowshoes and heading out into the silvery white world, admiring mosses trapped in the ice, and looking for the footprints of marten and other wild animals.
All tours are offered in small groups of up to five or six people, making it easy to communicate with the guides.

Oirase Natural Tourism Resource Study Group
  • Address 11-1 Nishi 23-bancho, Towada-shi, Aomori, 1 Okuse-Sobeyama, Towada-shi, Aomori (meeting place "Ishigado Rest Area") MAP
  • Direction Approx. 50 min. by car from JR Shichinohe-Towada Station, approx. 1 hr. by car from Aomori Railway Misawa Station
  • Direction From JR Hachinohe Station, take JR Bus Tohoku-Towadakita Line "Oirase-go" bound for Towadako (about 1 hour and 40 minutes), and get off at Ishigado (2 buses a day, available only from mid-April to mid-November).
  • Business hours 9:00-17:00 (telephone hours), tours are held from 6:00-17:00.
  • Closed Closed on weekends and holidays
  • Admission Fee Elementary school students: 2,000-3,000 yen; junior high school students and older: 3,000-6,000 yen (varies by tour)
    Reservations required for each tour. For details, please check the official website.
  • Phone 0176-23-5866moshikuhainfo@oiken.org Inquire by e-mail to
  • Parking Free of charge (Parking at Ishigado Rest Area)

Cruise around the specially protected area of Lake Towada on a high-speed boat!

The RIB tour, which represents Japan, takes about 50 minutes. The maximum speed of the travel section is 50Kt! Children as young as 1 year old can participate.
The RIB tour, which represents Japan, takes about 50 minutes. The maximum speed of the travel section is 50Kt! Children as young as 1 year old can participate.

Visitors can enjoy a wide variety of activities at "Guriland" starting from Lake Towada.
The most popular "RIB Tour" is an adventure cruise around Lake Towada aboard a RIB boat used for military, rescue, and polar expeditions. The tour explores steep cliffs and specially protected areas with virgin forests. The highlight of the tour is Itomuka Cove, one of the headwaters of the Oirase Stream. The crystal clear surface of the lake is mysterious, and rare underwater creatures such as the Tohokusan salamander can be seen in the water.
The tour also visits caves, ancient ruins, and power spots, and there is a 99% chance of encountering wild animals such as antelopes, flying squirrels, and golden eagles along the way. You can fully enjoy the dynamic nature of the area.


Local Guide

The beauty of the water of Lake Towada, which cannot be seen from the land, is impressive. It is exhilarating with a sense of speed that is hard to experience!

Activities unique to the snow country

Towadako CAT Tour
Towadako CAT Tour" to enjoy driving in a snowmobile

From mid-December to mid-March, visitors can enjoy activities unique to snow country with the "Lake Towada CAT Tour," a snowmobile drive along the shores of Lake Towada and the Oirase mountain stream.
This one-hour tour takes visitors to Kanko-dai, one of the most scenic spots on Lake Towada. On the way, you can change into snowshoes and enjoy trekking while admiring the snowy scenery. At the finish line, drink service is available, and for an extra fee, stone oven pizza and snow barbecue are available. Freshly cooked food in the clear air is exceptional. It will warm your body and soul.

Griland
  • Address 123-1 Utarube, Lake Towada side, Okuse-aza, Towada-shi, Aomori MAP
  • Direction Approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes from Hachinohe Station on the JR and Aoimori Railway lines by car.
  • Direction From Hachinohe Station on the JR and Aoimori Railway lines, take the JR Bus Tohoku-Towadakita Line "Oirase-go" bound for Towadako (approx. 2 hr. 5 min.); approx. 2 min. walk from Shimo-Utarube stop (operates from mid-April to mid-November).
  • Business hours 7:00-19:00 (telephone service)
  • Closed Days Open daily
  • Admission Fee RIB Tour: Ages 12 and up: 4,000–6,000 yen (varies by departure time); Ages 11 and under: 2,000 yen
    Canoe Tour: Adults: 12,000 yen; Children under 11: 6,000 yen
    Lake Towada CAT Tour: 5,000 yen for ages 12 and older; 2,000 yen for ages 11 and younger
    *Reservations may be required for some tours. Please check the official website for details
  • Phone 0176-75-2755, 090-4159-4811
  • Parking Free

Experience country life in Nango, Hachinohe City

Soba noodle making and
Soba noodle making and "Tempo-Senbei" making can be experienced all year round.

This Experience-type Property is located in Nango, a suburb of Hachinohe City. Visitors can learn about the lifestyle and traditional culture of the region.
Local delicacies such as buckwheat noodle making, tofu making, "tenpo senbei," a soft and moist rice cracker, and "mameshitogi," made by kneading crushed beans into rice flour, are recipes of local grandmothers. Other Experience menus vary depending on the season, such as making woven slippers from scraps of cloth and baskets from kuzu vines. All are filled with the wisdom of traditional life. You can also get to know the local people, whose warm personalities and dialectal conversation will make your heart warm and fuzzy.


Local Guide

There is a full menu of Experiences where local masters are active. The location is also lovely.

A peaceful Property surrounded by old-fashioned atmosphere and nature

About 2 million sunflowers bloom behind the school building. Experience picking sunflowers.
About 2 million sunflowers bloom behind the school building. Experience picking sunflowers.

The Experience Property is a renovated wooden school building of the former Masuda Elementary and Junior High School, which was closed down more than 100 years ago, and is filled with nostalgic items such as an organ and a channel-type TV.
There is also the "Yomasari Dam Museum," which introduces the life of the village around the school that was submerged in the dam lake to create the Yomasari Dam, and a farmhouse restaurant where visitors can taste locally produced juwari soba (buckwheat noodles).
In addition, seasonal events are held, and the "Soba and Sunflower Flower Viewing Week" held in late August is so popular that more than 35,000 people visit every year. The approximately 4 hectares of fields are dyed in two colors, white and yellow, and the beauty of the flowers is breathtaking.

Yama no Gakko
  • Address 6-2 Kitanohata, Shimamori, Nango, Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture MAP
  • Direction Approx. 25 min. by car from JR Hachinohe Stn.
  • Business hours 8:00-17:00, Experience: ~15:00, Farmhouse Restaurant: 11:00-14:00
  • Closed Mondays (closed the next day if Monday is a national holiday)
  • Admission Fee 100-3,000 yen (varies depending on the Experience)
    Reservations are required for each Experience. Please check the official website for details.
  • Phone 0178-82-2222
  • Parking Free

MAP

＜Recommended Activities in Towada, Oirase, Hachinohe
Nearby Hoshino Resorts Properties
Back to Top of Article
*The information provided is current as of the article’s update date. Please check in advance before visiting, as details are subject to change.