Oirase Gorge,
Aomori Pref., Tohoku

Oirase Gorge ( above ), located in Aomori Prefecture, Tohoku Region, is famous and popular among tourists who are interested in walking along clear streams surrounded by forests. Oirase Gorge, rich in nature, is a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and a Natural Monument of Japan.

Oirase Stream ( above ) flows out of Towada-Ko Lake along the floor of Oirase Gorge. Visitors would enjoy viewing not only the clear stream but also mossy rocks, various waterfalls and riverside forests, whose green through spring - summer is hospitable to visitors as well as its autumn colour is a feast.

Many visitors enjoy walking along a trail ( above ) crisscrossing Oirase Stream. The trail ( length 14km ) leads visitors from Yakeyama to Nenoguchi, located on the shore of Towada-Ko Lake. Tourists, who walk along Oirase Trail, would enjoy viewing various landscapes of Oirase Stream, forests and waterfalls.

There are very few restaurants/shops along the trail. So it is recommended to bring food and drink. Though there are some bus stops near the trail, no bus runs from mid-November through mid-April.

While walking around Oirase Gorge, visitors could see a few dozens of waterfalls such as Choshi Waterfall ( width 20m - above ), Kumoi Waterfall, Shiraito Waterfalls and so on.

Those who walk around Oirase Gorge would see various kinds of wild birds such as kingfishers, mandarin ducks, wrens and brown dippers ( above ). Brown dippers, aquatic birds, could be seen in and/or near Oirase Stream. They feed by wading in and diving into the stream.

Tsuta Onsen ( hot spring ), located near an entrance of Oirase Gorge, is one of the oldest hot springs in Japan. A document written in the 12th century refers to Tsuta Onsen, where tourists could enjoy bathing in Tsuta Onsen Ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn, whose main building ( above ) was constructed in A.D.1918.

Though there is no restaurant nor shop around Tsuta Onsen, breakfast/lunch/dinner could be served in Tsuta Onsen Ryokan, such as traditional Japanese course dinner ( above ) featuring ingredients produced locally.

Tsuta Onsen Hot Spring is surrounded by beech forests in which visitors could enjoy walking along a trail ( length 2.8km - above ). Needless to say, there is no restaurant/bar nor shop in the forests.

The trail leads visitors from Tsuta Onsen to six ponds - Tsuta-numa ( above ), Kagami-numa, Tsuki-numa, Naga-numa, Suga-numa and Hyotan-numa. Visitors would enjoy not only walking in forests but also viewing landscapes of ponds.

Visitors, walking along the trail, would see various kinds of wild birds in forests and/or around ponds. The above photo, taken at Suga-numa Pond, shows a mandurin duck. They stay in the south of Japan in winter and move back in spring to the north such as Tohoku and Hokkaido Regions.