5 Best Sights in Towada–Hachimantai National Park, Tohoku

If you have a car, a day trip to the uppermost "hook" of the Mutsu/Shimokita Peninsula is highly recommended. A 30-minute drive north of Mutsu takes you to Osore-zan, which literally means "Scary Mountain." On the ash-gray shores of the Lake Usori caldera, an otherworldly landscape awaits, with boardwalks that lead over sulfur pools and past shrines to the dead. There's even an enclosed onsen where you can shuck your clothes and bathe in the water. At festivals held in July and October, itako (traditionally blind female shamans, but most who do this are not blind now) open stalls to tell your fortune and communicate with your deceased loved ones. It's a memorable day at the end of the world.

For walking among the splendid and vast virgin beech, pine, and cedar forests deep in the heart of Tohoku, you could not pick a better destination than Towada-Hachimantai National Park. The mountains afford sweeping panoramas over the park's gorges and valleys, crystal clear lakes like Towada-ko, gnarled and windswept trees, and volcanic cones. The park straddles Aomori, Iwate, and Akita prefectures, and sprawls over 330 square miles (855 square km). Hot springs and tiny villages lost in time are secreted here, and the fresh tree-scented air promotes a feeling of true wilderness. Most facilities are closed between mid-November and April.

Inside Towada-Hachimantai National Park, Nyuto consists of seven different hinabita onsen—all charming—characterized by their milky water and surrounded by a beech forest. Each onsen has well-managed ryokan, and you can purchase a pass (¥1,800) at the ryokan where you are staying that gives you free shuttle transport and access to all seven. Shuttles run about one per hour. Nyuto is about 45 minutes from Tazawa-ko. From JR Tazawa-ko Station, take the Ugokotsu bus bound for Nyuto Onsen, and ask your ryokan where to get off; they will pick you up from the nearest stop.

An excellent—if a bit crowded—choice for a walk is this gorge northeast of the lake at Nenokuchi. The carefully tended trail follows a river and a series of waterfalls for a total of 9 km (5½ miles; about two hours 40 minutes). A two-lane road parallels the river, so if you get tired you can catch buses north to Aomori and south to Nenokuchi and Yasumiya. Be prepared for cold mist or rain, pack ample snacks and water, and find out the bus schedule before you start out.

Thanks to its famous fall colors, Lake Towada welcomes a rumbling fleet of packed tour buses when the leaves begin to change. The lake fills a volcanic crater to a depth of 1,096 feet, making it the third deepest in Japan. The crater is held aloft like a giant goblet above the surrounding topography, giving it a dramatic illusory aspect. Boat tours let you float by the lovely landscape.