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JR Tohoku bus + Towadako cruise 2013/5/5 04:28
Hello!

I want to take the Mizuuni 2 bus to Towada and get off at the last stop so I can take the cruise from Yasumiya one way (course A) to Nenokuchi. From there I'll start my descent along the Oirase gorge to Ishigego to re-unite with the Mizuuni 9 bus to take me back to Shin-Osaka. Based on those two links below, it appears the bus arrives to Towadako at 10:35 and the cruise leaves at 10:45. My question is, does the bus stop and the cruise start from the same location or nearby? Are the cruises somewhat organized time-wise to coincide with the arrival of buses? I know there's traffic to deal with, as I've driven there on numerous occasions back in the 1980s. It's cutting it quite close, but if I make it in time, it would be a tremendous time-saver. Thank you all! This will be a 10/13 day trip, Sunday. I know with koyo season things can get hectic.

http://www.toutetsu.co.jp/ship/Acourse.html

http://www.jrbustohoku.co.jp/route/detail/?PID=9&RID=14&BID=268
by John B digs Japan  

Re: JR Tohoku bus + Towadako cruise 2013/5/5 10:16
My question is, does the bus stop and the cruise start from the same location or nearby?

Yes, just next to each other.

Are the cruises somewhat organized time-wise to coincide with the arrival of buses?

No.

This will be a 10/13 day trip, Sunday. I know with koyo season things can get hectic.

I personally would be worried about the bus Mizuumi 9 being full (not sure whether the worries are justified, though - in the average year it is a little early for the peak of the autumn colors). Accordingly, I would do the entire trip the other way around so that I could board the bus at its first station with advance reservations:
Aomori - (bus) - Ishigedo - (walk) - Nenokuchi - (boat) - Yasumiya - (bus) - Aomori

I also personally think it is slightly nicer to walk upstream than downstream as you can constantly look at the river "from below".

A further advantage is that in case you finish the walk faster than expected, there is much more to see and do around Yasumiya than around Ishigedo.
by Uji rate this post as useful

Re: JR Tohoku bus + Towadako cruise 2013/5/5 11:07
Uji, I was thinking of your suggestion as well. It probably is the better of the two options. As I'll have a JR Pass, I was thinking of reserving those two tickets the minute I land at Narita just to ensure I have a seat back to Aomori, since I'll be taking a Hayate to Sendai that evening.
by John B digs Japan (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: JR Tohoku bus + Towadako cruise 2013/5/5 11:31
I read the page about tickets for that bus line again. The situation is as follows:

Advance reservations are only possible if you ride the bus from Aomori, Shin-Aomori, Hachinohe, Towadako/Yasumiya or Nenokuchi. If you board from other bus stops, advance reservations are not possible. That's why I personally would prefer to board at Tawadako bus stop, because it allows for advance reservations.

By the way, advance reservations do not come with designated seats. Instead, you simply sit where there is a vacant seat. More than anything else, these advance reservations give the bus company an idea of about how many passengers it has to expect on that particular day, so that it can prepare additional buses in case that one bus is not sufficient.

So, usually they will prepare enough buses, but on the Q&A page they do warn that if you board along the way and the bus is full, it can happen that you have to wait for the next one. Of any time of the year, I feel that Sunday afternoons in the autumn could be the most risky days of that actually to happen.
by Uji rate this post as useful

Re: JR Tohoku bus + Towadako cruise 2013/5/5 12:10
Uji, thank you once again for the research. As far as reservations go, I knew I wasn't going to have a particular seat reserved. Knowing I had a seat on the bus is all I needed. If I can get off at Ishigedo and walk up the gorge, then fine, that's what I'll do. I'll just reserve the bus from JR Aomori and get off at Ishigedo and the return from Towadako stop to Shin-Aomori where I'll board the Hayate.

I think I'll have about 3-3.5 hours for the walk up the gorge, so that should be enough to fully enjoy it once again.

Thanks again! (But if you find out anything else, let me know!)

by John B digs Japan (guest) rate this post as useful

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