This morning, I woke up to the heavy rains of typhoon Wipha. Thankfully, except it being a very rainy day and the walk being canceled, we didn’t have any problems. Yesterday, knowing what the weather would be like, I went for a walk along Oirase stream and took some pictures. That was very lucky as today the stream was a near-overflowing muddy torrent, and not the scenic stream it had been the day before.

So, with the walk being cancelled, Motegi-san, my guide, and I had a great leisurely breakfast. For this first time since the start of my trip I had brown bread and orange marmalade - what a treat! Speaking of food, yesterday’s dinner was equally delicious. One of the specialties of Oirase Keiryu hotel is a fresh mountain vegetable salad bar, where to chef prepares all the salads in front of you with the freshest locally sourced ingredients. I was so happy to have so many vegetables people must have thought I was some kind of weird vegetarian.

After the delicious breakfast we decided to go out nonetheless, since there was no wind. We drove to a shrine next to lake Towada. Thankfully we weren’t the only crazy people out there, navigating between huge puddles. Although I was the only one in yellow (now brown) converse. Wellies might have been more appropriate, come to think of it.
We walked through the shrine’s grounds and along the lake until we were properly drenched, and then headed back for a very deserved onsen.

Oirase Keyriu hotel’s onsen are fabulous - Aomori prefecture is famous for its apples, and one of the hotel’s outdoor baths has bright red apples floating in it - gorgeously decadent, I loved it. And their apple deserts.... be patient, I’ll post a photo of their apple mille-feuilles tomorrow!

Join this walk

Today's hike leads along the scenic Oirase Stream from the Ishigedo bus stop to the Nenokuchi bus stop at the shores of Lake Towadako. The trail up the gorge follows the stream and offers visitors a close up view of the rushing waters as they flow through the forest.

The route ends at Nenokuchi along the eastern shore of Lake Towada, from where the popular sightseeing ferry cruises depart for Yasumiya, a resort town on the lake's southern shore. Buses also depart from Nenokuchi to Yasumiya, Aomori, Shin-Aomori and Hachinohe.

Date	October 16, 2013
Start Time	10:00
Start	Ishigedo (石ヶ戸) Bus Stop
Goal	Nenokuchi (子の口) Bus Stop/Ferry Terminal
Distance	8 kilometers (about 3 hours)
Terrain	The route leads slightly uphill mostly along well maintained nature trails. However, at times hikers must walk on the road that shadows the trail. The bus and car traffic along the road can be distracting, but the noise is mostly drowned out by the rushing water or absorbed by the forest. Note that there are multiple bus stops along the way that can be used to bypass parts of the trail.
Weather	Average daytime high: 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit) Average nighttime low: 6 degrees Celsius (43 degrees Fahrenheit) Weather Forecast for Hachinohe
Access	JR buses from Aomori (about 3 hours, 2400 yen) and Hachinohe (about 2 hours, 2000 yen) run approximately hourly to Lake Towada (Yasumiya), stopping off at Ishigedo (石ヶ戸) and Nenokuchi (子の口) along the way. The JR buses are fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass but not by the JR East Pass. The buses departing Aomori at 7:50 and Yasumiya at 9:10 arrive at Ishigedo well timed for today's walk (see timetables). More details on how to get to the Oirase Stream
Lodgings	Some lodgings can be found on the southern shores of Lake Towada. More accommodation choices can be found in nearby Aomori and Hachinohe. Search hotels in Lake Towada through Japanican Search hotels in Aomori through Agoda, Booking.com or Japanican Search hotels in Hachinohe through Agoda, Booking.com or Japanican

Which is Japan's largest caldera lake?

The correct answer is: Kussharoko

Kussharoko in Hokkaido is with almost 80 square kilometers Japan's largest caldera lake. Biwako is Japan's largest lake, but it is not a caldera lake.

Current Standings: (after 30 days)