Oirase Stream hike - where to start

Hi,

i'll be visiting Towadako at the end of October for koyo. My plan is, to take the 10:00 JR bus from Hachinohe West station; drop off at one of the bus stops in the Oirase stream area, and hike to Towakado-Yasumiya. May I know which is the best spot to start hiking? I would be staying for a night in Towadako.

I'm also thinking of taking the sightseeing cruise on Towadako, but the timing is tricky, and i'm also trying to avoid overlapping some routes.

The following day, my plan is to take the 8:40 JR bus to Aomori, to visit Hirosaki. If needs be, this could be given up. But because of the timing of the JR buses, it might mean i would have ample time in the area the following day. is it worth? Or should my start and end point be a total swap?

BTW, what is the difference between Yasumiya and Yasuya? I came across these names and am unsure if they are both referring to the same area in Towadako.

Thank you very much.

When I searched the route on Google Map, it takes more than 3 hours to walk from Oirase Stream（奥入瀬渓流） to Yasumiya（休屋）.
If you walk to Nenokuchi（子ノ口）, it takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes from Oirase Stream, so I think it's better to walk this way.
There is a sightseeing boat from Nenokuchi to Yasumiya. chrome-http://www.toutetsu.co.jp/ship/leaflet/lake_towada_cruise_english.pdf
http://www.toutetsu.co.jp/ship.html
If you take a bus to Aomori, you may also see the autumn leaves on the Jogakura Bridge.
https://koyo.walkerplus.com/detail/ar0202e12922/
https://www.jrbustohoku.co.jp/towadako-oirase/en/

Thank you, haro1210!

I read from someone's blog that the whole hike is 14km and would take 5 hours. Hence I thought I should cut short and start somewhere to save time and strength, also being able to catch the timing of the sightseeing cruises.

Am considering to start from Ishikedo to Nenokuchi. Regardless, I may not be able to catch the last cruise from Nenokuchi to Yasumiya. Would have to work out my starting point again. 😔

good morning

given the last sightseeing cruise departs from 子ノ口 to 休屋港（遊覧船乗り場) at 13.30pm
the next morning may be a better option if you are keen
http://www.toutetsu.co.jp/ship/pdf/laketowada_time_2024.pdf

so perhaps half day Towadako half day Hirosaki..
the castle is worth visiting given its Hirayama style and historical importance from Edo Period
although personally i am unsure whether any human can walk the next day after Oirase

as a bonus
night illumination at Hirosaki castle starts from 1Nov if your late Oct visit stretches
into Nov
https://www.hirosaki-kanko.or.jp/individual/cat02_autumn_momiji/poster...

if you are taking JR bus Oirase おいらせ21号 at 八戸駅西口 Hachinohe station around 10am
then you can always start the hike from 石ヶ戸 Ishigedo around 11.44am
the walk between 石ヶ戸 Ishigedo and 子ノ口 Nenokuchi is around 3 hours
https://towadako.or.jp/wp-content/themes/towadako/pdf/map/map_oirase.p...
with a few breaks in between
you will soon reach 子ノ口 Nenokuchi before 3.30pm

at this point you can then decide whether to walk another 2 hours to 休屋 Yasumiya area
or take the JR bus Oirase おいらせ23号 departing at 3.35pm for the same destination
https://towadako.or.jp/wp-content/themes/towadako/pdf/map/map_yasumiya...

please note that for nature lovers with passionate soul
it is widely recommended to take the JR bus みずうみ2号
from 青森駅 at 8.10am reaching 奥入瀬渓流館 at 10.11am
doing a full hike of 5 hours along Oirase to 子ノ口 Nenokuchi
then continue for another 2 hours hiking to 休屋 Yasumiya area
or take the JR bus Oirase おいらせ23号 departing at 3.35pm for the same destination

ps
青森県十和田市 休屋 is やすみや Yasumiya
unsure whether Yasuya is a typo :P

have a wonderful trip~

Indeed, according to the map, it seems to take about 3 hours from Ishigedo to Nenokuchi without a break.
(It may take a little more time because it is a climb)
https://towadako.or.jp/en/wp-content/themes/towadakoen/pdf/en_map_oira...
The sightseeing boat departing from Nenokuchi at 16:00 was until October 9.
It seems that you have no choice but to move by bus from Nenokuchi. https://www.jrbustohoku.co.jp/towadako-oirase/en/
I stayed in Towada City and went to see Towada Art Center.
If you have space in your time, I would recommend you to stop by.
https://towadaartcenter.com/en/

Thank you for the input, anastasia!

I have a JR pass, and this is my initial plan.

Day 1 - arrival to Tokyo, onwards to Morioka. if time permits, visit Kakunodate in the late afternoon (overnight in Morioka)
Day 2 - travel from Morioka to Hachinohe (luggage to be left in Morioka), onwards to Towadako (overnight in Towadako)
Day 3 - travel from Towadako to Aomori; onwards to Hirosaki (overnight in Morioka)
Day 4 - travel from Morioka to Furukawa ...

Now I'm intending to change my start point.

Day 1 - arrival to Tokyo, onwards to Shin-Aomori. (overnight in Shin-Aomori)
Day 2 - travel from Shin-Aomori to Aomori (luggage to be left in Shin-Aomori) (overnight in Towadako)
a. bus from Aomori 8:10 to Ishigedo 10:19
b. hike 3 hrs
c. sightseeing cruise from Nenokuchi 13:30 to Yasumiya
Day 3 - travel from Towadako to Aomori; onwards to Hirosaki (overnight in Shin-Aomori)
Day 4 - travel from Shin-Aomori to Furukawa ...

The above plan would only work if i manage to finish the hike in 3hours. I hope this would be more ideal and comfortable, considering that it's the start of my trip. Also because i'll be travelling solo, i'm not sure how the environment/paths are along the hike. The tricky part of this plan, is not being able to make full use of my JR pass the day before and after Towadako visits. And also the long distance travel from Aomori to next stop, Furukawa. But if Towadako is the main sightseeing intention, I would have to accept this.

In the event that I do not complete the hike in 3 hours, I thought of a backup for the following day.
a. take cruise course B from Yasumiya 8:45 and return by 9:35
b. take bus from Yasumiya 10:00 to Hachinohe; onwards to Hirosaki

What are your views?