Lake Towada is not far behind from Mt.Aso (in Kumamoto prefecture) as ‘Caldera Topography’. In the past, the subduction of the Pacific plate produced magma and many giant caldera volcanoes existed. The Caldera outer ring mountain is huge so always I’m wondering which mountain pass to choose as a panoramic view point.
Hakka Pass is too famous and you can find delicious apples, etc. with cheap price at the souvenir shop there but “Kankodai” is very calm especially at twillight.
We have visit Lake Towada even twice searching for nice weather. On the other hand we had also visit Mt.Aso even twice ! We never get tired of watching the caldera terrain.
It appears in front of you the moment you turn the promenade. There is no doubt that it looks snoopy no matter what you look at. I recognized this waterfall when watching TV program casually a few years ago. The official name is Miroku Waterfall, which come from Buddhist thought. Certainly, I felt that way because it suddenly appeared after turning the promenade.
I was planning to make a detour* on the way back from Lake Towada on 2nd day but the sunset was early in the deep mountains, so I gave up to stop by and next day challenged.
*)It is on the way down from Lake Towada to Iwate prefecture through the southside of Aomori prefecture. Entering from the main road**, it is at the end of a dead end road. No gas station nearby around Lake Towada. Be careful !
**)Takko Town is located along the main road. The garlic in Takko Town is famous for its quality, which makes it possible to revitalize the town.
On the way to Matsukawa Hot Spring village there is a local but famous attraction that tourists miss in the countryside.
Columnar joint with autumn colors decoration welcome you when getting off on the river. It is located on the east side across the river, so it would be better in the afternoon to take a photo of shining autumn colors with columnar joint under the sun. Near here the view from “the big bridge of forest ” is also recommended.
Surrounded by Mt.Hachimantai and Mt. Iwate, the Matsukawa basin is a countryside full of autumn colors. It is the best place to enjoy autumn in Tohoku.
Main tourist area is the flat top of Hachimantai mountains with alpine plants and panoramic view around the tourist road named Hachimantai Aspite Line. The mountains are volcano formed by lava with low viscosity. That is why the top is flat. > > read more about volcano story
The origin of the name is told to come from God of battle luck ‘Hachiman-sama’. ‘Hachiman’ is a symbolic icon related to ‘Genji’ that created the first samurai society in Japan.
There are many hot springs in Machimantai volcano. Matsukawa hot spring village, very attractive one of them, is located in the south of Hachimantai and it seems to be floating on the forest sea, especially autumn colors sea. The big truss structure bridge, 5 mins abover the village, has been left due to the cancelation of the traverse road construction plan reflecting natural environment movement and now it fortunately became a great view point !
Panorama View from the bridge (click photo)
panorama left
panorama center
panorama right
Left: toward the flat peak of Mt.Hachimantai
Center: Matsukawa valley (Matsukawa Hot Spring)
Right: toward Mt.Iwate
Matsukawa Hot Spring watching autumn colorsexplanation on the way
A walking tour with a guide (no charge) is held every morning at the hotel ‘Kyounso’ where we stayed at Matsukawa Hot Spring of Hachimantai. Extensive explanation and stories over one hour before breakfast made us feel rich nature of Hachimantai. The following stories, for example, are very attractive !
find water passage on the beech tree surface
<Story 1> (photo 14)
Each beech tree is stored 8-tone water under the ground through the mechanism of the shape of a leaf and water passage on a trunk . So landslide or wildfires do not occur in the beech forest, and they are naturally digested even if they are bonfired or left in the forest. It would be an overstatement to not extinguish the bonfire.
<Story2>
Why is the beech tree growing straight and thick, but not suitable for building materials? It has the property that it cannot grow easily because it is covered with bamboo grass when it is small, and it grows all at once when the bamboo grass dies in about 50 years. As a result, the beech grows straight and large, creating a genuine beech forest like the Shirakami Mountains. Therefore, the center of the annual ring is dense (that is, hard), and the outside of the annual ring is sparse (that is, soft), so it is not suitable as a building material. It is the only building material used in the main hall of Yamadera, Rissyaku-Temple, in Yamagata Prefecture, so be sure to take a closer look before heading to the summit if you go there.
walking 9 Mori-Utsuri
<Story3> (photo 9)
The raw material for Japanese paper is said to be Kozo-mitsumata, but glue is required to bond the fibers. It can be collected from the tree “Nori Utsuri”(see photo 9 below), as the name literary “glue transfer”.
walking 10 Kuromoji
<Story4> (photo 10)
The “Kuro-moji” tree (see photo 10 below) is a material for high-class toothpicks used when eating Japanese sweets in the tea ceremony. Kuro-moji tree is a relaxing fragrant tree and is said to relieve the tension of the tea ceremony.
<Story 5> (photo 13)
A maple designed for Canadian flag colors the forest as autumn leaves. The size of leaves in Japan are small and the Japanese name ‘KAEDE’ came from a flog(‘KAERU’)’s hand(‘TE’), ‘KAEru-no-T(D)E’.
walking 17 Honoki
<Story6> (photo 17)
“Honoki” (see photo 17 below) is a material that is neither hard nor soft. Therefore, it is used as a material for cutting boards that do not lack the teeth of kitchen knives and clogs (wooden shoes) with good cushioning.
I was told a lot of plant names and useful stories, but I couldn’t remember them because of the capacity of my brain.
Is there something like this? Even thought it’s the highlight of the tourist spot ! But few tourists and the roof of trees as an umbrella made us refreshing.
oirase valley waterfall here and there
Surprisingly a few person walk* from Ishigedo to Choshi-Ohtaki for 4 hours. Walking road almost goes along the Oirase river and is flat like the flow. Let’s watch slowly calm flow and attractive waterfalls here and there. Choshi-Ohtaki(big waterfall) flown from Lake Towada welcome you at the goal. Coincidentally we saw the moment when part of the waterfall wall collapsed with explosive sound. I’m sure the wallrock broke along the columnar joints.
choshi big waterfall
*)You can pick up a bus almost every hour at several bus stops on the way. If you use a rental car, it would be difficult to find out your parking space at Ishigedo in high season, especially weekend.
At Ishigedo, the cup of coffee using Oirase flesh water after long walk was full of bliss !
Highlight from Ishigedo to Choshi-Ohtaki(click photo)
Many photographers visit Tsuta swamp for the bright red autumn leaves illuminated by the morning sun. Therefore, general vehicles are restricted from early morning except for the shuttle bus during this period. You’ll have to choose between booking the historical hotel near here or giving up on the relaxing breakfast at other hotels to get a shuttle bus. Fortunately or unfortunately, we enjoyed a calm and fresh walk in the light rain. The hotel will lend you an umbrella and boots.
tsuta swamp
tsuta swamp right
The bathtub of Tsuta Hot Spring is deep and is filled with overwhelming hot water. And don’t forget that there is a fresh hot spring right under the bathtub. You can directly receive the blessings of the earth with delicious dinner.
The origin of the name Hakkoda Mountains seems to be that there are many shell-shaped peaks and marshes. Therefore, it is a very complicated terrain. So the next tragedy may have been born.
What comes to mind at Hakkoda Mountains is the 1902 distress of 200 people during the snow march training of the Japanese Army. It seems preparing for the war against Russia. Meanwhile, another unit was also training at the same time, and it is said that it passed through the distress scene but was kept secret.
suiren swamp at hakkoda in autumn
Most travelers look at the rugs of autumn colors on the Hakkoda ropeway, but those who love the countryside want to immerse themselves in a quiet place. The route going through from Sukayu hot spring to Tsuta hot spring, which is opposite side of the distress, is one of my favorite driving roads. Stopping by at Suiren swamp is strongly recommended because Mt.Hakkoda mountains reflect on the surface of the swamp on a sunny day and in the silence, wild birds and toads ! (big frogs) echo their voices in the distance. Hell swamp with strong acid water near Sukayu hot spring, the photo of which is indicated on the top of this blog page, is also charming.
If you travel connecting Shirakami mountains and Hakkoda mountains or Lake Towada, going through Jougakura bridge is highly recommended especially in autumn season. The color around the bridge changes into red.
autumn leaves from bridge
You can walk on the bridge safely after parking at the edge of it. But strong winds on the bridge take away heat from the body.
center of bridge plate
Look down like a bird at the middle of the bridge ! Deep valley 122m below the bridge is trying to swallow you. The river is so acidic that no fish can live in it.
bird eyes
There is Sukayu Onsen(Hot Spring), the bath of which is made of Hiba wood and can accommodate 1,000 people at a time, but it is also strongly acidic and it makes you tingle when you take a bath, so be careful of people with sensitive skin. It is famous for mixed bathing, but there is a place to take it individually in the back.
It is easy to approach the entrance to World Heritage, but places inside where a tourist could reach by himself were limited. Furthermore ‘Anmon Fall’* was closed due to typhoon damages. You should chose between to be satisfied with a glance or to spend all day. Next time I would like to challenge with a guide.
kumagera tapping the tree
*)There are many approach routes to the heart of Shirakami mountains. ’Twenty ponds walking course’ is easily accessible from the sea side with public transportation and you can feel variety of nature.
