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Towada-Hachimantai NP, Akita
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Pilgrims approaching Towada Shrine from Kemanai on the White-sawa road came via Oyu and Shirasawa. Hakka Pass was a 遥拝所—a place to worship from afar—so this familiar panorama once had a sacred role.
Below this viewpoint is Wainai’s hatchery. In 1905, Wainai Sadayuki successfully introduced himemasu (kokanee) to the lake, starting Towada’s fish-farming industry; the fish remains a local specialty.
In 1914, horse-drawn carriages could finally reach Hakka Pass, and the Nanso-maru pleasure cruiser was launched on the lake. But a road from the pass to the shore did not open until 1927.
In 1908, Towada tourism pioneer Wainai Sadayuki opened his second inn, Juwankaku, at Hakka. This ridge-top spot was already welcoming overnight visitors while the lake was still difficult to reach.
Lake Towada was selected as Japan’s best lake view in the 1927 New Eight Views poll. The commemorative stone was erected in 1931 at neighboring Shimeitei, not Hakka Pass; Hakka itself appears across that view.
