Lake Towada Sightseeing Boat Yasumiya Pier was added to Your Favorites!
Towada-Hachimantai NP, Aomori
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Towada’s beloved himemasu began as an experiment: fish could not naturally reach the lake, so Sadayuki Wainai brought kokanee eggs from Hokkaido in 1902. Today it is a local specialty, sold in Yasumiya.
When the water is low, boat riders may spot Mikadoishi: just the summit of an approximately 4,000-year-old volcanic cone pokes above the lake. Most of this little volcano is hidden underwater.
Towada’s first sightseeing boats were Japanese rowboats supplied by lakeside inns; motorboats followed in the early Taisho era. By 1912, the excursion boat Oirase-maru was in service on the lake.
The Yasumiya round-trip route passes between Ogura and Nakayama peninsulas, which frame Lake Towada’s inner caldera. Beneath that stretch, the basin plunges to 326.8 meters—Japan’s third-deepest lake depth.
A cruise from this pier can take you to Nenokuchi, where Lake Towada’s only outflow begins the Oirase River. The lake trip and the famous gorge are connected by the same water.
Yasumiya Port became the country’s first lake-based “Minato Oasis” in July 2011. The designation recognizes a harbor area that supports community life and tourism—not just a place to board a boat.
This isn’t simply a fixed stone quay: Yasumiya’s floating pier was improved in fiscal 2004 to accommodate larger vessels and barrier-free access.
