Lake Towada
Lake Towada is a volcanic crater lake straddling Aomori and Akita prefectures, inside a national park.
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Lake Towada
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Lake Towada is a volcanic crater lake straddling Aomori and Akita prefectures, inside a national park.
Its central basin is 327 meters deep, third in Japan, and a 50-minute cruise tours the Ogura and Nakayama peninsulas.
MoreWhat kind of place
Lake Towada is a caldera lake (a lake in a volcanic crater) formed by volcanic activity that began about 200,000 years ago, and it sits inside Towada-Hachimantai National Park on the Aomori–Akita border. Today Yasumiya on its southern shore is the sightseeing base, with inns, restaurants, souvenir shops and the cruise landing (though the shops have thinned out and the restaurants had queues in mid-August 2026), and the lake does not freeze in winter.
With kidsThe part that matters
The 50-minute cruise leaves from Yasumiya, the lakeside area of inns, restaurants and souvenir shops, and passes steep cliffs up close.
Much of the ride can be spent on the outdoor deck, where the onboard shop sells soap bubbles to blow.
After the cruise, a well-kept lakeshore path leads about 10 minutes to the Maiden Statue, a bronze by Takamura Kotaro and the lake's symbol. South of the landing, the Visitor Center has a bird-call quiz and crafts. Each stretch is short, so the outing breaks easily into pieces.
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1Not checked yet
- Ages 2-3A nearly-3-year-old who tends to cry at loud noises rode the cruise in late April, before Golden Week, and was not scared by the engine, and visitors were not yet many that day.
- Ages 4-6Soap bubbles from the ship's shop flew well on deck for a 3rd-grader and a final-year kindergartner in late July 2025, because the ship was moving. Near the water, however, keep a hand close: on the nearby Oirase Stream path, a final-year kindergartner who reached for the water fell in within a minute of setting off, in a shallow spot with no current, and was changed and walking on again.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayA downpour can take away the views: in one in August 2022, the far shore could not be seen from Kankodai, an overlook on a cliff above the central basin, and a school-age child was disappointed. The ship, however, has an indoor cabin as well as its outdoor deck.
- Hot dayOne visitor found the lakeshore cool in summer, day and night, and the water is clear enough in the shallows to show the sandy bottom. Also, on a hot holiday in July 2021, a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old waded in, and the younger one ended up playing in only a diaper and a shirt.
- Cold dayOne visitor at the end of May found the lake a little cold, so a layer is worth packing for the outdoor deck.
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：not checked
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：not checked
- ChangingDiaper changing table：not checked
- Family WCFamily restroom：not checked
- Own foodOutside food allowed：not checked
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Tap a mark for details.
Not yet checked: 7
Lost-child support, Indoor / outdoor, Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool, Official family-friendly certification, High chair, Kids' menu
* Not at this spot — nearest options (6)
- Elevator: not at the spot itself. We read 107 pages and found 1 nearby instead.
- Puratto has an elevator for getting around the building. source
- Nursing space: not at the spot itself. We read 107 pages and found 2 nearby instead.
- Diaper changing table: not at the spot itself. We read 107 pages and found 2 nearby instead.
- Family restroom: not at the spot itself. We read 107 pages and found 1 nearby instead.
- Puratto has a multipurpose restroom for wheelchair and ostomy users. source
- Outside food allowed: not at the spot itself. We read 107 pages and found 1 nearby instead.
- One family ate their own coffee and sweets aboard the ship in July 2019. source
- English support: not at the spot itself. We read 107 pages and found 1 nearby instead.
- Announcements aboard the cruise were Japanese only and hard to hear in August 2024. source
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
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Where it is
The address given is for the park association at Yasumiya, 486 Okuse Towadako-han Yasumiya, Towada, Aomori, not the lake itself.source
Before you go
- Puratto, the tourist center at Yasumiya, has a nursing room and a diaper changing table on its second floor, plus an elevator and a multipurpose restroom for wheelchair and ostomy users, though it lends no strollers, while the Maiden Statue has neither a nursing room nor a diaper table, so feed and change before the shoreline walk.
- The Maiden Statue has no parking of its own: the paid Yasumiya lots, north and south, are about 8 to 10 minutes' walk along the lake, and a standard car pays 500 yen (the north lot is on a planned trial rate of 500 yen per 24 hours from September 5, 2026 to February 28, 2027, which can differ on event days). Come in daylight, too: one visitor in August 2024, finding nobody else around on the way to the statue, wished for a brighter hour.
- Cruise tickets are sold at the Puratto counter, which opens at 9:00, and the ship has no parking lot of its own; one visitor who reached the window right at departure time in 2019 was refused, so arrive before the sailing.
- The cruise runs from mid- or late April to early or mid November (sources differ on the dates and the year changes them) and is closed all winter, and some roads around the lake close from mid-November to late April. Even in season a sailing was once called off, apparently for strong wind, so check on the day.
- Elementary students pay the child fare and junior-high students and older pay the adult fare; preschoolers ride free, but the operator's pages word the limit per adult differently, so confirm at the window. An internet discount coupon takes 110 yen off an adult fare, and one coupon covers up to 5 people. Announcements aboard were Japanese only and hard to hear in one August 2024 report.
- Many shops and facilities around the lake take cash only, there are no convenience stores, and the Yasumiya restaurants had queues at the mid-August Obon holiday in 2026, and Puratto has no eating facilities either, so bring cash and snacks; one family ate their own coffee and sweets aboard the ship in July 2019.
- Autumn color peaks anywhere from mid-October to early November depending on the source and year, and the car restriction on the Oirase Stream road runs for one week each year but moves around (October 27 to November 2 in 2025, September 7 to 13 in 2026), so check the dates before driving in.
Sources and evidence (42)
- The nursing room is on the second floor of Puratto, the tourist center at Yasumiya, not at the lakeshore itself.source
- The Maiden Statue has no nursing room.source
- The diaper changing table is on the second floor of Puratto, the tourist center at Yasumiya.source
- The Maiden Statue has no diaper changing table.source
- Puratto has a multipurpose restroom for wheelchair and ostomy users.source
- Puratto has an elevator for getting around the building.source
- Announcements aboard the cruise were Japanese only and hard to hear in August 2024.source
- One family ate their own coffee and sweets aboard the ship in July 2019.source
- Lake Towada has no recommended or minimum age and no height limit.source
- The operator's fare page says one preschooler per adult rides free (conditions differ from the discount page).source
- Visiting the lake is free; the cruise and other activities cost extra.source
- The cruise ticket office at Yasumiya moved inside Puratto and opens at 9:00.source
- The cruise is closed from mid-November to mid-April, though another page gives the season as late April to mid-November.source
- The lake is open to visit freely, with no fixed opening hours.source
- One report says the cruise runs from late April to early November and closes in winter.source
- The cruise has no parking lot of its own.source
- The north lot costs 500 yen per 24 hours for a standard car, cashless payment accepted, in a trial from September 5, 2026 to February 28, 2027.source
- The Maiden Statue has no parking; a paid lot is an 8 to 10 minute walk away.source
- One visitor paid 500 yen to park at Yasumiya in August 2026.source
- Yasumiya has a south lot and a north lot, both paid.source
- The address given is for the park association at Yasumiya, 486 Okuse Towadako-han Yasumiya, Towada, Aomori, not the lake itself.source
- Autumn color is reported at late October to early November.source
- Elementary school students pay the child fare for the cruise.source
- Junior high students and older pay the adult cruise fare.source
- The operator's discount page says only that children under elementary school age are free.source
- An internet discount coupon takes 110 yen off an adult cruise fare.source
- One internet discount coupon covers up to 5 people.source
- Another source puts autumn color at mid to late October.source
- Some roads around the lake close from mid-November to late April.source
- Puratto has no stroller rental.source
- Puratto has no eating facilities.source
- In 2026 the Oirase Stream car restriction ran September 7 to 13.source
- The Oirase Stream car restriction runs one week each year, October 27 to November 2 in 2025.source
- The Nenokuchi to Yasumiya cruise is seasonal and does not run in winter.source
- From the Yasumiya parking lot to the Maiden Statue is about a 10 minute walk along the lake.source
- Yasumiya shops were fewer than before and restaurants had queues in mid-August 2026.source
- There are no convenience stores around the lake.source
- Many shops and facilities around the lake take cash only.source
- One visitor found the cruise not running, apparently because of strong wind.source
- One visitor who reached the ticket window at departure time in 2019 was refused boarding.source
- In August 2024 one visitor found no one else around on the way to the Maiden Statue.source
- That visitor wanted to come to the Maiden Statue in daylight, worried about bears once the path emptied.source
Basics
- Fee: Visiting the lake is free; the cruise and other activities cost extra.source
- Hours: The lake is open to visit freely, with no fixed opening hours.source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (1)
| Nursing space | Not checked yet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diaper changing table | Not checked yet | ||||
| Family restroom | Not checked yet | ||||
| Stroller friendly | Not checked yet | ||||
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Indoor / outdoor | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Outside food allowed | Not checked yet | ||||
| Official family-friendly certificationExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| High chair | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' menu | Not checked yet | ||||
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | No | Lake Towada has no recommended or minimum age and no height limit. | Web-checked | checked Oct ’26 | aomori-tourism.com |
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