National Geographic Traveller UK 03.2020

48 HOURS IN

Spend two days

discovering the

wild landscapes of

Japan’s northern

Honshu region

TOHOKU

Day one

The epic crater lake of Lake Towada gets top

billing in most itineraries to Tohoku. But an

excellent support act is the little town that

bears the same name, 20 miles to the west.

Stop by to spend a morning among Towada’s

pioneering architecture, dropping into the

Kengo Kuma-designed Civic Center Plaza,

where timber loors rise and fall like waves.

The gateway to Lake Towada is Oirase

river — a wooded ravine where locals

come to practise forest bathing. Spend an

afternoon hiking along its trails to test its

calming powers, passing gurgling waterfalls

before reaching the shores of Lake Towada,

where swans seem blissfully unaware of

the volcano stewing away beneath. Drive up

to the rim for sweeping sunset views over

the volcanic bowl, then conclude the day at

nearby Hakkoda Resort Hotel, soaking in

the waters of the Sukayu Hot Spring.

Getting there & around:

Misawa Airport is the closest air

hub to Towada — a 40-minute

drive to the east. The closest

station to Towada town is

Shichinohe-Towada — set on

the Tohoku Shinkansen line,

around three hours from Tokyo.

Kakunodate is on the Akita

Shinkansen line, also three

hours from Tokyo. Both lines are

operated by JR East. jreast.co.jp

Day two Essentials

The next morning, drive three hours

south into Akita Prefecture. Start out in

Tsurunoyu Onsen — a 17th-century spa

with Edo-era architecture, or grab a towel

and take a walk to Ganiba Onsen, a simple

pool set deep in the forest, which is silent

but for the rush of a mountain stream.

Take an hour’s drive south to the

handsome little town of Kakunodate

— known as ‘Little Kyoto’. Get your bearings

with an afternoon rickshaw ride among

the ceremonial gates and boulevards of the

town, before dismounting and enteringthe

creaking manors. Grandest of all is the 17th-

century Aoyagi Samurai Manor Museum,

stocked with an arsenal of swords and

spears along with maps and hanging scrolls.

End your Tohoku adventure with a stroll

along the town’s riverside embankment,

lined with ancient cherry trees.

Known as the ‘Deep North’, Tohoku feels wonderfully adrift from 21st-century Japan, with

misty lakes in place of megacities, hidden springs instead of highways. A decade on from the

earthquake that damaged much of the region, there’s never been a better time to visit.

PARTNER CONTENT FOR TOHOKU

To find out more, visit tohokukanko.jp