Towada (十和田)

Map

Getting There

• bus
• car

Best Times to Visit

• spring: Cherry blossoms, the Towada Spring Festival, horseback archery, and pleasant conditions make late April through May especially appealing.
• summer: Lush gorge scenery, iris flowers, outdoor exploration, and the Lake Towada Festival with fireworks favor summer visits.
• autumn: Brilliant foliage around Lake Towada and Oirase Gorge, combined with the Towada Autumn Festival, makes autumn highly scenic.
• winter: Snow-covered landscapes, frozen waterfalls, and winter festivals offer distinctive experiences, though transport and outdoor access can be more difficult.

What's There

• art: Towada Art Center and Arts Towada create a prominent citywide contemporary-art experience with indoor exhibitions and outdoor public artworks.
• festival: Seasonal events include spring and autumn festivals, the Lake Towada Festival, iris celebrations, and winter ice-fall tours.
• food: Local specialties include Towada Barayaki, garlic, garlic pork, short-horn beef, and Lake Towada kokanee.
• hiking: Oirase Gorge offers scenic walking through a forested stream corridor, while Lake Towada supports nature-oriented excursions.
• history: The Museum of History and Folklore presents archaeological materials, historical documents, maps, arms, and horse-breeding heritage.
• lake: Lake Towada is a scenic mountain lake recognized as a national Special Place of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monument.
• market: The Tourist and Local Products Center provides visitor information and promotes regional foods, vegetables, souvenirs, and travel opportunities.
• museum: Towada features the contemporary Towada Art Center and a local history museum with substantial cultural collections.
• mountain: Lake Towada and Oirase Gorge are set within mountainous northern landscapes, offering forests, valleys, and elevated viewpoints.
• nature: The lake, gorge, forests, seasonal foliage, wildlife habitat, and protected landscapes make nature a major attraction.
• river: Oirase Gorge follows a clear stream flowing from Lake Towada through a forested valley.
• views: Lake Towada shorelines, mountain scenery, stream cascades, forests, and open-air artworks provide varied viewpoints.
• snow: Winter brings substantial snow and distinctive frozen scenery, including guided ice-fall experiences in the Oirase area.
• farm: Towada is known for agricultural products including garlic and mineral-rich vegetables, alongside locally produced beef and pork.
• cherry blossoms: Spring festivals and horseback archery events coincide with cherry blossoms along Towada’s streets and public spaces.
• flowers: Early summer features blooming Japanese irises, including a dedicated Hanashobu Iris Festival.
• shopping: Visitors can purchase local foods, agricultural products, regional souvenirs, and specialty items at the products center.

Specialties

• Towada Barayaki (十和田バラ焼き): Towada Barayaki is a well-known local dish of beef short ribs and onions cooked on a hot plate with a sweet and savory sauce. Towada City identifies it as one of the region’s nationally recognized specialties.
• Garlic (にんにく): Towada is a major garlic-growing area, known for large, white cloves including the Fukuchi White Six Cloves variety. The city describes its garlic as especially flavorful and available fresh during the early-summer harvest.
• Towada Garlic Pork (十和田ガーリックポーク): Towada Garlic Pork comes from pigs raised on feed containing garlic powder. The city describes it as having abundant umami, vitamin B1, and a tender, sweet-tasting fat.
• Towada Short-Horn Beef (とわだ短角牛): Towada Short-Horn Beef is produced from Japanese Shorthorn cattle and is characterized by a high proportion of lean meat. Its flavor develops as it is chewed, with umami associated with glutamic acid and inosinic acid.
• Lake Towada Himemasu (十和田湖ひめます): Lake Towada Himemasu is a locally branded kokanee fish associated with Lake Towada. The city promotes certified restaurants and lodging facilities serving this regional fish.