Wineshark Japan Tour Hot Spots - Oirase Gorge 奥入瀬渓流

Address: 青森県十和田市奥瀬惣辺山1

Tel: 017-674-2355

Website: http://towadako.or.jp/towadako-oirase/

Date of Visit: 2 Nov 2019

Oirase River (奥入瀬川) flows out of Lake Towada (十和田湖), runs for about 14km to Yakeyama (焼山), It is a special protected scenic spot and a natural monument, with many attractions such as waterfalls, clear streams and rocks.

One of the attractions of the Oirase Gorge (奥入瀬渓流) is that anyone can easily walk around the trail. There are roads and promenades along the mountain stream, and a tunnel of trees that wraps around the road always welcomes visitors. Sunlight falls gently after the filter of fresh greenery from spring to summer and autumn leaves in autumn.

Every time one takes a deep breath in front of the waterfall, you can enjoy a sense of unity with nature. You can experience the clear stream and waterfall without getting into the deep forest. Not only can you feel the beauty of the picturesque mountain stream, when you actually stand there, you will feel “life” in the forest that tickles your senses, and you will be fascinated by the strangely woven nature.

During autumn, there is always a cool breeze that makes you want to wear long sleeves. From mid-September onwards, the morning and evening began to cool down, and this morning and evening chilling made the autumn leaves from October so beautiful. Leaves dyed in red-yellow bring depth into the forest while having harmony with the remaining greenery. One can feel the mystery of nature in the colour scheme.

When you pass through the forest, visitors tend to look only at the autumn leaves above the head, but on rainy days, the sky and heaven are dyed in autumn colours with a little trick. Autumn leaves are reflected on wet roads. This state is more vivid than the greenery reflected on the road during the rainy season. It is a pleasure unique to Oirase where the tunnel of trees covers the walking path and the roadway.

Autumn Oirase changes in small increments. And when the autumn leaves also pass the peak, winter is coming soon. When the flaming autumn leaves fall and the trees become bare, it is finally the arrival of winter. Snow here falls deeper than the village. There seems to be nothing in the white world, but there is always surprising fun and discovery.

When wet snow falls, it creates a lump of snow on the trees. It looks like cotton flowers are blooming. The waterfall that flowed without rest during spring to autumn turns to icicle like glass. If you look closely, it is a celadon colour instead of white. The strangeness of nature is completely amazing. The world of snow is spreading in the clear air. Under this, the forest continues to sleep until spring, accumulating vitality.

Sanran Rapid (三乱の流れ) is the first scenic spot. It is the convergence point of three streams and created a complex flow. Despite the volume of water, the flow is not too rapid, as a variety of plants grown on the rocks testified that fact. The best time to shoot is mid-May when the azalea is in full blossom on the rock.

Continuing to Ishigedo (石ヶ戸の瀬), the stream in this area is not too rapid but having a good flow, with many TV commercials having shot here. “Gedo” in the local dialect means “hut”, and the name of the place means a hut made of stone. There is in fact one of the big rocks supported by a huge wig and looks like a rock hut, from which there is a legend too.

In the past, a beautiful female bandit lived in the area and had been robbing travellers. When any male traveller appears, she would pretend to fall. When the man came to see to her aid, she would stab him with a short sword. Interestingly there have been two huge wig trees that supported a big flat stone this bandit had rumoured to have lived, one of which was said to be 200 or 400 years old. However, it was broken in August 1988, leaving a stump 4 meters above ground.

The Rapid of Asura (阿修羅の流れ) is generally recognized as a good spot to represent Oirase. It is frequently introduced on TV, magazines, and posters. The scenery created by the vigorous flow between the thick trees is very awe-inspiring. During holiday seasons, it is crowded all day with people who come to draw pictures and take photos.

Kumoi Falls (雲井の滝) is 20 metres high, with the water falling in three steps from a cliff surrounded by dense forest. It is one of the famous waterfalls along the mountain stream. Many of the waterfalls that fall from the tributaries into the Oirase mainstream are the result of erosion of the mainstream riverbed over the years, creating a large drop between the mainstream and the tributary riverbed. And the waterfall is destined to retreat toward the upstream while eroding the rock little by little and disappear someday. Kumoi Falls has a strong flow, so rocks can be removed quickly, and it is retreating to a deeper depth than other waterfalls.

Choshi Falls (銚子大滝) is the most famous waterfall in the Oirase Gorge, 7 meters high and 20 meters wide. It is a magnificent waterfall, with the water flowing down creates a lot of mist, and the sunlight often creates beautiful rainbow here. Choshi Falls is thought to create a fault extending to the right of the waterfall and the cold water flowing from the left, preventing the fish from going up to Lake Towada, and is also called Uo-no-Taki (魚止の滝). For that reason, it has been said for a long time that Lake Towada has no fish.