Towada-Hachimantai National Park

The winter in the northern mountains is harsh, and virtually all transport and accommodation is shut down between November and April. Ministry of Environment has an official bilingual webpage for the park. Towada-Hachimantai National Park covers a very large area, and can be tackled from a number of different directions. For access to the northern side of the park (Lake Towada, the Oirase Valley, Hakkoda Mountains, Sukayu Onsen), JR bus lines are available from Aomori and Hachinohe—see bus section below. For access to the central areas of the park, the JR Hanawa Line (花輪線) crosses the northern side of the Hachimantai Plateau, traveling from Odate in the west to Koma in the east, with through services on the private Iwate Ginga Railway (IGRいわて銀河鉄道) to Morioka. Note that the IGR is not covered by the Japan Rail Pass. For the southernmost parts of the park, the JR Tazawako Line (田沢湖線) travels along the south edge of the Hachimantai Plateau, from Morioka to Daisen. From north of the park, JR Bus Tohoku runs the Lake Towada Sightseeing Bus on two routes: the "Mizuumi" from Aomori to Towadako, running the full route in about 3 hours; the "Oirase" from Hachinohe to Towadako, in about 2 hours. Time and fare tables are available from the JR site, linked. This bus is free for holders of the Japan Rail Pass, but not the JR East Pass. The sightseeing bus routes require reservation from a JR Travel Service Center....