Winter Things to Do in Towada: A Guide for Misawa Residents

Updated October 30, 2026

Images are for illustration.

Towada is about 30 minutes by taxi from Misawa Station and has more to do in winter than most people expect. This guide covers the art museum, Oirase ice falls tours, Lake Towada, onsen, the market and fireworks.

Key points

Towada Art Center is open year-round except Mondays and the New Year period, so it is a good indoor anchor for a winter day.
Oirase Gorge ice falls light-up tours run Dec 25, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027 and require a reservation. The tours are conducted in Japanese.
Lake Towada Winter Story had its 2026 edition on Jan 30 to Feb 23. The 2027 dates have not been announced.
The Risoukyo Christmas Market (Dec 23 to 27) and the Dec 31 countdown fireworks are the two events at Risoukyo this season. Check winter road closures before you drive into the mountains.

Why Towada in winter?

Towada is close to Misawa and has a mix of indoor and outdoor winter activities. From Misawa Station it is about 30 minutes to Risoukyo by taxi, according to the official access page. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), December in Towada has a mean temperature of about 33°F (0.6°C) and total snowfall of about 28 in (72 cm), so you should plan for real winter conditions. For what to put on, see what to wear to an Aomori winter night market.

Towada Art Center

Towada Art Center is a contemporary art museum in central Towada (10-9 Nishi-Nibancho). Outdoor works on the museum grounds and nearby streets can be seen from outside. The English website lists its hours as 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with the last admission 30 minutes before closing, and it is closed on Mondays. If a Monday is a national holiday, it opens that day and closes the following day.

Year-end closure: the museum closes over the New Year period, so check the official site for the exact dates. Call 0176-20-1127 or check the visit page before you go.
Current and upcoming exhibition: a Steve Bishop show, "3 Films About Buildings", is announced for Dec 5, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027.
Cafe and shop: Cube Cafe and Shop is attached to the center; the cafe is open 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the shop 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. They are closed on Mondays.
Admission: check the official site.
Parking: the museum's visit page lists parking lots near the center, with free parking tickets for paying visitors.
Heads up for next year: the museum is tentatively closed from Apr 1, 2027 to Mar 31, 2028 for air-conditioning work.

It makes a good morning stop. Because the market does not start until 3:00 p.m., you can do the museum from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., have lunch in town, and drive to Risoukyo for the afternoon and evening. None of the market days (Wednesday to Sunday) falls on a Monday, but check that the museum's New Year closure does not overlap your date.

Oirase Gorge ice falls light-up tours

Oirase Gorge is a famous stream walk, and in deep winter its waterfalls and cliff seepage freeze into columns and curtains of ice. Hoshino Resorts' Oirase Keiryu Hotel runs guided tours that light the ice at night. According to the hotel's activity pages, two tours are listed for Dec 25, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027:

Oirase Gyutto ice falls light-up tour: about 1 hour; starts at 6:00, 7:00, 8:00 or 9:00 p.m.; ¥2,200 per person; ages 0 to 3 free; capacity 25 per session. The route visits Bamon Rock and the 千筋の滝 waterfall and returns to the hotel.
Oirase Marugoto ice falls light-up tour: 7:20 to 9:15 p.m. (1 hour 55 minutes); ¥4,950 per person; ages 0 to 3 free; capacity 35 per session.

What to know before booking:

Reservation required: book by 6:00 p.m. the day before, through the hotel's reservation page, which requires you to log in.
Cancellation: free until 6:00 p.m. the day before; after that, or for a no-show, 100 percent of the fee is charged.
Language: the tours are conducted in Japanese only. If you do not speak Japanese, you will still see the lit ice, but you will not understand the commentary.
You cannot leave partway, and the hotel tells guests to bring warm clothing and winter boots.
Booking in English: the booking page is in Japanese, so a Japanese-speaking friend or the hotel's reservation line (050-3134-8094) may help. English service may not be available.

Prices and times are from the hotel's pages as of Oct 30, 2026 and can change. Oirase Gorge is about 40 minutes by car from Risoukyo, according to the official access page, though the hotel's exact location may change that. A night drive in snow adds time. You could do the tour on Dec 25 or later, and do the Christmas Market on a different evening.

Last winter, Towada Oirase Tourism Organization also listed a separate Winter Oirase Night Tour by bus from Lake Towada (Dec 20, 2025 to Feb 28, 2026, 5:15 to 7:34 p.m., closed Mondays through Thursdays, reservation required). Whether it returns for 2026 to 2027 is not confirmed.

Lake Towada Winter Story

Towada Lake Winter Story is a winter festival on the lakeshore at Yasumiya. The 2026 edition ran from Jan 30 to Feb 23, 2026, on Fridays through Mondays and holidays. It included winter fireworks at 8:00 p.m., a food-stall alley with Aomori and Akita local dishes, a Snow Park with a big snow slide, and stage performances.

The 2027 dates have not been announced. If the pattern holds, it will fall in late January to February, but that is an assumption. Watch the Towada Lake Winter Story organizers' site and the tourist association's pages. By car, the venue is about 34 km from Towada IC on the Tohoku Expressway. The festival page also notes that a bus from JR Hachinohe Station takes about 2 hours 40 minutes and requires a reservation, so a car or a tour is usually easier. In winter, check road conditions before you go.

Onsen (hot springs)

After a cold day, a hot spring is the classic answer. Hoshino Resorts' English guide to day-trip onsen in the Towada and Oirase area, last updated in 2024, lists several. One is Nonohana Yakeyama-so, at the entrance to Oirase Gorge, which listed day-use hours of 1:30 to 7:00 p.m. (last entry 6:00 p.m.) and ¥600 for junior high and up, with irregular holidays. Because that information is a couple of years old, confirm hours and prices by phone or on the facility's own website.

Two practical points. First, many Japanese bathing facilities do not allow visible tattoos. A summary of a Japan Tourism Agency survey says that a majority of hotels and ryokan refuse tattooed guests, while a minority allow tattoos covered with stickers, and some offer private baths. Call ahead. Second, bathing etiquette (wash before entering, no swimsuits, tie up long hair) is standard; our etiquette guide covers the basics of behaving at local events.

Risoukyo Christmas Market, Dec 23 to 27

The Risoukyo Christmas Market 2026 is the main winter event at Risoukyo. It is planned for Wednesday, Dec 23 to Sunday, Dec 27, from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. A spruce tree about 36 ft (11 m) tall grown at Risoukyo is the centerpiece, with food trucks and stalls, handmade crafts, workshops, a stage with DJs, dance and singing, an idol live show on Dec 27, kamakura snow huts, snowman making and a sled slide (all planned). Read the Towada Christmas Market 2026 overview and the English overview for details. Need ideas for a couple? See the date night guide; with kids, the family guide.

Dec 31 countdown fireworks

New Year countdown fireworks are planned at Risoukyo on Dec 31, 2026, from 10:00 p.m. See the countdown fireworks guide, and for traditions around the holiday, Japanese New Year traditions. Note that the Towada Art Center closes over the New Year period, and other businesses may as well, so plan meals and activities in advance.

Winter road closures and driving

Aomori Prefecture closes a number of mountain roads for the winter every year. For the 2025 to 2026 season, a prefectural press release said 34 routes (47 sections, 470.3 km) were closed for winter. Closure periods vary by section: most started between Nov 14 and Nov 28 and ended between Apr 1 and May 29. The example the prefecture gave was National Route 103, the Hakkoda-Towada Gold Line, which closed on Nov 25 and was scheduled to reopen on Apr 1.

That is last winter's information, not this winter's. Dates change each year with snowfall, so check the prefecture's road information for 2026–27 closures around Lake Towada and Oirase. Before you drive to the mountains, check the Aomori Prefecture road information pages and your navigation app. If your plan depends on a mountain route, such as the Gold Line, have a fallback. Winter driving also means slower travel and a need for winter tires; follow your unit's and the base's current guidance for off-base travel and winter driving. See also Misawa to Risoukyo winter travel and day trip from Misawa to Towada.

Sample plans

Easy afternoon: Towada Art Center in the morning (not a Monday), lunch in town, then the Christmas Market from 3:00 p.m. through dinner.
Ice and lights: a late-December or January night at Oirase Gorge with a reserved ice falls tour, then a warm onsen if you plan time for it.
New Year's Eve: an early dinner, then the countdown fireworks at Risoukyo from 10:00 p.m. (planned).
February: watch for the 2027 Lake Towada Winter Story dates.

At a glance: Risoukyo Christmas Market 2026

Dates: Wednesday, Dec 23 to Sunday, Dec 27, 2026 (5 days)
Hours: 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. (15:00 to 21:00) (planned)
Venue: Handmade Village Risoukyo, 2-21 Torigamori, Fukamochi, Towada, Aomori 034-0106
Admission (planned): adults ¥1,500; high school and university students ¥1,000; junior high and younger ¥500; age 5 and under free
Parking: 300+ spaces (planned)

Details are planned and may change — see the English overview and the official page (Japanese).

FAQ

What is there to do in Towada in winter?

Towada Art Center, Oirase Gorge ice falls light-up tours, Lake Towada Winter Story (dates for 2027 not announced), nearby onsen, the Risoukyo Christmas Market on Dec 23 to 27 and the Dec 31 fireworks are the main options in this guide.

Do I need a reservation for the Oirase ice falls tours?

Yes. The Oirase Keiryu Hotel tours run Dec 25, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027 and require reservations by 6:00 p.m. the day before. They are conducted in Japanese.

When is Lake Towada Winter Story in 2027?

The 2027 dates have not been announced. The 2026 edition ran from Jan 30 to Feb 23, 2026. Check the organizers' site later this winter.

Is Towada Art Center open in winter?

Yes, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry 30 minutes before closing), except Mondays and the New Year period. Call 0176-20-1127 or check the official site for the exact New Year closure dates.

Are the roads to Lake Towada open in winter?

It depends on the road. Some mountain routes in Aomori close each winter, such as National Route 103 (the Hakkoda-Towada Gold Line) last season. Check the prefecture's road information and your navigation app before you drive.