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Leaving the dreary outskirts of Aomori behind, Route 103 climbs steeply onto the Kayano plateau and round the flanks of Hakkoda-san . Every winter, cold, wet winds dump snow up to 8m deep over these mountains, transforming the fir trees into "snow monsters" and maintaining a flourishing ski industry. This was also the site of the ill-fated " snow march " in January 1902 when Corporal Goto and 210 soldiers on a training exercise in the run-up to the Russo-Japanese War were caught in a blizzard. It took four days before rescuers found the half-frozen Corporal Goto and only ten other survivors, most of whom lost at least one limb from frostbite. In summer, however, it's a beautiful spot with excellent walking among Hakkoda-san's old volcanic peaks, of which the tallest is Odake (1584m). To ease the climb you can whisk to the top of nearby Tamoyachi-dake (1326m) on the Hakkoda Ropeway (daily 9am-4/4.45pm; closed for a few days mid-Nov; return Y1800) and then walk down to Sukayu Onsen , both of which are stops on the Aomori-Towada-ko bus route. The most famous of several onsen resorts in the area, Sukayu consists of just one ryokan (tel 0177/38-6400, fax 38-6677; Y10,000-15,000), with a "thousand-person" cedar-wood bath (7am-7.30pm; Y500). Sukayu's healing waters have been popular since the late seventeenth century and this is one of very few onsen left in Japan which is not segregated. South of Sukayu the road crosses another pass and then starts descending through pretty, deciduous woodlands - spectacular in autumn - to YAKEYAMA village, where you'll find the Oirase Youth Hostel (tel 0176/74-2031, fax 74-2032; under Y3000). Yakeyama is also the start of the Oirase valley walk, but it's better to join the path 5km further down the road at ISHIGEDO . From here it takes less than three hours to Towada-ko (9km) following a well-trodden path running gently upstream, marred slightly by the fairly busy main road which you have to join for short stretches. But for the most part you're walking beside the Oirase-gawa as it tumbles among ferns and moss-covered rocks through a narrow, tree-filled valley punctuated by ice-white waterfalls. You emerge at lakeside NENOKUCHI , where you can either pick up a passing bus or take a scenic cruise across Towada-ko to Yasumiya . Note that if you don't want to carry your bags there's a delivery service (May-Oct; Y400 per piece) from either Ishigedo or Yakeyama to Nenokuchi.
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