Where is Tazawako Ski Resort?
Tazawako Ski Resort is located in the Mizusawa Onsen area, 7.5km from the northeast shore of Lake Tazawa (Tazawako), 11km northeast of Semboku (sometimes spelled Senboku), and 44km west of the city of
Morioka.
Tazawako is in the far eastern part of the
Akita Prefecture in northern Tohoku, not far from the Iwate Prefecture. The big Mt Iwate is to the east.
Getting to Tazawako
Tazawako isn’t really a destination resort where you’d stay for a week; rather it’s good for a day or two whilst driving around exploring other Akita ski resorts and Iwate ski areas in northern Tohoku. You can get a
rental car and DIY road trip, or Tazawako is ideal to visit as part of a
multi-resort tour.
It’s also ideal to have a car or be on a tour, because otherwise getting around can be difficult. Some lodgings provide shuttles between the accommodation and ski area, but getting to restaurants, shops or onsen would be tricky.
Flights
Akita Airport is 70km southeast of Tazawako Ski Resort, which is a regional airport receiving flights from other Japanese airports. Akita Airport Liner provides a shuttle service between the Akita Airport and Tazawako.
If starting your road trip in Iwate, you could also fly into the Iwate Hanamaki Airport.
Or you could fly into Tokyo Narita or Tokyo Haneda and get trains up to northern Tohoku. You can look at
flight routes here.
Driving to Tazawako
The phone number of the Tazawako ski area is 0187-462011 for GPS navigation or it is listed on google maps.
Tazawako Ski Resort is 49km (1 hour) from the Morioka IC on the Tohoku Expressway. Off the expressway take route 46 for Akita, turn right onto route 341 for Lake Tazawa, take a right on to route 194, and it’s approximately 5km up the road.
The main car park is in front of the Shirakaba day lodge (that houses most of the facilities) or there’s a supplementary Kamoshika car park further up the road.
Train & Bus to Tazawako
The public transport timetables can be a little difficult to navigate, but it’s possible to get to Tazawako via train and bus. The ski resort is 11km from Tazawako train station. The Tazawako station is on the Akita Shinkansen line, so it only takes 2:45 to 3 hours to get there from Tokyo. See Japan Travel Navitime for timetables and fares. From the Tazawako station there are 13 buses per day bound for Nyuto Onsen that stop at Tazawako ski resort (ie Tazawako Ski-jo Mae) that take about 30 minutes.
Other Ski Resorts Nearby
There were a few other ski areas in the Lake Tazawa area that are now closed. Ski resorts further afield from Tazawako Ski Resort include: