Images: Snow, Sacred Mountains, Clear Waters: The National Parks of Tōhoku

Lake Towada’s clear waters flow into the Oirase Gorge. The site is especially popular with visitors during the autumn foliage season. (Courtesy Aomori Prefectural Tourism Federation)

Hakkōda Ō-dake, with the gate of Yakushi Shrine in the foreground. (Courtesy Aomori Prefectural Tourism Federation)

The Hakkōda Ropeway glides past strangely shaped juhyō, trees transformed into alpine creatures by deposits of snow and ice. (Courtesy Tōhoku Tourism Promotion Organization)

Visitors to Lake Towada can enjoy the scenic beauty along walking trails as well as aboard sightseeing vessels that ply the waters. (Courtesy Aomori Prefectural Tourism Federation)

Shimmering spring greenery along the Oirase Gorge. (Courtesy Aomori Prefectural Tourism Federation)

A scenic view of the Hachimantai volcanic plateau. Lake Hachiman, pictured here, features amenities such as a walking trail along the shore and scenic observation points. (Courtesy Iwate Tourism Association)

Nōgōichigo wild strawberries, a type of alpine vegetation, bloom along a climbing trail on Akita-Komagatake. (Courtesy Akita Prefectural Tourism Federation)

In early spring, the Hachimantai Aspite Line winds through snow corridors up to eight meters tall. (© Pixta)

The mixed-bathing senninburo at Sukayu Onsen. Many users are long-term guests who come for the waters’ therapeutic effects. (Courtesy Aomori Prefectural Tourism Federation)

At Jōdogahama in Iwate Prefecture, rugged sea cliffs topped by pine trees jut out into the ocean. (Courtesy Tōhoku Tourism Promotion Organization)

A flock of black-tailed gulls over Kabushima Shrine. (Courtesy Aomori Prefectural Tourism Federation)

Kuji’s Kosode Kaigan is the site of reefs and interesting rock formations like Tsuriganedō (pictured) and Kabutoiwa. (© Pixta)

The cliffs at Kitayamazaki in Iwate Prefecture tower up to 200 meters above the sea. (© Pixta)

Kesennuma Ōshima now accessible by car thanks to a recently erected bridge, includes attractions like Kugunarihama, designated a natural treasure for its “singing sands,” the Kodanohama swimming beach, and 325-meter Mount Kameyama. (Courtesy Miyagi Tourism Promotion)

The view from Gobansho Park on the Oshika Peninsula, with Kinkasan to the right. (© Pixta)

The remnants of the Rikuzen-Takata Youth Hostel, destroyed by the tsunami, and the “Miracle Pine,” the lone surviving tree out of thousands that grew along the shore. (© Nippon.com)

Mount Gassan, visible beyond Mount Haguro’s torii shrine gate. (© Pixta)

The five-storied pagoda at Mount Haguro, designated a national treasure, and Jijisugi, a huge Japanese cedar estimated to be a thousand years old. (Courtesy Yamagata Tourist Association)

The gigantic torii at Mount Yudono.

The Midagahara wetlands at the eighth station of Mount Gassan. (© Pixta)

Ōasahi-dake (center), 1,871 meters tall, is the highest peak of the Asahi Mountains. (Courtesy Yamagata Tourist Association)

The beech forest at Nukumidaira in the foothills of the Iide Mountains. (© Pixta)

Lake Inawashiro and snow-capped Mount Bandai in the distance. (Courtesy Fukushima Prefecture Tourism and Local Products Association)