The Otsu-Hieizan area offers tourist attractions such as Lake Biwa, Sakamoto, and Yamanaka; sightseeing events such as the Sanno Festival, Otsu Festival, and Lake Biwa Grand Fireworks Festival; and local delicacies such as baumkuchen, mitarashi dango, and junjun.
Otsu is the center of Shiga Prefecture, where the Shiga Prefectural Office is also located. It is also the place where facilities where visitors can enjoy a tour around Lake Biwa and various cultural facilities are concentrated. Sakamoto is a mecca for marine sports on the lake in summer and for lure fishing in other seasons, while the area is also dotted with important cultural assets.
Hieizan is home to Enryakuji Temple, the center of Buddhism in Japan, and an area where driving can be enjoyed.
Otsu is famous for the Lake Biwa Grand Fireworks Festival held in midsummer, and Biwako Kisen Steamship, which offers a ride on the Bianca and other boats, is available for visitors to enjoy the view of Lake Biwa. This area is also home to a large amusement facility, making it a very popular area for couples.
If you go south, you will find the Otsu Prince Hotel, which has become a symbol of Otsu, and Minato Park, where you can enjoy an elegant moment. Many people enjoy jogging and roller skating, making it a great area for families.
Moving north, one enters the Sakamoto area, which is a popular area for lure fishing and is always crowded with anglers enjoying a relaxing time on the lakeshore. In summer, the lakeshore is crowded with visitors who enjoy playing in the water.
On the other hand, if you go to the western foot of the lake, the scenery changes drastically, and you will find Mitsui Temple, the head temple of the Tendai-ji sect, which is a national treasure, and Hiyoshi Taisha, the main shrine of Sanno, which is said to protect the front gate of Heian-kyo, an important cultural asset area.
Moving further north, on the way over the Yamanaka Pass to Kyoto City, visitors can enter the Oku-Hiei Driveway, which leads to Mount Hiei, where they will find Enryaku-ji Temple, the "Mother Mountain of Buddhism in Japan".
Enryaku-ji Temple has produced many founders of various schools of Buddhism, including Saicho, Dogen of the Soto sect, Honen of the Jodo sect, Shinran of the Jodo Shin sect, and Nichiren of the Nichiren sect.
The precincts of the temple are largely divided into three areas: the East Pagoda, the West Pagoda, and the Yokogawa, where a great number of national treasures and important cultural properties are housed. In the past, women were forbidden to visit the temple, and while there are many female tourists, the temple is still a sacred mountain where "1,000-day Kaimine Gyo" ascetic practices are still conducted.
The entire area of Mt. Hieizan, which straddles the border between Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures, is the temple area. It was also called Hokurei (meaning "northern peak") because of its location to the north of Heiankyo (Kyoto). The East Pagoda includes the Nemoto Chudo Hall, the East Pagoda of Hokke Sojiin, the Main Lecture Hall, the Amida Hall, the Monju Tower, and the Enryakuji Kaikan, the West ...»
Built in 1940 to commemorate the 2600th anniversary of the Emperor's reign, this shrine is dedicated to Emperor Tenchi, who was the first in Japan to adopt a clock with a leakage mechanism. The shrine pavilions are in a new style called Omi-zukuri or Showa-zukuri, and are designated as a registered national cultural property as representative of modern shrine architecture. The shrine grounds cov...»
At an elevation of 1,100 meters, it takes about 5 minutes to reach the summit station. Enjoy the spectacular view while walking elegantly in the air.The ropeway boasts the fastest speed in Japan at 12 meters per second. The cabin is spacious with seating for 121 passengers. The ropeway takes about 5 minutes from the foot of the mountain. At the top of the mountain with a panoramic view of Lake B...»
This ancient temple, a national treasure, is built on a giant rock and attracts crowds of people every year during the cherry blossom and fall foliage seasons. Overlooking the Seta River, Ishiyama-dera is a one-of-a-kind temple built entirely on a huge silica limestone bedrock (the limestone is designated as a natural monument). (The silica stone is designated as a natural monument.) The name "Is...»
The Hana Fountain is one of the world's longest, spewing water up to 40 meters high, equivalent to a 10-story building, against the backdrop of beautiful Lake Biwa. Located on a breakwater off the Port of Otsu, the gateway to Lake Biwa tourism, it is one of the world's largest fountains at approximately 440 meters in length. It spouts water up to 40 meters high while changing its shape into vario...»
Founded about 2,000 years ago, it is considered to be the oldest shrine in Omi. The shrine enshrines the deity Sarutahiko-no-mikoto or the Shira deity Shirahige Myojin, and is considered the head shrine of all Shirahige shrines in Japan. Widely known as "Shirahige-san" or "Myojin-san," it is the oldest large shrine in Omi and is also called "Itsukushima of Omi" because of its large vermilion-lac...»
Yanagisaki Lakeside Park is a waterfront park where willows spread along the shores of Lake Biwa. As the main facility, Biwako Otsu-kan is located overlooking the lake. Biwako Otsukan is a modern building constructed in 1934 as the Lake Biwa Hotel. Shinichiro Okada, an architect known for his work on the Tokyo Kabuki-za Theater, designed the building, and Shogoro Okada took over and completed it....»
This Western-style English garden is located in Saki Kohan Park, a waterfront park with willows spreading along the shores of Lake Biwa. In the vast 6,000-square-meter garden, 2,000 roses of about 100 varieties as well as seasonal herbs and flowers are in full bloom. Mr. Kay Yamada, a British horticultural researcher, created the basic design. The garden consists of three areas: the Gravel Garde...»