Shiga Prefecture has tourist attractions such as Lake Biwa, Hikone Castle, and Mt. Ibuki; sightseeing events such as the Sanno Festival, Toka Ebisu, and Cherry Blossom Festival; and local delicacies such as baumkuchen, oyakodon, and mitarashi dango.
Shiga Prefecture, included in the Kinki region, is known for having Lake Biwa. With Lake Biwa and the Omi Basin in the center of the prefecture, one-sixth of the total area of Shiga Prefecture is occupied by Lake Biwa, and the remaining half of the area is covered by mountains.
Shiga Prefecture, when it was known as Omi Province, was ruled by the Rokkaku clan, Kyogoku clan, Asai clan, and Oda Nobunaga, all of whom were powerful warlords mainly in the southern part of Omi Province.
Azuchi Castle was built on top of present-day Mt. Azuchi and is famous as the first castle with a castle tower, which unfortunately has been destroyed by fire. However, the ruins of the castle are a special national historic site, and a walk around the site is a sightseeing spot where visitors can feel a glimpse of Azuchi Castle.
Shiga Prefecture has many tourist attractions that attract the attention of history buffs and fans of historical dramas. Koka City, located in the southern part of Shiga Prefecture, is known as the birthplace of the Koga Ninja, and there are theme parks dealing with ninja, such as Koga no Sato, Ninjutsu Mura, where visitors can experience shuriken and other skills.
Mount Hiei, famous as the mountain of faith with Enryakuji Temple and Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine, straddles Shiga and Kyoto Prefectures. Hieizan is also popular for mountain climbing, with many climbers visiting the mountain from the Shiga Prefecture side via a trail through the Mudoji Valley.
The summit can be reached by cable car and ropeway, and there are also museums and cosmos gardens so that visitors can not only enjoy the view from the mountain, but also feel the culture and enjoy the flowers.
Shiga Prefecture is famous for the crucian carp and small sweetfish caught in Lake Biwa, and visitors can enjoy lake fish dishes from the lake. Famous as ripe sushi, funa-zushi is a specialty of Shiga Prefecture and is characterized by its unique aroma.
Konnyaku is often seen as white or black, but Shiga Prefecture's red konnyaku is red because it is dyed with iron sesquioxide and is a famous tourist souvenir from Omi Hachiman.
The final part of the trip is the souvenirs. Shiga Prefecture is famous for Shigaraki-yaki pottery made mainly in Shigaraki, Koka City, which is popular for its fire-colored coloring and texture that conveys a sense of wabi-sabi. Shigaraki pottery workshops are also available, so you can make your own original ceramics as souvenirs to remember your trip.
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 ...»
This ninja and Sengoku-era theme park is located in the birthplace of the Koga Ninja, and has the atmosphere of an ancient hidden village. Located deep in the mountains, the village of Koga is known as the birthplace of the ninja and is called NINJA by people around the world, and is as famous for its ninja as Iga. Within its vast grounds, there are three ninja residences that use karakuri, a mu...»
Facing the inner moat on the north side of Hikone Castle, Genkyu-en is a large area of a garden known as a kaiyu-style garden. The castle tower and thick trees form the backdrop of the garden, which also includes Rinchikaku (a small building that juts out into a large pond) and Hoshodai (a small building on a hill). Hoshodai was a guest house for the Hikone clan's guests, and has an old-fashioned...»
The Omote-goden, which was the government office of the Hikone domain, has been reconstructed as a history museum. The exhibits include about 45,000 arts, crafts, and historical materials such as armor, swords, Noh tools, tea ceremony utensils, furnishings, and old documents of the Ii family. The Omote-goden was the place where the lords of the Hikone domain conducted their political affairs and ...»
The street begins at Kyobashi Bridge, which spans the moat of Hikone Castle, and is lined with machiya-style buildings with distinctive white walls, smoked roof tiles, and black lattices, reminiscent of castle towns in the Edo period. Many stores selling unique local products line the streets, including Japanese and western confectionery shops, restaurants offering menus made from Omi beef, and p...»
A shopping district that recreates the streets of the Taisho era, Yonbancho Square is a place where visitors can enjoy dining and shopping in a townscape filled with the romanticism of the Taisho era. With modern-looking buildings, gas lamps in the square, and monuments, this town offers a new and nostalgic atmosphere. In addition, as the world's first sound town development, brain-friendly soun...»
Featuring an emotionally rich townscape with a series of Japanese-style buildings from the Edo and Meiji periods, Kurokabe Square is an attractive area with a collection of museums, galleries, glass studios and other cultural facilities, restaurants, and cafes, all of which make use of traditional architecture. A series of buildings from "Kurokabe No. 1" to "No. 30," known for their black plaster...»
Located in Kurokabe Square, the Kurokabe Glass Museum is a glass art gallery. The building is housed in the Nagahama branch of the National Bank of Japan 130th Bank, built in 1900 and characterized by its wooden storehouse structure. It was affectionately known as "Kurokabe Bank" because of its black walls. In 1989, the building was rehabilitated as the "Kurokabe Glass Art Gallery," and now house...»
This is Japan's first museum specializing in figure exhibitions. The museum exhibits over 4,000 figures produced by KAIYODO, a world-famous figure manufacturer, over a period of more than 40 years. The museum offers a dreamlike world of dinosaurs, animal figures, nature figures, hero and robot figures, life-size figures, dioramas, and more. From nostalgic to the latest figures, there are many fi...»
This is the flagship store of the long-established Japanese confectionery store "Taneya" and the western confectionery store "Club Harrier" which is famous for its baumkuchen. The vast grounds of approximately 35,000 tsubo (approximately 1.5 acres), surrounded by beautiful natural surroundings and covered in greenery, give the building an atmosphere that looks like something out of a fairy tale. ...»
Located in Moriyama, Omi, on the shore of Lake Biwa, surrounded by beautiful nature with views of Mount Hiei and Mount Hira, the museum has a modern and cool atmosphere where nature and architecture are in harmony. The beautifully landscaped museum features works by three of Japan's leading art masters: Japanese painter Ikuo Hirayama, sculptor Tadayoshi Sato, and ceramicist Raku Kichizaemon. Inc...»
Ibukiyama Driveway is a 17-km long sightseeing toll road that climbs up to the ninth station of Mount Ibuki (1,377 meters above sea level), the highest peak in Shiga Prefecture. The entrance is located at the Ibukiyamaguchi intersection about 3 km up Route 365 from the Sekigahara IC of the Meishin Expressway. From here, climb up the southern slope to the Sky Terrace parking lot (elevation: 1260 m...»
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 is a fascinating sightseeing experience that can be enjoyed in Omi Hachiman City near Lake Biwa. The city is known as the birthplace of the Omi merchants. The Suigo Tour offers visitors the opportunity to tour the beautiful waterfront surrounded by nature on a houseboat. You can choose from a variety of boats, including hand-pulled boats, engine-powered boats, chartered boats, and regular bo...»
Azuchi Castle was ordered by Oda Nobunaga in 1576 (Tensho 4) and took about three years to complete. Today, only the stone walls remain, and it is designated as a Special Historic Site. Located at the top of Mt. Azuchi, about 200 meters above sea level, the stonewalls and foundation stones still remind us of those days more than 400 years later. Azuchi Castle was the first castle in Japan built ...»
The museum is the central facility of the historical park "Omi-fudoki-no-oka" that includes the ruins of Azuchi Castle. Visitors can enjoy learning about history with exhibits focusing on the Yayoi Period, the Kofun Period, the construction of medieval castles, and Oda Nobunaga. Visitors to the historical park "Omi-fudoki-no-oka" can experience the history of Omi through the Azuchi Castle Ruins, ...»
The museum exhibits a full-size reconstruction of the original castle keep (parts of the 5th and 6th floors) of the phantom Azuchi Castle. The elegant Azuchi Castle has been faithfully restored with gold and blue barrier paintings by Eitoku Kano, gorgeous exterior walls with 100,000 pieces of gold leaf, and a large roof with golden orcas on it. Visitors can also enjoy a 200-inch large screen that...»
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...»
Chikubushima is a mysterious island of faith located off the northern shore of Lake Biwa. Since ancient times, Asaihime-no-mikoto has been enshrined here and worshipped as a water goddess and as a deity that protects the safe passage of ships. Even today, Chikubujima is home to Hogonji Temple, which enshrines "Dai-benzaiten," one of the three great benzaiten in Japan, and Tsukubusuma Shrine (Chik...»
Hogonji Temple on Chikubujima is the oldest temple on Chikubujima, and its principal deity is the Great Benzaiten, one of the "Three Benzaiten Temples of Japan" along with Enoshima and Miyajima. It is the 30th temple of the 33 sacred sites of the 33 Kannon temples in the western part of Japan. The main hall of Hogonji Temple is located at the top of a steep 165-step stone staircase. The steps are...»
Tsukubusuma Shrine is located on Chikubushima Island in Lake Biwa. Also called Chikubushima Shrine, the deity is Chikubushima itself. There are several theories about the deity, but the four deities are Ichikishima-hime (Benzaiten), Ugafukujin, Ryujin (Dragon God), and Asai-hime. Asai Hime-no-mikoto is the clan deity of the Asai clan and is regarded as the deity who controls the waters of Lake Bi...»
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...»
Located in the northernmost part of Lake Biwa along the Shiotsu Bypass on National Route 8, this roadside station offers delicious local cuisine and local specialties. Located in the northernmost part of Lake Biwa, this area, also called Oku-Biwako, offers beautiful nature in each of the four seasons and fresh marine products. The name "Ajikama" is a pillow word for the Shiotsu area and comes fr...»
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...»
Since ancient times, Tachiki Shrine has been located facing Kusatsu-juku on the Tokaido Highway, and is widely worshipped as a god of traffic safety and protection from bad luck, with a history of over 1,200 years. Within the shrine grounds stands the oldest stone Oiwake-guji (guidepost) in the prefecture, which dates back to November 1680 (Enpo 8). Also inside the shrine is a sacred tree called...»
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...»
Located in the suburbs of Shigaraki Town, this museum was built in the image of a "Shangri-La" in a mountainous region rich in nature. The museum is based on the theme of the fusion of "nature and building art," "tradition and modernity," and "East and West," and brings to life in Shigaraki the story of a lost fisherman who discovers the fairyland paradise of Taoyuan-go, as described in Tao Yuanmi...»
The Lake Biwa Museum is a museum where visitors can see, touch, and experience the history of Lake Biwa over millions of years and the relationship between the lake and people, under the theme of "Lakes and People. It also has one of the largest freshwater fish exhibits in Japan. The Aquatic Animals Exhibition Room in the Lake Biwa Museum displays freshwater creatures from Lake Biwa and other lak...»
“Honmoroko (willow gudgeon)”, family of carp, is a kind of fish that is of approximately 10cm length and live in the Biwako Lake area. In spring they create groups to lay eggs along the shore of the lake, which attracted many fishermen along the bank of the lake. Recently the number of the fish has come down, and in order to increase them once again the prefectural government is making effort in r...»
A hot pot dish of magamo (sometimes ahiru or aigamo) which fly into the Biwa Lake, simmered with tofu and vegetables such as negi. Magamo in early winter are fatty and tasty with chewy texture and sweet fatty meats as they are going through a cold hard winter. As a saying “kamo is coming with negi on its back” describes, the flavor made by the combination of kamo and negi is outstanding. People in...»
Mallard ducks from the Biwako lake area are used for this dish, a representative food of Kohoku area, Shiga prefecture. It is popular as a winter dish between November and February. The ducks become fit and fatty as the weather gets cold, and their springy texture, the sweet fat unique to ducks, and the light taste are their characteristics. Using a shallow pot and dashi stock from bonito and kelp...»