Photographing location: Avenue of Metasequoias in Makino, Takashima

September 1, 2022

Issued by: Biwako Visitors Bureau Public Interest Incorporated Association ／ Shiga PrefectureA trip to experience the
Shiga Rhythm and tune into
your heart’s rhythm.
Feel the Shiga Rhythm.
It is a rhythm right for nature and people,
where people have lived slowly and carefully,
in step with nature without being rushed.

Encounter the life and history of Shiga,
activities in its natural spaces, and casualconversations with local people.

Amid the many things that happen in ourdaily lives, the experience in Shiga will surely
be a journey that will help us to adjust therhythm of our hearts and minds.

Welcome!
Enjoy Shiga Rhythm and Lake Biwa.

Shiga Rhythm for Resting in the Scenery ...P03
Shiga Rhythm to Get Close to Nature .........P05
Shiga Rhythm to Give Rise to Blessings .....P07
Shiga Rhythm to Trace Back History ..........P09
Shiga Rhythm to Enjoy by Time Slot ...........P11
World Agricultural Heritage .........................P13

Special videos to experience the
Shiga Rhythm are now available!

Photographing location: Lake Biwa shore, Maibara

Shiga Rhythm—Trip to

Shiga Rhythm—

Experience Living Culture

Pleasure Trip

Mt. Ibuki

Resting in the Scenery

Mt. Ibuki is the highest peak in
Shiga Prefecture, offering many

Enjoy the refreshing breeze from the lakeon the only inhabited island in a freshwater

spectacular views.

lake in Japan. You will be soothed by thebeautiful subalpine flowers you willencounter on Mt. Ibuki, the highest

It is one of Japan’s 100 most famous
mountains and lies on the border with Gifu
Prefecture. The summit offers a panoramicview of Lake Biwa, the mountains of Hiraand Hiei, the Japanese Alps, and Ise Bay
below. It has been famous since ancient
times as a treasure trove of prominent
medicinal herbs, subalpine plants, wild
birds, and insects. The flower garden at the
top of the mountain has been designated anational natural monument.

mountain in Shiga. Why don’t you
blend into the rich nature nurtured
over the years and take a break inthe slowly flowing “Shiga rhythm”?

Location: Ueno in Maibara andadjacent municipalities
Approx. 20 min. by car from SekigaharaInterchange or Maihara InterchangePhone: +81-749-53-5140(City Sales Department, the City of Maibara)

Okishima
IslandLake Biwa Cruising andOkishima Island Walk

It is a beautiful town with a mix ofmerchants’ main residences andEnjoy an island trip

traditional farmhouses.

to discover new landscapes.
On a short tour, it takes about twohours to explore Okishima, the only
inhabited island in a freshwater lake
in Japan, led by a volunteer guide.
The scenery of old life remains as if
you have stepped back in time, andyou can experience the history andthrough the narrow alleys.

Location: Miyagahama,Okishima-cho, Omihachiman
Bus from JR Omihachiman Station
A short walk from Kyukamura
Omihachiman Bus Stop.
Phone: +81-748-32-3138(Kyukamura Omihachiman)

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Gokasho Kondo-cho is the birthplaceof the Gokasho Omi merchants who
sold kimono, cotton, and silk products
throughout Japan from the 18th to20th centuries. Residences andstorehouses featuring white walls
and boat-plank fences stand side byside. Nishikigoi carp swim in thewaterways. This scene conveys thetown’s atmosphere where the Omi
merchants, who built the foundationof the Japanese economy, were bornand raised.
Location: Gokasho Kondo-cho,Higashiomi
Take the bus from JR Notogawa
Station and get off at Plaza
Sanpoyoshi Bus Stop, approx.
5 min. on foot/approx. 15 min. by
car from Yokaichi InterchangePhone: +81-748-48-6678(Plaza Sanpoyoshi)

culture of Okishima as you walkExperience the charm of
the island through a video!

Gokasho
Kondo-choTownscapeFormer Residence of Shigeru Tonomura, Gokasho Omi MerchantBiwaichi
Lake Biwa
Monument

Biwaichi refers to a bicycle tour around
Lake Biwa or tourist attractions andscenic spots in Shiga Prefecture. Take atour of familiar places at your own
pace, and enjoy the rich nature, history,
culture, and food on your route.

Float your kayak and explore the lake with its
spectacular scenery! Enjoy cycling along the

Enjoy Biwaichi throughyour route.

Location: Imahama-cho, Moriyama
Take the bus from JR Moriyama
Station and get off at Daiichi Nagisa
Koen Bus Stop.
Approx. 8 min. on foot from the bus
stopPhone: +81-77-584-5330(Shiga Prefectural Urban
Park, Lakeside Green)lakeside and find your unique view. Have apleasant time enjoying the rich nature of thelake and mountains with all your senses.

Get Close to Nature

For the official website of
Biwaichi, scan the QR code.

Log House

RudderEnjoy the Western-style
outdoor life by the lakeside
Enjoy a relaxing kayak stroll to observe

Everglades
Biwakoin a vast natural setting.
This Western-style outdoor resort

nature in a relaxed atmosphere.

opened in April 2021. American
culture is incorporated into glamping,

Why don’t you go on a kayak

a new experiential travel experience

experience tour with the owner ofthat combines comfort with the

Rudder? After an on-land paddle

growing demand for outdoor

lesson and explanation, go to theactivities. Children and adults alikelake and experience paddling. After

will have a fun and enriching time.

getting used to it, you can take aAddress: 1249-1 Gotanda,
Minamikomatsu, Otsu
Approx. 5 min. on foot from JR
Omi-Maiko Station
Approx. 35 min. by car from
Kyoto-Higashi InterchangePhone: +81-599-55-3867(Reservation Center)small tour to Oura Bay and then to
Okude Bay. You can also observevarious creatures and plants you
meet while paddling with guidance.

Experience the charm of
the facility through a video!

Address: 1824 Oura, Nishiazai-cho,Nagahama
Approx. 30 min. on foot from JR
Nagahara Station
Approx. 20 min. by car from
Kinomoto InterchangePhone: +81-749-89-80270506

Give Rise to Blessings

KorianTake your time to enjoy
the Funazushi Kaiseki,

Nigoro-buna (round crucian carp)
caught in Lake Biwa are pickled insalt. Then they are layered witha traditional taste of Shiga.

cooked rice for pickling and natural

Experience making miso (bean paste) with rice malt infermentation to produce funazushi

the home of fermented brewing born of freshwater(a dish of fermented crucian carp

culture. You will encounter a new taste of lake fish

marinated with rice). The Funazushi

while admiring Lake Biwa. Learn about the charm of the

Kaiseki (a traditional multi-course
Japanese meal), served at Korian,water created by the abundant nature with locallyoffers funazushi in various forms.

brewed sake (rice wine). Here you will find a fermentedAddress: 2307 Makino-cho Kaizu,
Takashima
Approx. 30 min. by car from
Kinomoto Interchange
Approx. 40 min. by car from
Tsuruga InterchangePhone: +81-740-28-1010

culture rooted in Shiga, created by people and nature.
Here you will find a unique food experience.

KojiyaKichiuemon

Enjoy the sake (rice wine) beautifully
nurtured by Omi’s history, culture,

Enjoy the 180-year-old taste created by local

and natural blessings.

blessings and traditional production methods.
At the foot of scenic Mt. Mikami,
where the countryside spreads out,
Kojiya Kichiuemon has continued
producing malt using a methodhanded down since the Edo period(1603-1868). He makes and sells
miso and amazake (a traditional
sweet, low-alcohol or non-alcoholic
Japanese drink made from fermentedrice) with a special malt and locallygrown soybeans, respectively.
Hands-on classes, such as a
miso-making class, are also offered.

Fujii Honke

The Fujii family has been brewing
sake as a family business since its
establishment in the Edo period(1603-1868). The sake breweryoffers shirozake (sacred sake) to theImperial Court for the Niinamesai
Festival (a Japanese harvest ritual). In
2022, Fujii Honke’s Kyokujitsu (sake)brand was designated by the National
Tax Agency as Shiga, a Geographical
Indication (GI) that indicates that thesake is produced in the correct placeof origin and meets certain standards.
Address: 793 Nagano, Aisho-cho,
Echi-gunApprox. 5 min. by car from JR Inae
StationApprox. 15 min. by car from Koto
Sanzan Smart InterchangePhone: +81-749-42-2080
Scan the QR code for a list of
sake breweries in Shiga.

Address: 1039 Mikami, Yasu
Approx. 5 min. by car from JR Yasu
Station or approx. 25 min. on footfrom JR Yasu Station
Phone: +81-77-587-0397

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Trace Back History

HikoneCastle andGenkyuen
Garden

Enjoy the castle, a national treasure,in a vast space.
Hikone Castle, which remains beautiful in
its original form and aims to be registeredas a World Heritage site, is decorated withvarious tree leaves and blossoms,
including cherry blossoms, plum blossoms,
and red maple leaves, depending on theseason. Visitors can enjoy every momentnature and history coexist harmoniously.
The adjacent Genkyuen, a feudal load
garden, as well as the stable and turrets,
which are Important Cultural Properties,
are not to be missed.
Address: 1-1 Konki-cho, Hikone
Approx. 15 min. on foot from JR Hikone
StationPhone: +81-749-22-2742

You can catch a glimpse of the atmosphere of the Edo period (1603-1868)
at Hikone Castle, which beautifully preserves its appearance of those days.

Learn about history and culture throughExperience the retro charm of the Showa period (which ended late in the
1980s) in the buildings of a school that is said to be the best elementary

ninja experiences in the great outdoors.

school architecture in the East. Feel the history of the area at the temple
where the culture of water and prayer remains. Come

Visitors can experience ninja training in themountains. The Koka Ninjutsu Museum in thevillage has the world’s largest collection ofninja art materials. The Karakuri Ninja House(a house of ninja tricks) also exists. This house
was originally built as the family home of
Yasutake Fujibayashi, known as the author ofBansenshukai (a Japanese book containing acollection of knowledge from the clans in the
Iga and Koka regions that had been devoted
to the training of ninjas). The house has been
moved to the village. In this birthplace of
Koka ninjas, visitors can enjoy the great
outdoors and feel like ninjas.

and see the many traces of history that Mother Lakeand its rich nature have witnessed.

Toyosato
Elementary
School Old
SchoolBuildings

The white, retro school buildings of
Koka Ninja
Village

Vories’ architecture are romantic.
Designed by William Merrell Vories,
the former Toyosato Elementary
School building was called the bestelementary school in the East. The
main building is made of reinforced
concrete, which was rare at the time.
It was also equipped withstate-of-the-art facilities, including
a swimming pool, an auditorium,
and a separate library. Normally,
visitors can freely walk around theretro school buildings. If you join a
tour, you can visit special places thatare not usually accessible.

This temple is associated with Murasaki Shikibu
and has beautiful scenery from season to season.

Address: 518 Ishibatake, Toyosato,
Inukami-gun
Approx. 10 min. on foot from Ohmi
Railway Toyosato Station
Approx. 15 min. by car from Koto
Sanzan Smart InterchangePhone: +81-749-35-3737(Toyosato Tourism Association)

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Ishiyama-dera Temple is the head templeof the Shingon sect of Buddhism, locatedon the west bank of the Seta River, whichflows out of Lake Biwa. This temple,
known as a temple of flowers, isassociated with Murasaki Shikibu, aJapanese novelist, poet, and servant at theImperial court in the Heian period (794 1185). Various kinds of cherry blossoms,
narcissus, peonies, azaleas, wisteria, andJapanese honeysuckle bloom from spring
to early summer.
Address: 1-1-1 Ishiyamadera, Otsu
Approx. 10 min. on foot from Keihan
Ishiyamadera Station
Phone: +81-77-537-0013

Address: 394 Oki, Koka-cho, Koka
Approx. 10 min. by car from Konan
Interchange or Koka-Tsuchiyama
InterchangePhone: +81-748-88-5000

Ishiyama-dera
TempleLocated in the Kohoku Waterfowl Park, this center allows
visitors to observe rare Lake Biwa waterfowl through a viewing
window using a field scope and telescope. The timing of thesunset is especially recommended, and you can enjoy afantastic view of the setting sun reflected on the lake’s surface.

The sunrise from Makino Sunny Beach, with its green
pine forests, is worth seeing. The vast Lake Biwa isdyed red by the morning sun, and the scenery ishauntingly beautiful and atmospheric.

Kohoku Wild Birds Center

Lake Biwa at Sunrise

Location: Imanishi, Kohoku-cho, Nagahama/Approx.
15 min. by car from JR Kawake Station
Approx. 30 min. by car from Nagahama Interchange,
approx. 20 min. from Kinomoto InterchangePhone: +81-749-79-1289

Location: Nishihama to Chinai, Makino,
Takashima/Approx. 15 min. on foot from JR Makino
StationPhone: +81-740-27-0325 (Chinaihama Auto Campsite)

EveningMorning
Hamaotsu Special Open-air
Morning Market

Evening view of Kusatsu
Lakeside Green Park

Location: Hamaotsu, Otsu, a short walk from Keihan
Biwako-hamaotsu Station
Phone: +81-77-523-5010 (Machidukuri Otsu Co., Ltd.)Location: Shina-cho, Kusatsu
Phone: +81-77-566-3219 (Kusatsu City Tourist
Association (general incorporated association))

This open-air morning market is held on the third Sunday of
every month from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. It is a gathering
place of Omi’s finest vegetables and processed goods and a
nostalgic place where people of all generations can interact
with each other. It is also a place where people from outside
the prefecture and abroad can learn about the quality andwarmth of Shiga Prefecture.

From the Kusatsu Lakeside Green Park, visitors can watch
the sunset over the mountains of Hiei on the opposite
shore. Lake Biwa and the mountains are dyed red by thesunset, creating a different and dramatic atmosphere.

Shiga Rhythm to

Enjoy by Time Slot
It is a famous place for night sky photography, where you
can photograph and fully enjoy the star-filled sky in aquiet space surrounded by nature with few cars passing
by and streetlights. There are grassy plazas and benches
around the dam for families to enjoy.

You can enjoy a relaxing tour of the inner moat of Hikone
Castle, one of the five national treasures of Japan, on theOsuki Yakatabune (houseboat), which is associated with
the Ii clan. On a sunny day, you can enjoy the natural
beauty of the castle. Enjoy a tour with the mood of afeudal lord’s boat ride.

Zao Dam

Hikone Castle Moat Tour

Address: 333-97 Zao, Hino (Management Office)From Ohmi Railway Hino Station, get off at
Kitabataguchi Bus Stop and walk approx. 30 min.
Take the bus from JR Omihachiman Station, get off at
Kitabataguchi Bus Stop, and walk for approx. 30 min.
Approx. 25 min. by car from Yokaichi Interchange or
Koka-Tsuchiyama InterchangePhone: +81-748-52-6577 (Hino Tourist Association)

Address: 3-40 Konki-cho, Hikone/Approx. 15 min. onfoot from JR Hikone Station
Get off at Ohmi Railway Hikone Station and walkapprox. 15 min. or approx. 10 min. by car from Hikone
Interchange.
Phone: +81-80-1461-4123 (Koedo Hikone (NPO))Night

Afternoon
Hachijo-iwa (Mikumo Castle Ruins)

Biwako Flower FountainAddress: 251 Yoshinaga, Konan/Approx. 10 min. by car from
JR Mikumo Station
Phone: +81-748-71-2157 (Konan Tourism Association (generalincorporated association))

Location: Hamaotsu, Otsu/Approx. 3 min. on foot from Keihan
Biwako-hamaotsu Station
Approx. 5 min. by car from Otsu InterchangePhone: +81-77-521-6016 (Biwako Kisen Steamship Co., Ltd., Otsu
Port designated manager)

In one of the corners of the ruins of Mikumo Castle, a huge rockover eight meters high called Hachijo-iwa, along with stone
walls, remain in their majestic forms, making it ideal for hiking.
The view of the Yasu River with the Ryuo area on the other side isbeautiful.
1112Located on a breakwater 180 meters offshore from the Port of Otsu,
this large fountain is approximately 440 meters long and 40 meters
high (equivalent to a 10-story building). It is one of the world’s longest
fountains. At night, it is beautifully illuminated in orange, white, andgreen, creating a magical atmosphere on Lake Biwa.

Lake Biwa-friendly agriculture, forestry, and ﬁsheries with asense of Shiga Rhythm have been recognized as a Globally
Important Agricultural Heritage
System (GIAHS) site.
The Biwa Lake to Land Integrated System (agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industry system), which has nurtured rich biodiversity inharmony with Lake Biwa, was recognized as a GIAHS site by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in July
2022. This system includes traditional Lake Biwa fisheries, Sakana-no-yurikago-suiden (lit. fish cradle paddies, where fish from Lake Biwa
migrate upstream to the rice paddies, spawn, and nurture their young), and environmentally conscious agriculture.

Please enjoy the fortunes of
Shiga nurtured by the richnature of Shiga Prefecture andthe tireless efforts of theirproducers.
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Lake Fish

Omi Beef

Omi Tea

Lake Biwa is home to awide variety of lake fish,
including species endemic
to the lake, such as Biwa
trout, Seta shijimi (acommon freshwater clam),honmoroko (a member ofthe carp family andhigh-end fish living in Lake
Biwa), and nigorobuna(round crucian carp). The
food culture using thesefish has also been
nurtured, and funazushi (a dish of fermented crucian carp marinated with rice)
is still a popular specialty of Shiga Prefecture.

Omi beef is one of Japan’s
three major beef breeds.
Bred in Shiga Prefecture,
blessed with a rich naturalenvironment and water,
Omi beef is characterized
by its mellow aroma andtenderness. Its
melt-in-your-mouth taste
is highly evaluatedthroughout Japan.

Shiga Prefecture is said tobe the birthplace ofJapanese tea leaves. It issaid that Saicho, thefounder of Enryaku-ji
Temple, brought back tea
seeds from China andplanted them aroundHiyoshi Taisha Shrine. The
tea produced in theprefecture is called Omi
no cha (Omi Tea) and is
known as an excellent tea that has won top prizes at national tea fairs andother competitions.