Are you going to visit Hikone Castle soon? Don’t forget to stop by the Yume Kyobashi Castle Road (夢京橋 キャッスル口一ド), which continues for 350 meters from the castle’s Kyōbashi Bridge. Traditional houses with white walls and black windows lining the sides of the road will almost make you feel like you have slipped back in […]
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If you find Kyoto and Osaka too crowded and touristy, consider visiting Shiga Prefecture on your next visit to Kansai! The less-visited prefecture is home to Japan’s largest lake, Biwako Lake. The attractions around Lake Biwa thus offer its visitors some magnificent “ocean view”. Located next to Kyoto, Shiga Prefecture is home to countless astonishing
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Although famed for the beautiful cherry blossom scenery, many places in Shiga Prefecture are worth visiting in autumn. So, if you find yourself at a loose end during the fall in Shiga, head down to these spots to experience the astonishing natural wonder of these secret places!
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Shiga Prefecture, next to Kyoto, is underrated. While it is in the rural part of the Kansai region, we are sure that you will be amazed by the tourist spots in Shiga once you get to know them. Although not as many as Kyoto, Shiga Prefecture also has a couple of plum blossom spots where
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Mt. Hiei or Hieizan (比叡山), a mountain lying on the border between Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures, is considered one of the Three Holiest Places in Japan together with Kōyasan (高野山) and Mt. Osore (恐山). The worship halls and pagodas of the World Heritage Enryakuji Temple (延暦寺) are scattered throughout the mountain. The temple, which is
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If you plan to come to Kansai for the cherry blossoms, consider Kaizu Ōsaki (海津大崎), one of Japan’s Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots! Along the 4 km lakeshore, there are around 800 cherry trees, old and young, that usually blossom in early to mid-April (the exact date of full bloom varies each year). As one
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The city of Ōtsu has many stunning scenery and one of them is at the northern Ōtsu close to Biwako Bridge (琵琶湖大橋). The view of the worship hall of Mangetsu-ji Temple Ukimi-dō (満月寺 浮御堂) sticking out of Lake Biwa is one of the Eight Views of Ōmi (近江八景). Because of its fame, it is a
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The Seta River (瀬田川), south of Lake Biwa, is the only waterway from which the lake’s water can flow. The river stretches all the way to Kyoto and Osaka and has the 260-meter Seta no Karahashi Bridge (瀬田の唐橋) built across it. Not only is the bridge an important military and transportation hub, but it is
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Saitō (西塔) is a quiet place deep in Mt. Hiei in beautiful cedar forests in the west founded by Enchō (円澄), also known as Jikukō Daishi (寂光大師). While the number of attractions here isn’t as many as in the Tōdō area, we loved our visit to Saitō. It wasn’t as busy as Tōdō. The atmosphere here
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At the south of Japan’s largest lake, Lake Biwa, three temples were erected in the early 8th century. Each has a worship hall designated as a National Treasure in its precinct. Together, the three Tendai sect temples have been known as the ‘Konan Sanzan (湖南三山)’ since 2005. But nowadays, instead of the national treasures, what
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