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Shiga

Scenic adventures around Lake Biwa

About Shiga
Nagahama, Shiga (Photo: yoko_ken_chan / Shutterstock.com)

Top Attractions in Shiga

Around Shiga

Otsu

Otsu

Ōtsu is the capital city of Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Ōtsu is known as the main port of Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. ...

Shiga
Omihachiman

Omihachiman

Ōmihachiman is a city in central Japan. Himure Hachimangu Shrine has a number of ornate wooden temples. From the shrine, a ca...

Shiga

Top Articles

Upcoming Shiga Events

Corn Festival 2025

Corn Festival 2025

Kim

Corn is a vital crop with immense importance as a food, feed, and fuel source. The Yatsugatake corn variant grows well in Jap...

Shiga
Water Lily Exhibition 2025

Water Lily Exhibition 2025

Kim

Shiga's Mizunomori Water Botanical Garden is home to over 150 types of water lilies, and they typically begin to bloom in ear...

Shiga

Where to eat in Shiga

Shirahige Soba Restaurant

Shirahige Soba Restaurant

Amanda Ho

On the west side of Lake Biwa, Shirahige is a family restaurant dedicated to making the best soba. Touted as a healthy noodle...

Shiga
La Collina Omi-Hachiman

La Collina Omi-Hachiman

Eriko Fukui

La Collina means hill in Italian, giving a clue to the architect’s intentions, with its hill like roof covered by a lush lawn...

Shiga

Places to stay in Shiga

Visiting Miho Museum 9

Visiting Miho Museum

Cathy Cawood

Miho Museum in the hills of Shiga Prefecture is a beautiful building, but it totally upstages the art exhibited there.

Shiga

Latest Shiga Reports

Sakura Season at Kaizu Osaki

Sakura Season at Kaizu Osaki

Kim

During early April each year, approximately 800 Yoshino cherry trees bloom in the Kaizu Osaki area for around 4 kilometers. T...

Shiga
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About Shiga

Shiga
Okinawa Nagasaki Fukuoka Saga Kumamoto Kagoshima Miyazaki Oita Ehime Kochi Tokushima Kagawa Yamaguchi Hiroshima Okayama Tottori Shimane Hyogo Kyoto Osaka Wakayama Nara Shiga Mie Fukui Ishikawa Toyama Gifu Aichi Nagano Shizuoka Niigata Yamanashi Kanagawa Tokyo Saitama Gunma Tochigi Chiba Ibaraki Fukushima Miyagi Yamagata Iwate Akita Aomori Hokkaido
Region Kansai
Island Honshu
Capital Otsu
Population 1,410,777
Area 4017.38 sq. km

The subject of the famous artist Hiroshige’s ukiyo-e paintings “Eight Views of Omi,” Shiga Prefecture (滋賀県, Shiga-ken) is famous for its many picturesque views thanks to Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest lake.

The lake and the surrounding area are perfect for water sports and outdoor activities, while much of Shiga avoided damage from World War II and the rapid urbanization right after it, making it a great place to relax and a prime day trip location from nearby Kyoto and Osaka. Enryaku-ji is one of the most important temples in Japan, while Hikone Castle is one of just four castles that are classified as national treasures.

The city of Koka has the Ninja Village, a very interesting attraction for domestic and foreign tourists alike. Shiga is also well known for its delicious food, including Omi beef and funa-zushi.

Around Shiga

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