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05/09/2026

Izu Shrine, Katata｜Otsu, Shiga

On the shore of Lake Biwa, there's a small grove — and a shrine most travelers never find. ⛩️
This is Izu Shrine, in Katata, Otsu. It was founded in the year 892, when a monk from Mount Hiei's Enryakuji Temple looked at the scenery here and saw in it the landscape of far-off Izu. He invited the deity of Mishima Grand Shrine to this spot — and the name "Izu" has stayed with it ever since.
Katata was once a powerful port town, holding special rights over the shipping trade on Lake Biwa. In the medieval era it was known as "Katata Omiya," the guardian shrine watching over the whole district — and Izu Shrine stood at its heart. 🌿
Look for the heart-shaped sacred stone here, the "Stone that Calls Happiness." Gently stroke the top, and it's said to bring happiness — and to grant a wish for the person you hold in your heart. Even the ema prayer plaques are heart-shaped. In a hushed, still shrine, this one corner carries a little spark of something brighter. 💗
This isn't a crowded tourist stop. It's a quiet place where locals come to press their hands together in prayer. And just steps away is Ukimido, the serene hall that seems to float out over the lake. If you're wandering Katata, let this be one of your slow, gentle pauses.
And it's closer to Kyoto than you'd think — just about 25 minutes by train from Kyoto Station. 🚃

📍 Izu Shrine｜1-19-26 Hon-Katata, Otsu, Shiga (near Ukimido)
💴 Free to visit the grounds
🚃 From JR Kosei Line "Katata" Station, take the Kojak bus to "Demachi," 3-min walk · approx. 25 min by train from Kyoto Station
⛩️ Goshuin (shrine stamp) available · the heart-shaped ema are a favorite





27/08/2026

Saikyoji Summer Evening Illumination｜Otsu, Shiga
〜A Paradise Woven from Light〜
After dark, a wind chime sounds along the temple path. 🎐
Saikyoji sits in Sakamoto, at the foot of Mount Hiei in Otsu — the head temple of the Tendai Shinsei school, tucked into a quiet old town below the mountain. On summer evenings, this ancient place fills with countless wind chimes and a wash of colored light.
The approach, lined with rack after rack of chimes, feels like the very gateway to paradise. That cool chirin, chirin layers over itself again and again, carrying a breath of relief through the hot, humid night. ✨ The old halls rise softly out of the dark, and a dreamlike world opens up — nothing like the temple you'd meet by day. Even the main hall, built entirely of zelkova wood, and the guest hall, relocated here from Fushimi Castle — both National Important Cultural Properties — wear a different face in the light.

This is also the family temple of Akechi Mitsuhide, one of the great figures of Japan's Warring States era. As lord of nearby Sakamoto Castle, he restored this temple, and today he rests here with his clan and his wife, Hiroko, in quiet graves within the grounds. The weight of history and the lightness of a wind chime, side by side — a contrast that belongs to this place alone.
Wind chimes, light, and prayer. It's the kind of night where, just by walking through it, you feel something inside you loosen and ease. 🍃
This year's illumination runs through September 6, on select evenings. And it's an easy train ride from Kyoto — pair it with nearby Omi Jingu and make a whole evening of Otsu's summer of light.

📍 Sohonzan Saikyoji｜5-13-1 Sakamoto, Otsu, Shiga
🎐 Summer Evening Illumination 〜A Paradise Woven from Light〜 · select evenings, Jul 25 – Sep 6, 2026 · after dark
💴 Admission fee required (combined ticket with Omi Jingu available)
🚃 4–7 min by bus or on foot from Keihan "Sakamoto-Hieizanguchi" / JR "Hieizan-Sakamoto" · reachable from Kyoto by train + bus
🚗 Free parking (approx. 100 spaces)
ℹ️ Dates & times → official Saikyoji site or the Biwako-Otsu tourism guide




25/08/2026

Saikyoji Wind Chime Path｜Otsu, Shiga

The whole path rings with wind chimes. 🎐
At Saikyoji, a 1,000-year-old temple at the foot of Mount Hiei in Otsu, Shiga, the long approach to the main hall fills each summer with thousands of glass wind chimes.
Look up — blue sky and fresh green maples. Below them, chimes in every color, running in glittering rows. When the wind moves through, they all sound at once: chirin, chirin. And you walk on, right through the music of them. This is what a Japanese summer "coolness" really feels like.
Wind chimes have always carried a wish — to call in a cool breeze, and to keep misfortune away. That sound you'd usually catch from a single eave, here it spreads across the whole path. Not just beautiful. The sound of a prayer.
There's wind-chime painting and other seasonal activities too. You won't be able to stop taking photos — but pause once, and just listen. 🍃
One more thing: Saikyoji is the family temple of Akechi Mitsuhide, one of the great figures of Japan's Warring States era. The samurai lord who restored this temple now rests here with his clan. The lightness of a wind chime, the weight of samurai history — both, in one place.

And it's an easy train ride from Kyoto. Spend your day in the city, and slip over to the lake country next door. 🚃

📍 Sohonzan Saikyoji｜5-13-1 Sakamoto, Otsu, Shiga
🎐 Wind Chime Path — early summer to early autumn, during daytime visiting hours
💴 Admission fee required
🚃 4–7 min by bus or on foot from Keihan "Sakamoto-Hieizanguchi" / JR "Hieizan-Sakamoto" · reachable from Kyoto by train + bus
🚗 Free parking (approx. 100 spaces)
ℹ️ Event dates & wind-chime painting details → official Saikyoji site





21/08/2026

Mii-dera Yokai Night｜Otsu, Shiga
After dark, the temple comes alive.
Mii-dera is a celebrated temple in Otsu, Shiga. For just five nights each summer, this 1,200-year-old temple takes on a completely different face. Once the sun sets, ogres, three-eyed creatures, and yokai you've never seen before come shuffling through the grounds — "Mii-dera Yokai Night," a midsummer test of courage.
It began in 2018 and has since become a signature part of Otsu's summer. The masks and costumes are created by the yokai art collectives Hyakuyobako & Banyoshu — frightening to look at, yet somehow endearing. Screams and laughter go up at the very same moment, and that craftsmanship is the real star of the night.
There's something to discover in every corner. A "Yokai Food Village" serving dishes you'll find nowhere else, a "Mononoke Market" full of yokai goods, and a smartphone "Yokai Mystery Hunt." And ghost stories, told by a live storyteller as the notes of the Satsuma biwa lute drift through the dark — there's no more spine-chilling setting than a temple at night.
Then comes the "night procession of one hundred demons," a crowd of yokai winding through the grounds. If you like, anyone can join the line and walk along.
A touch of cool relief on a hot, humid summer night. This summer's run has ended — but next time, come and meet the yokai yourself.
Just about 25 minutes from Kyoto.

📍 Sohonzan Mii-dera, Chuin area (246 Onjoji-cho, Otsu, Shiga)
👹 Mii-dera Yokai Night｜early August every year, 18:00–21:00 *cancelled in severe weather
💴 Admission fee required
🚃 Approx. 7 min walk from Keihan "Miidera" Station / From JR Kyoto Station, take the JR Kosei Line to Otsukyo, then transfer to the Keihan Line — approx. 25 min total
🚗 Parking fills up every year — public transport is recommended
ℹ️ For full details, visit the official Mii-dera site: www.shiga-miidera.or.jp/





19/08/2026

ミシガンクルーズ｜滋賀・びわ湖
湖の上を、外輪船がゆく。
滋賀・大津港から出航する「ミシガン」。船尾の大きな水車で進む、クラシカルな外輪船です。
船の名前は、アメリカ・ミシガン州から。
滋賀県と姉妹都市であるミシガン州との友好親善を祈念して名づけられました。だから船内は、どこか外国風。生演奏の音楽ライブショーやブッフェを楽しみながら、南湖をぐるりと巡ります。
いちばんの特等席は、最上階の4Fスカイデッキ。
360度、さえぎるもののないパノラマです。比叡山や雄大な比良の山並み。風を受けながら見渡すびわ湖は、地図で見るより、ずっと広い。
コースは60分と90分、そして夜景をめぐるミシガンナイト。
短い時間でも、湖上に出てしまえば、街の景色は遠くなります。
そしてここ、京都からとても近いんです。
京阪「びわ湖浜大津駅」から大津港まで徒歩すぐ。JR京都駅から約9分で、この湖上の時間が待っています。
京都のすぐ隣、滋賀。
次の旅は、びわ湖の上から始めてみませんか。

📍ミシガンクルーズ（滋賀県・大津港ほか発着）
⛴️コース：ミシガン60／90、ミシガンナイト90 ほか
🚃京阪「びわ湖浜大津駅」から徒歩約3分／京都駅から約9分 大津駅下車、徒歩約15分
🕒運航日時や料金は季節により変動
ℹ️最新の時刻表・ご予約は琵琶湖汽船公式サイトで

Michigan Cruise｜Lake Biwa, Shiga

A paddle-wheel steamer glides across the lake.
The Michigan sets sail from Otsu Port in Shiga — a classic paddle-wheel boat, driven by the great wheel at its stern. It's named for the U.S. state of Michigan, Shiga's sister state, in a spirit of friendship — and there's something distinctly foreign in the air on board. Cruise the lake's southern basin over a buffet, with a live music show playing.
The best seat in the house is the 4F Sky Deck: an unbroken 360° panorama. Mount Hiei, the sweeping Hira mountains — a

17/08/2026

Omi Jingu Summer Illumination｜Otsu, Shiga
Light spreads across the vermilion gate at night.

Omi Jingu, in Otsu, Shiga. The shrine enshrines Emperor Tenji — remembered as the "founding deity of time," said to have announced the hour with Japan's very first water clock. On summer nights, this shrine glows with light built around a single theme: time.

The highlight is the projection mapping across the bright red tower gate. Clocks, cherry blossoms, the turning of the seasons — a story of "time," carried on for some 1,350 years, plays out as a two-minute projection on the vermilion gate. Light installations that draw on the shrine's own water clock (rokoku), sundial, and fire clock make this a show only Omi Jingu could stage. This year the event runs far longer than before, and the whole precinct is bathed in a dreamlike glow.

This is also the "sacred home of karuta." It's the setting of the film Chihayafuru, and every summer high schoolers from across Japan gather here to compete for the top of competitive karuta. The red gate paired with light inspired by the Hyakunin Isshu poems — the world of the story rises up into the night.

It's a completely different face from the crisp, solemn air of daytime. Walk through the fantastical light, and the night turns strange and lovely, like traveling through time itself.

This year's event runs through August 23, on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. And it's remarkably close to Kyoto — just a 5-minute walk from Keihan "Omi-jingu-mae" Station, and about 30 minutes by train from Kyoto Station.

Shiga — right next door to Kyoto. This summer night, come to Omi Jingu, aglow with light.

📍 Omi Jingu (1-1 Jingu-cho, Otsu, Shiga)
🏮 Summer Illumination｜July 18 – Aug 23, 2026, on Sat/Sun/holidays + Aug 14 / 19:00–21:00
💴 Adults (high school and up) ¥600 / elementary & junior high ¥300 / preschoolers free
🚃 5 min walk from Keihan "Omi-jingu-mae" Station / approx. 30 min by train from Kyoto Station
🚗 Free parking available
ℹ️ For details on which nights feature the Hyakunin Isshu lights, check the official Omi Jingu site or the Biwako-Otsu tourism guide




#

11/08/2026

Biwako Great Fireworks Festival 2026

The lake fills with light.

On August 6, 2026, the festival marked its milestone 40th edition. Around 12,000 fireworks bloomed across the night sky over Lake Biwa — and mirrored, whole, on the water below. Wrapped in light from above and below at once, sky and lake together: this is something only a lakeside fireworks show can give you.

To mark the anniversary, this year's show ran in two parts for the first time. Part one paired fireworks with a drone show and music; part two brought back the festival's signature diagonal shell bursts. Fireworks, light, and fountains moved as one, painting the night over Biwa in three dimensions.

And here's the thing — it's remarkably close to Kyoto. Just about 10 minutes by train from Kyoto Station to Otsu, and right past the bustle of the city, this is what waits for you.

This year has come to a close, but the festival returns every August. Come see one of Japan's great summer traditions with your own eyes, at least once.

Shiga — right next door to Kyoto. Next summer, let's meet on the shore of Lake Biwa.

ー

📍 Biwako Great Fireworks Festival (over the water off Otsu Port, Shiga)
🚃 About 10 min by train from JR Kyoto Station → get off at Otsu Station, then approx. 15 min on foot
🎆 Held in early August each year (check the official site for details) / paid viewing seats require advance tickets





27/07/2026

Hachiman-bori Canal & the Old Streets of Omihachiman
Walk down the stone steps, and the sound of water draws closer.
This is Hachiman-bori, a canal in Omihachiman, Shiga.
It was dug in 1585, when Toyotomi Hidetsugu built Hachimanyama Castle. Running roughly 4.75km and connected to Lake Biwa, the canal became the lifeline of the Omi merchants — the artery that carried their goods and trade.
The white-walled storehouses lining the water are remnants of those days. As you stroll along, it's the little things that catch your eye: moss on the stone embankments, dappled light falling on the surface of the water.
This scenery has been protected by the hands of local people. Since the late 1970s, cleanup and preservation efforts have continued without pause — and it's that steady work, year after year, that keeps the water as beautiful as it is today.
That's why it simply feels good to walk here. The stone paths, the storehouses, the green along the canal — once you realize every bit of it is the result of someone's continued care, the whole view starts to look a little different.

📍 Hachiman-bori (Miyauchi-cho and surrounding areas, Omihachiman City, Shiga)
🚃 By train & bus
From JR Biwako Line "Omihachiman Station," North Exit, Bus Stop No. 6, take the Ohmi Railway Bus bound for "Chomeiji." Get off at "Obatacho Shiryokan-mae" (about 7 min).

Follow for more of Shiga — the quiet side of the Kyoto region 🌿





03/07/2026

Omi Jingu
The Birthplace of Time and the Sacred Ground of Karuta ⛩️⏳

Nestled at the foot of Mt. Usami on the western shore of Lake Biwa lies Omi Jingu Shrine, a relatively young yet deeply significant shrine standing on the historic grounds of the ancient capital, Otsu-kyo.

Beyond its striking vermilion gate (Romon), the serene precinct expands in the unique Omi-zukuri architectural style. The shrine is dedicated to Emperor Tenji, the visionary ruler who enacted the Taika Reforms in 645 AD and moved the capital here to Otsu in 667 AD. Founded in 1940 through the deep devotion of the people, the shrine honors his profound legacy.

🕰️ The Origin of Time in Japan
Emperor Tenji is celebrated as the father of Japanese timekeeping. According to the ancient chronicle Nihon Shoki, he introduced Japan’s very first water clock (Rokoku). Every year on June 10th (Time Memorial Day), a special festival is held, and the shrine’s on-site clock museum showcases around 180 timepieces from Japan and around the world.

🍁 The Sacred Land of Hyakunin Isshu Karuta
Emperor Tenji is also famous for composing the very first poem in the Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets) anthology. This deep connection makes Omi Jingu the ultimate holy ground for competitive karuta, famously hosting the national Master and Queen championship matches every January and serving as the iconic setting for the popular manga and anime series Chihayafuru.

📍 Access & Info
Address: Omi Jingu Shrine (1-1 Jingu-cho, Otsu, Shiga)
How to get there: A 10-minute walk from "Omi-Jingu-mae" Station on the Keihan Ishiyama Sakamoto Line.
Shrine Hours: 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Free admission to the grounds)
Office Hours: 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Clock Museum & Treasure House: Separate admission fee required. (Closed on Mondays, except on national holidays)





28/06/2026

Karasaki Shrine: A Timeless Pine Tree Standing by the Lake 🌲✨

On a small cape gently jutting into Lake Biwa, at the foot of Mt. Hiei, stands the ancient Karasaki Shrine.

Founded in 697 AD during the reign of Empress Jito, this sacred shrine is dedicated to the goddess Wakesukihime-no-Mikoto. Historically known as a place of worship for women, it was chosen during the Heian period as one of the seven sacred sites for "Nananose-no-Harae" (a ritual to cleanse disasters from the Emperor and the nation), drawing visits from court nobles and princesses.

The breathtaking scenery was captured by ukiyo-e master Utagawa Hiroshige as "Night Rain at Karasaki," one of the famous Eight Views of Omi.

Inside the grounds stands the legendary Karasaki Pine. The great haiku poet Matsuo Basho even composed a piece inspired by its ethereal beauty, praising how its misty leaves swaying in the lakeside breeze looked even more beautiful than cherry blossoms. Today, the third and fourth generations of this historic pine tree still stand quietly against the backdrop of the serene lake. 🌅

📍 Access
Address: Karasaki Shrine (1-7-1 Karasaki, Otsu, Shiga)
How to get there: A 15-minute walk from JR Karasaki Station (Kosei Line).
Admission: Free (Open grounds)





Address

Hamaotsu5-1-1, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture
Otsu-shi, Shiga
520-0047

Telephone

0775245000

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