Lake Biwa and Hidden Shiga: An Off-the-Beaten-Path Itinerary (2026)
Lake Biwa and Hidden Shiga: An Off-the-Beaten-Path Itinerary (2026)
Shiga sits right next to Kyoto, barely fifteen minutes by train, yet almost no visitors stop. That is their loss. Wrapped around Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan, the prefecture hides a National Treasure castle, a sacred island, a torii standing in the water, an avenue of redwoods and one of the most dramatic museums in the country. It makes a rewarding two-day trip for anyone who has already seen the big Kyoto sights: one day around the lake itself, and a second day in the pottery-and-art hills to the south.
This itinerary circles the lake, starting on the eastern shore and working around the quiet north and west before dropping into the pottery hills of the south. A car makes it easy, but the whole loop is doable by a mix of local trains, a lake ferry and buses. Ferry and seasonal boat schedules change, so confirm current times before you plan a day around them.
At a Glance
Day 1: Around the lake
- La Collina Omihachiman (Shiga): a moss-roofed sweets village that looks like a storybook
- Okishima (Shiga): the only inhabited island on a lake in Japan
- Chikubushima (Shiga): a sacred island shrine reached by ferry across the lake
- Shirahige Shrine (Shiga): a red torii standing out in the water
- Metasequoia Namiki (Shiga): a two-and-a-half-kilometer avenue of dawn-redwood trees
- Kaizu-Osaki (Shiga): cherry blossoms along the northern shore
- Hikone Castle (Shiga): one of Japan's twelve original surviving castles
Day 2: The southern hills
- Miho Museum (Shiga): an I.M. Pei museum hidden in the mountains
- Shigaraki (Shiga): the pottery town of the tanuki statues
Day 1: Around the lake
La Collina Omihachiman
Begin near Omihachiman with the strangest bakery in Japan. La Collina is the flagship of Shiga's beloved Taneya and Club Harie confectioners, a building with a living roof of grass and moss designed by the architect Terunobu Fujimori, set in rice paddies and gardens. Inside, you watch baumkuchen being baked and eat it warm. It is free to wander, gently surreal and a lovely, low-key start.
Okishima
Just offshore from Omihachiman lies Okishima, the only permanently inhabited lake island in Japan. Around two hundred and fifty people live in this fishing village, reached by a ten-minute ferry from Horikiri port. Narrow lanes thread between the houses, there are no cars, only bicycles and handcarts, and the cats easily outnumber the visitors. It is a lived-in counterpoint to the sacred emptiness of Chikubushima to the north: come to walk the waterfront, eat freshly caught lake fish and see a way of life on the water that has barely changed in generations.
Chikubushima
In the deep northern reach of the lake floats Chikubushima, a small forested island that has been worshipped for centuries. Ferries cross to it from Hikone, Nagahama and Imazu in roughly half an hour. On the island a steep stone stairway climbs to Hogon-ji temple and Tsukubusuma Shrine, where visitors throw small clay discs through a torii gate at the water's edge for a wish. There is nothing else on the island, which is exactly the point.
Shirahige Shrine
On the western shore near Takashima, Shirahige Shrine sends a vermilion torii out into the lake, an image often called the Itsukushima of Lake Biwa. It is the oldest shrine in Shiga, dedicated to long life. Come at first light, when the sun rises behind the gate and the water is still, and you will likely have it to yourself. Take care crossing the busy lakeside road for the classic view.
Metasequoia Namiki
Inland at Makino, a dead-straight road runs for about two and a half kilometers between some five hundred metasequoia, dawn-redwood trees planted in tidy ranks. In fresh spring green, high summer shade or burning autumn copper it is one of the most photogenic avenues in the country, and a genuinely peaceful place to walk or cycle away from any crowd.
Kaizu-Osaki
A short way on, the cape of Kaizu-Osaki lines the northern shore with around eight hundred cherry trees that arch right over the water. In early April the blossom and the blue lake together are unforgettable, and pleasure boats run along the shore so you can see the pink wall from the water. Outside cherry season it stays a quiet, rocky headland with clear coves.
Hikone Castle
Back on the eastern shore, Hikone Castle is one of only twelve original castle keeps left in Japan and a designated National Treasure, its 400-year-old tower still standing on the hill above the town. The Genkyu-en garden below frames it beautifully, and the local mascot Hikonyan, a white cat in a samurai helmet, makes daily appearances. It is the historic heart of the whole loop.
Day 2: The southern hills
Miho Museum
South in the Shigaraki mountains, the Miho Museum is worth a trip for the approach alone: you walk through a curving tunnel and across a suspension bridge to reach a building by I.M. Pei, the architect of the Louvre pyramid, three-quarters buried in the hillside to protect the forest. Inside is a fine collection of ancient art from around the world. In cherry season the tunnel glows pink at its mouth.
Shigaraki
End in Shigaraki, one of the six ancient kiln towns of Japan and the home of the round-bellied tanuki, the raccoon-dog statue you see outside restaurants all over the country. The hills here are full of kilns and pottery studios, and you can throw your own piece or browse the Ceramic Cultural Park. The little Shigaraki Kohara Line train, itself covered in tanuki, is half the fun of getting there.
Getting Around
Shiga is easiest with a car. Plan two days: the first circling the lake shore and ending near Hikone, and a second for Miho Museum and Shigaraki, which sit close together in the hills to the south. By public transport, JR lines ring the lake (the Biwako Line on the east, the Kosei Line on the west), the Chikubushima ferry connects the ports, and the Shigaraki Kohara Line branches off at Kibukawa for the pottery town. Spring brings the cherry blossom at Kaizu-Osaki and the Miho tunnel; autumn lights up the Metasequoia avenue.
FAQ
Can I do this as a day trip from Kyoto?
You can reach Shiga from Kyoto in about fifteen minutes, so a focused day trip works well: pair Hikone Castle with La Collina, or Shirahige Shrine with the Metasequoia avenue. Seeing the whole loop comfortably takes two days.
When is the best time to visit?
Early April for the cherry blossom at Kaizu-Osaki and the Miho Museum approach; late autumn for the Metasequoia avenue in copper and the castle grounds in red. The lake is pleasant from spring through autumn.
Do I need to book the Chikubushima ferry?
In peak seasons and for the first or last boats it is worth checking sailings in advance, as departures are limited and weather can cancel them. On a normal day you can usually just turn up at Hikone, Nagahama or Imazu port.
