Okishima

Attraction

Prefecture

Shiga

Type

Attraction

N/A

1 review

Restaurant Cafe

About This Destination

A small fishing island in Lake Biwa with no cars, narrow alleys, old shrines, and around 250 residents — the only permanently inhabited freshwater lake island in Japan.

Okishima sits a 10-minute ferry ride off Omihachiman's Horikiri Port and feels like another century. The island is about 1.5 km long, walkable end-to-end in under an hour, with no cars — residents use bicycles and three-wheeled cargo "triporters" to move along the narrow alleyways between weathered wooden fishing houses. Legend traces the settlement to seven Genji samurai who fled here in the late Heian period; many of today's roughly 250 residents still share those original surnames. Okutsushima Shrine (奥津島神社), tucked on the hillside overlooking the port, enshrines Takebehime no Mikoto and has long been venerated as a guardian of safe passage on the lake. A short climb up Onigata-yama (尾山, ~220 m) gives a panoramic view over the lake and back to Omihachiman. The island also hosts Okishima Elementary, the last remaining school on any Lake Biwa island, and a small visitor information building near the port where you can buy locally caught ayu, isaza tsukudani, and freshwater shrimp.

Location

Prefecture: Shiga

Address: Omihachiman, Shiga, Japan

Nearest Station: Omi-Hachiman

View on Google Maps

Visitor Information

Credit Cards: Unknown

Food Options: A handful of small eateries serve island specialties — lake-fish teishoku, ayu, freshwater shrimp tempura, and isaza tsukudani. Hours are short and many close mid-afternoon; some accept walk-ins, others require same-day calls. The Okishima Lifeworks visitor building near the port sells onigiri, drinks, and packaged local foods you can take to a bench by the harbor.

Official Website

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get to Okishima?

Take JR Biwako Line to Omi-Hachiman Station (~35 min from Kyoto on the Shin-Kaisoku rapid). From there it's an Omikoutsu bus toward Horikiri-ko (about 25 min, ¥530), then the Okishima Tsushen passenger ferry across to the island (10 min, ¥500 one way / ¥1,000 round trip). Ferries run roughly 10-12 round trips a day on a fixed timetable; the last one back is around 18:00 in summer, earlier in winter. Check the current schedule on okishima.jp before you go — weather can cancel sailings.

What's the island actually like to walk around?

Quiet, weather-worn, and very narrow. The main settlement clusters along the south shore in tight lanes barely wider than a bicycle, lined with old wooden fishing houses, drying nets, and tiny shrines. No cars — residents use bikes and three-wheeled cargo 'triporters' you'll see parked everywhere. Most of the inland and the Onigata-yama hill (~220 m) is forested; the climb is short but the path is rough and overgrown in places — sturdy shoes recommended. End-to-end the inhabited stretch is walkable in well under an hour; budget 2-3 hours if you want the hilltop view, a shrine stop, and lunch.

What's worth seeing or eating on the island?

Don't miss Okutsushima Shrine (奥津島神社), set on the hillside overlooking the port — small, mossy, and tied to the lake-safety deity Takebehime no Mikoto. The walk along the harbor past Okishima Elementary (the last island school on Lake Biwa) gives you a real sense of how the community works. For food, try a lake-fish teishoku set at one of the tiny island eateries — typical plates feature ayu (sweetfish), biwa-masu (Biwa trout), and isaza no tsukudani (soy-simmered icefish, a Biwa specialty). The Okishima Lifeworks visitor building near the pier sells onigiri, drinks, and locally processed lake foods to take away — good fallback because restaurant hours are short and irregular.