Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

Explore temples, shrines, castles, parks, and more

Island
Shiga

Chikubushima

Sacred Island in Lake Biwa with a Temple and Shrine

A small sacred island in the north of Lake Biwa, reached by boat and home to Hogonji Temple and T...

Nagahama, Shiga, Japan
Landmark
Shiga

Kaizu-Osaki

Cherry-Blossom Coastline on Northern Lake Biwa

A rocky cape at the northern end of Lake Biwa where about 800 cherry trees line roughly 4 km of s...

Takashima, Shiga, Japan
Museum
Shiga

Sagawa Art Museum

Water-Surrounded Museum on the Moriyama Lakeshore

A serene museum near the Moriyama lakeshore whose low pavilions appear to float on a broad reflec...

Moriyama, Shiga, Japan
Temple
Shiga

Ishiyama-dera

Temple Where Murasaki Shikibu Is Said to Have Begun The Tale of Genji

A Shingon temple above the Seta River in Otsu, famous for the wollastonite crag it is named for a...

Otsu, Shiga, Japan
Museum
Shiga

Lake Biwa Museum

Lake Museum and Freshwater Aquarium on the Karasuma Peninsula

A museum on the Karasuma Peninsula devoted to Lake Biwa, one of the world's oldest lakes, combini...

Kusatsu, Shiga, Japan
Attraction
Shiga

Biwako Valley

Ropeway to the Biwako Terrace and Sweeping Lake Views Above Otsu

A mountaintop resort above the western shore reached by a fast ropeway, whose Biwako Terrace deck...

Otsu, Shiga, Japan
Temple
Shiga

Ukimido Floating Hall

Lakeside Temple Hall Standing Over the Water at Katata

A small temple hall of Mangetsu-ji that stands out over Lake Biwa on piles at Katata, long celebr...

Otsu, Shiga, Japan
Shrine
Shiga

Hiyoshi Taisha

Head Shrine of Some 3,800 Hie and Hiyoshi Shrines, Guardian of Mount Hiei

The head of some 3,800 Hie, Hiyoshi and Sanno shrines nationwide, set in the Sakamoto foothills o...

Otsu, Shiga, Japan