滋賀県 · Kinki Region
Shiga Hidden Gems
Built around Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake — castle towns, lakeside shrines and the mountain temple complex that shaped Japanese Buddhism.
4 spots
Climate & Best Season
Cold, snowy in the north near the lake; milder in the south. Autumn foliage on Mt. Hiei is the seasonal highlight.
Famous For (Food)
- Omi beef
- Funazushi
- Lake fish tsukudani
- Sake
Signature Sights
- Hikone Castle
- Enryakuji on Mt. Hiei
- Shirahige Shrine's lake torii
- Lake Biwa cycling
Shiga
Shiga· Koka
Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park
Shigaraki is one of the six ancient kilns of Japan and its clay is unusually coarse, full of feldspar that bursts throug…
Shigaraki waresix ancient kilnsKoka+2
Shiga
Shiga· Moriyama
Sagawa Art Museum
The Sagawa Art Museum sits on the eastern shore of Lake Biwa as two low pavilions with tiled roofs appearing to float on…
Sagawa Art MuseumHirayama Ikuoraku ware+2
Shiga
Shiga· Koka
Miho Museum
I. M. Pei built this museum into a mountain in the Shigaraki hills with about eighty percent of it underground, on the e…
Miho MuseumI. M. Peiantiquities+2
Shiga
Shiga· Koka
Koka Ninja House
This is the house of the Mochizuki family, head of the fifty-three Koka ninja households, built in the Genroku era and s…
Koka ninjaMochizuki houseGenroku+2