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News & Events
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Oct. 2017
- Mountain Climbing & Trekking Information! <<Biwako Valley>>
- "Meet the First Drop of Lake Biwa! Water-Source Discovery Trekking" has become such a famous trekking expedition, it has even set up collaborations with big outdoor gear manufacturers. There's also a full range of other outgoing trekking courses, including the Kojorogaike Course that lets you look out over the beauty of Lake Biwa while heading to an ancient pond with 6,000 years of history and legends, and the Hiradake Course that takes you through some glorious forest valleys while bird calls soothe your senses. If you're looking to take a stroll that's a little more relaxed, the course around Biwako Valley itself comes highly recommended. If you start to feel tired you can even take a rest in a forest hammock. 【Biwako Valley】 http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/82 【Trekking Course】 http://www.biwako-valley.com/topics/2128
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Oct. 2017
- Kanou Shoujuan Sunai no Sato Japanese Confection Making Experience
- Kanou Shoujuan Sunai no Sato is a longstanding Japanese style confectioner, now synonymous with Shiga. Along with delicious delicacies, they also offer a chance to make your own confections. Using ingredients carefully selected by the highly skilled Kanou Shoujuan staff, this classroom provides the opportunity to make Japanese confections that are overflowing with a sense of the seasons. Under the watchful guidance of skilled craftspeople, enjoy this deliciously creative experience in a peaceful and welcoming atmosphere. [Day Held]Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday (*May change depending on the season) [Time]10:45 - 12:15 (Japanese confection making) [Participation Charges]2700yen (including tax) per person [No. of Places]40 people (reservations closed once full) [Things to Bring ] Nothing in particular (aprons etc. will be provided) [Applications](Reception 9:00 - 17:00) *Please make a reservation at least 4 days before the date on which you wish to participate. http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/85
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Oct. 2017
- Shigaraki Ceramics Festival
- October each year sees the Shigaraki Ceramics Festival held in Shigaraki, the town of ceramics. Spot sales and exhibitions of Shigaraki-yaki are held, attracting ceramics lovers from around the world. Alongside the ceramics, you'll also find booths selling regional produce and local cuisine. ■Shigaraki Ceramics General Exhibition The "Shigaraki Ceramics Festival" is a highlight in the calendars of all ceramics fans. The Shigaraki Ceramics General Exhibition, held in the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park's Exhibition Hall of Industrial Ceramics, provides a wonderful chance to come into contact with the culture of ceramics. ■Spot Sale A spot sale is held in a special venue in the vicinity of the Shigaraki Chiiki Shimin Center. Take this opportunity to find a new favorite piece! [Date]October 7~ 9 2017, 9:00 - 17:00 [Place]Special Venue in the vicinity of Koka City Office Shigaraki Chiiki Shimin Center Shigaraki Ceramics General Exhibition: Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park's Exhibition Hall of Industrial Ceramics [Access]3 min. on foot from Shigaraki Kougen Railway Shigaraki Station
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Sep. 2017
- Ninja Experience
- The Koka Ninja Village feels like an ancient and hidden settlement. Within the wide grounds there is a shinobi shrine, a museum dedicated to ninja techniques, a house full of ninja traps and secret panels, and a shuriken throwing star dojo. The museum in particular is especially rich in materials relating to ninja, housing the most in the world. You can also rent ninja outfits, allowing you to experience the feeling of becoming a real ninja while undertaking your training. How about exploring the place where Koka ninja originated? [Rental Outfits Charges] Children 610JPY/day, Adults 1030JPY/day *Outfit rental is on a first come, first served basis. *Head wraps are an additional 100YPY. *A deposit is also required for rentals. ■Koka Ninja Village Adults 1030JPY, Junior High School Students 820JPY, Elementary School Students 730JPY, Toddlers 520JPY, 2 years and under free http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/137
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Sep. 2017
- Ishiyama-dera Temple Fall Moon Festival
- It is said that Murasaki Shikibu, the author of The Tale of Genji, visited Ishiyama-dera Temple around 1,000 years ago and started to write The Tale of Genji while looking at the full moon reflected in the waters of Lake Biwa. This has led to Ishiyama-dera Temple holding their Fall Moon Festival around the time of the harvest moon each year. More than 2,000 lanterns create an illusory and ethereal world inside the temple grounds, while the two storied pagoda National Treasure is wonderfully floodlit. A variety of events are also held during the period of the festival, including events related to The Tale of Genji in the main temple. [Date] September 25, 26, 27 18:00 - 21:00 [Location Held] Ishiyama-dera Temple (1-1-1 Ishiyamadera, Otsu City, Shiga) [Access] 10 min. on foot from Keihan Ishiyamadera Station [Admission Charges] 600 JPY http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/108
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Sep. 2017
- National Treasures and Cultural Assets of Shiga - Higashi Omi Area -
- Namura-jinja Shrine is said to be one and the same with the Namura-jinja Shrine (the same pronunciation, but written using different Japanese characters) that appears in a record of all shrines in Japan that was completed in 927, during the Heian period. The tower gate is quite overwhelming, elegant and stern with its thatched roof jutting above the countryside, and the glory of the view from here has become one of the Eight Views of Ryuo. Furthermore, the west main temple, showing a construction often seen among the older temples in Shiga, is a designated National Treasure. The two curved wooden supports with asymmetrical carvings are especially beautiful, and aptly represent the times from which they come. With careful attention paid to every detail, as well as the use of a front chamber, this stands as a representative example of shrine construction from the middle ages. http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/152
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Aug. 2017
- Lantern Festival
- The Manto-sai, or Lantern Festival, is held on the three days from August 3 to August 5 each year at Taga Taisha Shrine. During the festival the shrine grounds are decorated with more than 10,000 lanterns sent from the faithful all across Japan, giving thanks to the goddess Izanami-no-Mikoto. The sight of these lanterns raised high on poles is breathtaking indeed, and has become a staple of summer in the Lakeland region. During the period of the festival live music and many performances take place beneath the lanterns, and the shrine throngs with visitors for all three days. Experience a perfect summer night beneath the brilliant sky. [Date] August 3 - August 5 19:00 - 21:30 [Location Held] Taga Taisha Shrine [Access] 10 min. on foot from Ohmi Railway Taga Taisha Mae Station
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Aug. 2017
- Experience Japanese Crafts
- ■Teori no Sato" Kongoen Handweaving Center Here you can observe fabrics being dyed using bluegrass grown in the grounds, and participants can then actually dye fabric themselves or sew some hatasho tsumugi (made from leftover silk). [Opening Hours] 9:00 to 17:00 [Charges]Entry Fee: Adults ￥310, Elementary and Junior High School Students ￥160, Groups (25 or more) Adults ￥260 Experience Fee: Hemp Handkerchief from ￥1500 http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/206 ■Kawara Museum "Kawara" means "tile", and here's your chance to make something related to them! Use some clay to freely make whatever original piece you like, including a nameplate or memorial plaque. [Opening Hours] 9:00 - 16:30 (Making requires approx. 90 min.) [Charges] ￥1000 (standard clay 600g) / ￥1500 (nameplate clay sheet 1000g) *Postage will be charged separately. [Other Details] 5 or more people require a reservation. Capacity for 30-40 people per session. http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/144
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Aug. 2017
- Friendship Adventures Water Sports Experience
- At Friendship Adventures you can enjoy leisure water sports throughout the year. Particularly popular are the water sports on the Setagawa River during summer! <<Water Sports>> ■Setagawa River Rafting: Shiga is excellently located for access from across the Kansai region, making this rafting course on the Setagawa River the perfect way to enjoy a thrill ride with family and friends! ■Water Tubing: The explosively popular number one attraction! A heart-stopping adventure that takes you over waves and between rocks! This is the only place in all of Kansai to experience it! ■River Bugging: A new river sport fresh from New Zealand. Having first arrived in Japan in 2012, this is still the only place in the entire country to experience it! http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/87
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Jul. 2017
- Beauty Spots in Shiga
- An introduction to some of the best beauty spots in Shiga, where the sunrise and sunset across Lake Biwa are the most beautiful beyound doubt. ■Kohoku Mizudori Station Kohoku Mizudori Station is located in a water bird park visited by a whole variety of wild birds throughout the year. The illusory sunset across the waters of the lake here is so stunning, it has even been placed among the top 100 in Japan. Once winter comes, birds that have travelled down from the north will also provide lively accompaniment to the sunset. http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/336 ■Shirahige-jinja Shrine A shrine devoted to a god said to have seen the waters of Lake Biwa become a reed bed seven times while living on Hira for more than 60,000 years. With a large torii gate in the waters of the lake, it is often also called the "Itsukushima of Omi." Featured in poems by Basho Matsuo and Akiko Yosano, the scenery here continues to inspire people to this day. http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/306
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Jul. 2017
- Enjoy Shiga Sightseeing from a Boat!
- Shiga Prefecture is often called "the land of water." How about enjoying some sightseeing from one of a selection of cruise boats? ■Amisada Experience a cruise down the Setagawa River from a roofed boat while enjoying a meal made using the finest Shiga ingredients. http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/51 ■Lakewest Tourism Hop aboard a retro paddle steamer and enjoy a range of historic and cultural spots, including Ishiyama-dera Temple and Seta no Karahashi Bridge. http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/55 ■Biwako Kisen Offers a variety of cruise plans, including the Michigan Cruise around the south of Lake Biwa, a complete circuit of the lake, and a cruise to Chikubushima island. http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/97 http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/229 ■Omi Tetsudo Take a cruise around the mysterious islands of Lake Biwa, including Chikubushima and Takeshima. http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/209 http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/230 ■Duck Tour Explore Kohoku and the lake from an amphibious bus. A cheerful guide will lead the tour and point out places of interest. http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/288
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Jul. 2017
- National Treasures and Cultural Assets of Shiga - Kohoku Area -
- Shiga Prefecture boasts a trove of cultural assets. So much so, in fact, that the region ranks third in Japan for the number of buildings designated as National Treasures or Important Cultural Assets. Here's an introduction to two temples and a shrine in the Kohoku region. ■Hogonji Temple The gabled "karamon" gate was originally the Gokuraku-mon gate at Osaka-jo Castle, as built by feudal warlord Hideyoshi Toyotomi, and still garners much attention as the only remnant of that castle. With its cypress bark roof, obsidian black lacquered structure and liberal scattering of gold played ornaments, this is construction highly representative of the Momoyama period (1573 - 1603). http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/284 ■Tsukubusuma-jinja Shrine The main temple was transferred from Hideyoshi Toyotomi's Fushimi-Momoyama-jo Castle 450 years ago, and is a designated National Treasure. It is decorated inside with elegant and gorgeous décor representative of the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573 - 1603). http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/285 ■Daitsuji Temple Many of the structures here are national or city Important Cultural Assets, including the main temple and reception hall that are said to have been taken from Fushimi-Momoyama-jo Castle, and the side gate said to have been transferred from Nagahama-jo Castle. There is also a Nanboku-cho period (1334 to 1392) temple bell with an inscription, a prefectural Cultural Asset. http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/252