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Dec. 2021
- Recommended Hatsumode Spots in Shiga
- At the start of a brand new year, why not make your traditional Hatsumode (first shrine visit) in Shiga? Here’s an introduction to some of our top picks to visit! Shirahige-jinja Shrine Visits for Hatsumode can be performed at any time. The shrine shop (selling protective amulets and other items) is open from 0:00 - 17:00 on Jan 1, and 8:00 - 17:00 on Jan 2 - 5. https://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/306 Omi Jingu Shrine Protective amulets and other items are available from 0:00 until around 18:00 on Jan 1 and 9:00 - 17:00 from Jan 2 onward, with the New Year’s lottery held between Jan 1 - 3 and sweet sake on offer until Jan 5. https://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/78 Tachiki-kannon Temple Reception is open all day Dec 31, right up until 22:00 on Jan 1. On Jan 2 it is open 6:00 - 21:00, and then 6:00 - 20:00 on Jan 3. https://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/66 You can find out about other Hatsumode spots here: https://en.biwako-visitors.jp/news/detail/605
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Dec. 2021
- Seasons Greetings from Inbound Tourism Department, Biwako Visitors Bureau
- Happy Holiday Seasons! https://youtu.be/_9sFvkKTQ14 Wishing you peace, love, and joy this holiday season and throughout 2021. Pray to end Covid-19 soon.... Visit our website : http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/
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Dec. 2021
- Become Beautiful in Shiga
- Life expectancy in Shiga Prefecture is the highest in Japan for men, and fourth in Japan for women. While seeking the secrets to longer life, then, women also come to seek beauty. Here’s an introduction to some literal beauty spots in Shiga! Toyomitsu-jinja Shrine Popular as a power spot among women seeking beauty. Muku trees of around 300 years old stand like beautiful women’s legs, and touching them is said to bring you blessings of beautiful skin and legs. They are also known as “confession trees,” with the power to make people speak honestly about things they wouldn’t normally say when standing between the roots. 392 Toyomitsu, Aisho Town, Echigun, Shiga, 529-132 Telephone: ＋81-749-42-3448 Ogoto Onsen Ogoto Onsen was opened by Saicho, the great Buddhist teacher of Mt. Hiei, and is the closest hot spring area to Kyoto. The waters are effective for nerve pain, muscle pain, sensitivity to cold, recovery from exhaustion, and skin beautification. All of the inns and hotels in Ogoto Onsen use water direct from the source, without diluting it with other water. Website: http://www.ogotoonsen.com/english
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Nov. 2021
- National Treasures and Cultural Assets of Shiga - Koto 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 a castle and two temples in the Koto region. ■Hikone-jo Castle Work started on Hikone-jo Castle in 1604, and took around 20 years to complete. The castle tower itself used materials brought from the five storey Otsu-jo Castle, and is said to have been completed in 1607. The tower is a designated National Treasure, with a combination of different roofing styles that is truly breathtaking. URL: http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/212 ■Saimyoji Temple One of Shiga Prefecture's representative examples of Kamakura period (1192 to 1333) construction, the main temple is designated as the first National Treasure. Constructed in a stunningly beautiful, highly Japanese style, it features a low gradient cypress bark roof and highly decorative curved wooden supports on all the front-facing latticed shutters and the tops of pillars. URL: http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/221 ■Kongourinji Temple "The elegant main temple was created during the Kamakura period (1192 to 1333) to commemorate victory in the Mongol invasions of Japan. It is a National Treasure, while the three storey pagoda in the upper left and the gate in front are Important Cultural Assets. The ten pieces inside the main temple, including a standing statue of Acala, are all also from the Kamakura period (1192 to 1333) and are Important Cultural Assets, providing a wonderful opportunity to see real history up close." URL:http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/205
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Nov. 2021
- World Heritage! Visit Hieizan Enryakuji Temple!
- As a place of prayer for world peace and tranquility, and as a place of learning and training for some of the greatest, national-treasure level monks across all sects, Hieizan Enryakuji Temple is absolutely fundamental to Japanese Buddhism. Furthermore, Mt. Hieizan's location on the border between Kyoto and Shiga allows for some epic scenery, looking out over the expanse of Lake Biwa in the east and the city of old Kyoto in the west. This beautiful natural environment, combined with 1,200 years of history and tradition, has received recognition and praise from around the world, and in 1994 it was finally registered as a Unesco World Heritage site. http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/112
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Nov. 2021
- 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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Oct. 2021
- Kannon Villages
- Nagahama City in Shiga is a treasure trove of Buddhist cultural artifacts, among which many are statues of Guanyin Bodhisattva (called Kannon in Japanese). In fact, there are almost as many statues as there are separate settlements, and all of them are still reverently protected by the villagers to this day. ■Shakudoji Temple Statue of Eleven-faced Kannon (Important Cultural Property) The statue of Eleven-faced Kannon kept here, said to have been created toward the end of the Heian period (794 - 1185), is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property. Carved from a single block of Zelkova wood, the crimson that remains on its lips even today is an indicator of the vivid colors that once adorned it. Admission Times： 9:00 - 16:00 Admission Charges： ￥300 URL：http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/166 ■Keisokuji Temple Statue of Eleven-faced Kannon (Important Cultural Property) The main statue of Keisokuji Temple, a bold piece created from a single piece of Japanese cypress, still has its lacquer color basecoat intact. It is thought to have been carved at some point between the start and the middle of the Heian period (794 - 1185). Admission Times： 9:00 - 17:00 (April - November)、9:00 - 16:00 （December - March) Admission Charges： ￥500 URL：http://kitabiwako.jp/spot/spot_967/
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Oct. 2021
- Koto Sanzan
- Saimyoji Temple, Kongourinji Temple and Hyakusaiji Temple stand on the east side of Lake Biwa in Shiga. Together these three Tendai Sect temples are called the "Koto Sanzan," and each of them is a famous and historic site of more than 1000 years. Inside the grounds you can enjoy Buddhist architecture and famous gardens that fully impart the Japanese beauty aesthetic, while also taking in stunning seasonal scenery. Fall is particularly impressive, selected as one of the top 100 places in Japan for viewing of the fall leaves, and the temples always throng with visitors at this time of year. ■Saimyoji Temple 【Admission Charges】Adults \500 / Junior High School Students \300 / Elementary School Students \100 【Admission Times】8:00 - 17:00 【URL】http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/221 ■Kongourinji Temple 【Admission Charges】Adults \500 / Junior High School Students \300 / Elementary School Students \100 【Admission Times】8:30 - 17:00 【URL】http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/205 ■Hyakusaiji Temple 【Admission Charges】Adults \500 / Junior High School Students \300 / Elementary School Students \100 【Admission Times】8:00 - 17:00 【URL】http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/182
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Oct. 2021
- Konan Sanzan
- Jorakuji Temple, Chojyuji Temple and Zensuiji Temple, the three long-standing Tendai Sect temples in Konan City, are collectively known as the "Konan Sanzan." All three temples date back to the Nara period (710-794). Here you can enjoy wonderful seasonal scenery that is especially brilliant during the changing of the leaves in fall. 【Jorakuji Temple】 While taking a stroll along a path overlooking the grounds, enjoy the sight of the buildings and towers beautifully decorated with crimson leaves. OPEN：9:00 - 16:00 (*Reservation required outside of fall leaves period) FEE：500yen WEBSITE：http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/126 【Chojyuji Temple】 As the leaves change along the 200m path from the gates to the National Treasure main temple, it creates nothing less than a stunning tunnel of fall colors. OPEN：9:00 - 16:00 (*Reservation required outside of fall leaves period) FEE：500yen WEBSITE：http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/128 【Zensuiji Temple】 Enjoy rare fall foliage against the backdrop of the National Treasure main temple. The maples near the bell tower are called "seven color crimson leaves," with the leaves changing in beautiful gradated colors. OPEN：9:00 - 16:00 FEE：500yen WEBSITE：http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/127
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Sep. 2021
- Mount Ibuki Trekking
- Mount Ibuki is the tallest mountain in Shiga Prefecture, boasting a height of 1,377 meters. Located on the border with Gifu Prefecture, it is loved by the people of both regions as one of the 100 famous mountains of Japan. The peak has been known as a treasure-trove of medicinal and alpine plants since ancient times, with certain nationally protected endemic species also growing on its slopes. The legendary prince Yamato Takeru, who appears in both the ancient texts of the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki, is also said to have climbed Mount Ibuki. When the mountain and numerous important shrines in the region - Ise Jingu, Kumano Hongu Taisha, Izanagi Jingu, and Motoise Geku Toyo’uke Omikami are connected by straight lines, they create a beautiful five-pointed star on the map. This star is considered to be a Japanese ley line, forming a barrier to protect the ancient capital of Heijo-kyo, and Mount Ibuki is therefore known as a highly spiritual place. You are sure to feel this incredible power as you walk its slopes. https://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/260
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Sep. 2021
- Enjoy the Changing of the Leaves in Shiga! (1)
- Many people enjoy the changing of the leaves during fall in Japan, and Shiga Prefecture has many spots famous for their crimson foliage. Numerous events, including illuminations, are also held during this period. Come to Shiga to see the leaves! Hieizan Enryakuji - The Maple of Hiei Until November 25 The leaves at Yokogawa are said to be particularly special, even for Mt. Hiei, and a variety of events are held here. https://www.hieizan.or.jp/ Hiyoshitaisha Maple Festival November 1 - 30, 2018 As well as illuminations of the leaves during this period, there are also performances for Noh and Kyogen theater and a chrysanthemum exhibition. http://hiyoshitaisha.jp/ Kotosanzan Original Goshuin Paper Special Goshuin stamped paper can be purchased for \500 until December 2018. http://www.kotousanzan.jp/
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Sep. 2021
- Enjoy the Changing of the Leaves in Shiga! (2)
- Keisokuji From November 10 - November 27, \200 charge during the changing leaves period An old temple originally opened in 735, with the Sando (path leading to the temple) dazzling in crimson during the changing of the leaves, making it a popular spot to take photos. http://kitabiwako.jp/spot/spot_967/ Ishiyamadera - Atarayo Maple The maple at Ishiyamadera are best viewed from mid-November. You can also enjoy illusory illuminations. From November 16 - December 2, 2018. https://www.ishiyamadera.or.jp/ Konansanzan - Divine Favor Wooden Plaque Tour Konansanzan is a spot renowned for its crimson foliage among those in the know, and also offers special wooden plaques with Goshuin stamp. The Goshuin stamp costs \2500 (which includes admission fee). http://www.burari-konan.jp/ Hikone City - Genkyuen Garden Illuminations 18:00 - 21:00, From November 17 - December 2, 2018. During this period, Hikonyan will make an appearance on November 17, 21, and December 2. http://www.hikoneshi.com/jp/event/articles/c/kinshu