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News & Events
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Feb. 2021
- Recuperate in a Foot Bath!
- The Ogoto Onsen Sightseeing Park in Otsu City has a healing foot bath where you can wash away the exhaustion of your travels! Foot baths allow you to enjoy some of the hot spring experience without having to strip all the way down! Rather than submerging your entire body, here you only bathe your feet and lower legs, meaning you're also far less likely to get dizzy after bathing. As you have large veins in your feet, it's also a great way to warm up your entire body! The water here has a pH of 9, making it very mellow and relaxing. [Effective For] Nerve pain, muscle pain, joint pain, stiff shoulders, motor paralysis, bruises, chronic digestive disease, poor circulation, fatigue etc., also has skin beautification properties Foot Bath, Ogoto Onsen Sightseeing Park, Otsu City ■Open：8:00 - 18:00 ■Usage Charges：Free ■Access：20 min. on foot from JR Ogoto Onsen Station ■URL：http://www.ogotoonsen.com/english
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Feb. 2021
- Stay in Traditional Homes in Shiga
- There are probably many who don’t know of Shiga Prefecture, but in fact Otsu, the city where the Shiga Prefectural Office is located, is just two stations and 9 minutes from Kyoto Station. Kyoto is so packed with tourists, and if you stay there and sightsee there, it may be difficult to achieve a true feeling of relaxation amid all the crowds of people. If you want to see Kyoto, but are also looking for lodgings where you can really relax, why not stay in Shiga Prefecture? Here’s an information-packed introduction to a selection of Shiga lodging facilities that have been created by refurbishing traditional homes. Hotel Koo Otsuhyakucho Lodgings created by refurbishing a number of old homes, and conveniently located close to JR Otsu Station. A nationally registered tangible cultural property. Stylish lodgings that fuse Japanese traditional culture with the modern. http://hotel-koo.com/ Japanesque Villa Ichien This is your chance to stay in a building that’s a nationally registered tangible cultural property. Take a relaxing break in a peaceful mountain village. Requires prior booking and only operates on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and during the spring and summer holiday periods. https://www.ichienyashiki.jp/ Guesthouse Mio A lodging facility created by refurbishing a house of around 100 years in the city of Omihachiman. The entire house is offered to just a single party at a time. You can watch the boats sailing the Hachiman Canals right from your window, and during the spring blossom season you can also enjoy the cherry blooming along the water. https://guesthousemio.weebly.com/ Chojian Lodgings in an old-time traditional Japanese house with a striking thatched roof, as though you’ve slipped back into history. The owners will also provide meals, made with the best seasonal ingredients and delicious rice. http://chojian.com/
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Feb. 2021
- Let the Strawberry Picking Start!
- Shiga is a treasure-trove of fruit-picking opportunities. The earliest strawberries can be harvested from around the start of January. Roadside Station Aguri Park Ryuo All you can eat for 30 minutes Adults 1800yen, children 1600yen, infants 1400yen https://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/165 Strawberry & Blueberry Farm Felice All you can eat for 30 minutes Adults 1600yen, children 1400yen, infants 1000 yen https://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/10 Strawberry factory All you can eat for 30 minutes Adults 2000yen、Children 1600yen、Infants 1000yen www.strawberry-factory.info Rock Bay Garden http://www.rockbaygarden.com/ AM/ 10：00～11：30 PM/ 13：00～14：30 Entrance free：100g/350 yen
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Jan. 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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Jan. 2021
- Webinar “Reasons why Shiga and Lake Biwa should be your top travel destination post-COVID-19”
- The COVID-19 pandemic faced by the world in 2020 has left many people unable to enjoy travel overseas. Even those traveling domestically are showing a tendency to avoid activities that crowd people into smaller spaces, and the overall awareness of “travel” is starting to change. Shiga Prefecture can be reached in just nine minutes by train from the popular tourist destination of Kyoto, and yet is rich in nature and open spaces. At the center of the prefecture there lies the largest lake in Japan, Lake Biwa, and the region offers ample opportunities for a relaxed and laid-back trip in the clean air and while avoiding any crowds. We have now created a webinar introducing a relaxing stay in Shiga in a completely private lodging facility for just you and your family or friends, as well information on some of the activities the prefecture has to offer. Please check it out! We are also currently accepting applications for familiarization trips for employees from travel companies or tour operators, social media influencers, and members of the media. If you wish to make such an application, please complete the form below and send it to emailnews@biwako-visitors.jp. Reasons why Shiga and Lake Biwa should be your top travel destination post-COVID-19 https://youtu.be/nWK7LeExugk go.biwako Official YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/gobiwakoOfficialYoutube
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Jan. 2021
- Dedicate a “Wish Daruma” doll on Chikubushima Island!
- Chikubushima Island is found on Lake Biwa. Here’s the way to dedicate a traditional “Wish Daruma” doll to the goddess Benzaiten, who is believed to free people from suffering and lead them into happiness. (1) Write your wish along with your name on a special piece of paper. (2) After finishing writing on the paper, roll it up into a tube shape. (3) Insert the paper into the hole on the bottom of the daruma doll. (4) Have someone from the shrine office seal the wish inside using a special sticker. (5) Dedicate the doll in the main hall, pay a prayer fee of 500 yen, and you are finished! Please note that you cannot take the Wish Daruma doll home with you. However, if you make an additional donation along with your 500 yen prayer fee, you can receive a non-retail “Wish Daruma strap” to take home. Here’s hoping that your wish comes true! https://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/2472
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Dec. 2020
- Experience the New Year’s Eve bells in Shiga
- A Buddhist ritual involving the ringing of the temple bell 108 times is an annual event which is performed on the New Year’s Eve, and there are numerous temples in Shiga too where the bells ring out during the middle of the night on December 31st. The following is an introduction to the temples were the public can also participate in the bell ringing. Hieizan Enryakuji https://www.hieizan.or.jp/ Tickets to ring the bell are distributed from 21:30, given to those who purchase an auspicious arrow (\1000). Ishiyamadera https://www.ishiyamadera.or.jp/ Gate opens at 00:00, and after the ringing by the monks the public may continue to ring the bell, in order of arrival, from 2:00. Stops at 108 rings. Admission to the temple is free for Jan 1 - 3. Enman-in https://enman-inn.com/en/ The bell is rung from 23:45. \100 is required for sweet sake. Saikyo-ji http://saikyoji.org/publics/index/19/ The bell is rung from 23:45, starting with the monks.
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Dec. 2020
- The Nagahama Plum Tree Bonsai Exhibition
- In accordance with their blossoming, around 90 from among a total of 3 million trees are exhibited in a pure Japanese-style tatami mat room. The collection includes large trees reaching almost 3m tall and ancient trees said to be over 400 years old. Having started in 1952, making this the 67th event, this is both the largest in scale and longest in the history of plum bonsai exhibitions in Japan, and is loved as one of the traditions of spring in Shiga. [Date]January 10 – March 10 2020 [Place]Keiunkan [Open]Open every day during the exhibition 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (final entry 4:30 p.m.) [Entry fee] Adult 800yen, elementary or junior high student 400yen, 20% discount for groups of 20 or more [URL]http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/event/detail/3
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Dec. 2020
- Ski Slopes in Shiga
- <Biwako Valley> A slope at the peak of a mountain at a height of 1,174m. Using the most advanced large carriage cable car in Japan, which opened in February 2008, you can reach the slope in just three and a half minutes. From there you can take in the stunning panorama of Lake Biwa while enjoying activities for everyone from beginners to experts. Skiing and snowboard lessons can also be provided in English. Rates start from 3,000yen. http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/82 <Gransnow Okuibuki> One of the largest snow resorts in the Kansai area, boasting superlative access. The high elevation offers the ultimate in deep, high-quality powder. There are also no less than twelve varied courses to choose from, catering to everyone from beginners to experts. http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/261 <Mt. Hakodateyama Ski Resort> A stunning slope that lets you look out across all of Lake Biwa. The wide main slope with its array of varied courses caters to everyone from beginner to expert. http://en.biwako-visitors.jp/spot/detail/302
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Nov. 2020
- A First for Kansai! Poké Lids Installed in Otsu City, Shiga
- Poké Lids are covers for utility holes that feature designs from the popular anime Pokémon, with each individual cover having its own original design that is unique in all the world. Two of these Poké Lids have now been installed in Otsu City, Shiga, marking the first time that these special covers have reached the Kansai region. The two Poké Lids placed on the banks of Lake Biwa both feature the Pokémon Gyarados. Staff from the company that produced the covers commented, “we want people to enjoy these Poké Lids while thinking about why Gyarados was chosen as the Pokemon for Otsu City, Shiga.” The two Poké Lids have been installed in the following locations. ・Otsu Lakeside Nagisa Park, Festival Square (vicinity of Otsu Port) ・Otsu Lakeside Nagisa Park, Sunshine Beach (beside Omi Bridge) A Poké Stop is intended to be placed close to the Poké Lids, a location that can be used in the location-based smartphone game Pokémon Go to obtain items and gifts. https://local.pokemon.jp/en/manhole/
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Nov. 2020
- 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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Nov. 2020
- Get a taste of Shiga’s sake (Japanese alcohol)!
- The water culture built up around Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan, has combined with Shiga’s long-standing renown as a rice producing region to establish a wide range of delicious local sake! Why not take tour of some breweries and compare different type of sake for yourself? Fujii Honke A brewery that has existed since the Edo period, and even offer free tours. (Reservation required) http://www.fujiihonke.jp/index.html 793 Nagano, Aisho Town, Echigun, Shiga, 529-1303 TEL: +81-749-42-2080 info@fujiihonke.jp Mifuku Shuzo A brewery with 100 years of history. Their tours and sake sampling sessions are particularly well received. https://mifuku.co.jp/ 3-2 Minakuchicho Nishihayashiguchi, Koka, Shiga, 528-0025 TEL: +81-748-62-1113 info@mifuku.co.jp Kawashima Shuzo A brewery located in Kabata, a town known for its beautiful water. The tour includes a video featuring an English explanation. https://www.sake-kawashima.co.jp/ 83 Asahi, Shin Asahi-cho, Takashima City, Shiga, 520-1501 TEL: +81-740-25-2202 info@matsu87.jp