Culture Hikone Castle Bryan Baier One of the 12 remaining pre Edo-era castles in Japan just outside of Kyoto
Culture Miho Museum Hoyee Tse I.M. Pei - world renowned architect designed Miho Museum as one of his masterpiece. The architecture of this museum itself is...
Culture Hiking to Enryaku-ji Temple Ryoji Aramaki Hike to Enryakuji is a great way to see a world heritage site for free.
Beauty & Spa Three Days in Kyoto & Shiga (day 1) Joe Peters This article describes day one of three spent in Kyoto and includes some sites and lodging information, such as the Biwako Ha...
Culture Okishima Chris Glenn Okishima is unique as the only inhabited lake in Japan and it’s long history is even more unique. The 450 residents descended...
Transportation Lake Biwa with the Michigan Cruiser Ann Yamagishi Lake Biwa is considered to be Japan's largest freshwater lake. This lake gathers admiration not just from the local community...
Activities Kaizu Osaki Cathy Cawood Photos of four kilometers of cherry blossom at Kaizu Osaki on the Northern shore of Lake Biwa.
Culture Plum Blossom at Ishiyamadera Cathy Cawood Plum blossom at a Shiga temple with a connection to the life of Murasaki Shikibu, the world's first novel writer.
Culture Pottery Kilns at Shigaraki Cathy Cawood See climbing kilns at Shigaraki, a town that has produced pottery for thousands of years, and is one of the 'Six Old Kilns of...
Culture Otsu Festival 2026 Cathy Cawood Otsu Matsuri takes place in early October and features thirteen ornate floats with ingenious mechanical puppets.
Culture Omihachiman Roof Tile Museum Cathy Cawood Japanese roof tile and roof ornaments displayed in a small but beautiful museum beside Omihachiman Canal.
Culture Shirahige Shrine Cathy Cawood The "floating" tori at Shirahige Shrine is smaller than the tori at Miyajima, but forms a beautiful scene against the backdro...
Culture Tachiki-Kannon Temple in Shiga Cathy Cawood Tachiki-Kannon Temple in Shiga Prefecture: stone lanterns, statue of Buddhist monk Kobo Daishi riding a deer, and many, many,...
