Spots in Shiga

Each spot shows when its facts were last checked against official sources.

By prefecture:

HokkaidoHokkaido (60)

TohokuAomori (30)Iwate (30)Miyagi (40)Akita (30)Yamagata (30)Fukushima (30)

KantoIbaraki (30)Tochigi (30)Gunma (30)Saitama (30)Chiba (30)Tokyo (30)Kanagawa (30)

ChubuNiigata (30)Toyama (30)Ishikawa (30)Fukui (30)Yamanashi (30)Nagano (30)Gifu (30)Shizuoka (30)Aichi (30)

KansaiMie (30)Shiga (30)Kyoto (30)Osaka (30)Hyogo (30)Nara (30)Wakayama (30)

ChugokuTottori (30)Shimane (30)Okayama (30)Hiroshima (30)Yamaguchi (30)

ShikokuTokushima (30)Kagawa (30)Ehime (30)Kochi (30)

Kyushu & OkinawaFukuoka (30)Saga (30)Nagasaki (30)Kumamoto (30)Oita (30)Miyazaki (30)Kagoshima (30)Okinawa (30)

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No photo yetOmihachiman, ShigaAzuchi Castle Archaeological MuseumOpened in 1992 as the core facility of "Omi Fudoki no Oka", a historical park of the Special Historic Site of Azuchi Castle and other sites. The first permanent gallery, themed on archaeology, presents Omi in the Yayoi and Kofun periods; the second, themed on the medieval and Sengoku periods, explores the changes in castles including Azuchi Castle and the figure of Oda Nobunaga. Special and themed exhibitions are held in spring, summer, autumn and winter.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetOtsu, ShigaBiwako Otsukan (Yanagasaki Lakeside Park)The main facility of Yanagasaki Lakeside Park, a restored and renovated former Biwako Hotel of 1934, reopened in 2002 as a cultural facility overlooking the lake. Designed by Shinichiro Okada, known for Tokyo's Kabukiza, it was the "guest house of the lake country", where Emperor Showa, Helen Keller and John Wayne stayed. It now has a restaurant cafe and rental halls, and the adjacent English garden has roses and seasonal flowers.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetNagahama, ShigaChikubushima IslandA small island about 2 km around, floating about 6 km offshore, with Hogonji Temple and Tsukubusuma Shrine. Hogonji's Benzaiten is counted among Japan's three great Benzaiten with Miyajima and Enoshima, and the temple is the 30th stop of the Saigoku 33 Kannon pilgrimage. Hogonji's Karamon gate, said to be the only surviving part of Hideyoshi's Osaka Castle, and the main hall of Tsukubusuma Shrine are National Treasures. It is one of the Eight Views of Lake Biwa.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetKonan, ShigaChojuji Temple (Konan Sanzan)Just to the right after the approach stands a stone "Tahoto" pagoda, built in the Kamakura period to pray for Emperor Shomu. Because its finial is missing it was not designated an Important Cultural Property, but it is said to be valuable; made entirely of stone, its top-heavy, rugged form has a charm of its own.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetOtsu, ShigaEnryakuji Temple on Mt. HieiThe head temple of the Tendai sect with vast grounds on Mt. Hiei, registered as a World Cultural Heritage site in 1994. It began in the late Nara period when the 19-year-old Saicho built a hermitage on the mountain; for about 1,200 years it held the highest place in Japanese religion, and monks who later supported Japanese Buddhism, such as Enchin, Ennin and Honen, came from here. On the mountain the grounds divide into three areas: Todo around the Konponchudo, Saito around the Shakado, and Yokawa. Burned by Oda Nobunaga, its halls were restored by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, and many are National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetOtsu, ShigaFormer Chikurin-inOne of the "satobo" of Enryakuji, and a temple of high standing within Enryakuji. Its garden, a national Place of Scenic Beauty, centres on a winding stream drawing in the clear Omiya River and borrows Mt. Hachioji as scenery, with undulating hills and stone pagodas and well curbs. Two tea houses and an arbour from the Taisho era are Otsu city cultural properties, and it is lit up in the autumn leaf season.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetToyosato, ShigaFormer Toyosato Elementary School BuildingsA Western-style school building shaped like a white heron spreading its wings, donated in 1937 by Furukawa Tetsujiro, managing director of the Marubeni store. Built of reinforced concrete, rare at the time, it had a pool, auditorium and separate library, with flush toilets, central heating and internal telephones. Known as a Vories building, it was called "the best elementary school in the East".Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetOmihachiman, ShigaHachimanyama RopewayA ropeway reaching the summit in about 4 minutes, with a panorama of Lake Biwa, Lake Nishinoko and the old castle town through the seasons. Mt. Hachiman (271.9 m) is the site of Hachiman Castle built by Toyotomi Hidetsugu, and Murakumo Zuiryuji Temple, moved from Kyoto, stands on the main enclosure. It was founded by Hidetsugu's mother, Hideyoshi's sister, to pray for Hidetsugu.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetHikone, ShigaHikone CastleCounted among the great castles of Japan with Himeji, Hikone Castle was built over about 20 years by Ii Naotsugu and Naotaka and completed in 1622, using stones and timber from Sawayama, Azuchi, Nagahama and Otsu castles. It escaped the Meiji castle-abolition order and war. The three-storey keep on "gobo-zumi" stone walls is a National Treasure, with harmonious curved roofs and arched katomado windows; the Tenbin turret, Taikomon gate and others are Important Cultural Properties. The castle under the moon is one of the Eight Views of Lake Biwa.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetNagahama, ShigaHogonji Temple (Chikubushima Kannon)A Shingon temple on Chikubushima, the 30th temple of the Saigoku 33 Kannon pilgrimage. Its principal Daibenzaiten is one of Japan's three great Benzaiten with Enoshima and Miyajima. The Funa-roka covered corridor to Tsukubusuma Shrine, made from Toyotomi Hideyoshi's boat, is an Important Cultural Property, and the Karamon gate at its entrance, moved from Toyokuni Mausoleum in Kyoto, is a National Treasure. It is said to have begun when Gyoki placed statues of the Four Heavenly Kings in a small hall at Emperor Shomu's command.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetNagahama, ShigaHokoen Park (Nagahama Castle Site)A park made in 1909 on the site of Nagahama Castle, abandoned in the early Edo period, and named after Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was lord of Nagahama Castle. It has the Nagahama Castle Historical Museum, a Western-style garden, fountains and a children's park. About 600 cherry trees, mainly Somei-yoshino, surround the museum, one of Japan's 100 best cherry blossom spots, lit up at night for a few days in the season.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetOtsu, ShigaIshiyamadera TempleThe 13th stop of the Saigoku 33 Kannon pilgrimage, founded by Roben in the late Nara period at the wish of Emperor Shomu. The wollastonite rock that gave the temple its name, a natural monument, rises in the wide grounds. The main hall and the Tahoto pagoda are National Treasures; the pagoda, said to have been donated by Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1194, is the oldest tahoto in Japan. The Tsukimitei, symbol of "Autumn Moon at Ishiyama" in the Eight Views of Omi, overlooks the Seta River. Each spring and autumn the "Ishiyamadera and Murasaki Shikibu" exhibition is held.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetKonan, ShigaJorakuji Temple (Konan Sanzan)A Tendai temple about 3.2 km southeast of JR Ishibe Station, the centre of the "Aboshiyama 5,000 lodges" opened by Roben in the mid-Nara period. At the end of the tree-lined approach stands the National Treasure main hall, rebuilt in the Nanboku-cho period, with the hidden Buddha Senju Kannon; up the steps beside it is a three-storey pagoda.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetTakashima, ShigaKaizu OsakiA rocky area at the northern end of Lake Biwa, jutting out east of Kaizu Bay, one of the finest views in Lake Biwa Quasi-National Park and one of the Eight Views of Lake Biwa. In spring about 800 Somei-yoshino cherry trees, from trees over 80 years old to young ones, line about 4 km of the lakeshore; the best time is usually early to mid-April, and it is known as a late-blooming cherry spot in the Kinki region.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetAisho, ShigaKongorinji Temple (Koto Sanzan)One of the three Koto Sanzan temples, a Tendai temple founded by Gyoki in the Nara period at the wish of Emperor Shomu. Stone steps lined with azaleas lead from the gate to the main hall. Thanks to the wit of a monk, the main hall Daihikaku, the three-storey pagoda and Niten-mon gate escaped burning by Oda Nobunaga; the main hall, representative of Kamakura-period Japanese-style architecture, is a National Treasure. The head priest's quarters Myojuin have three gardens from different periods, each a Place of Scenic Beauty.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetNagahama, ShigaKurokabe SquareAt the "Fuda-no-tsuji" crossroads, the centre of Nagahama since old times, the former Nagahama branch of the 130th National Bank was built in 1900 and nicknamed the "Black-wall Bank" for its black walls. It reopened in 1989 as "Kurokabe No. 1 / Kurokabe Glass House", selling glass accessories and household items, with glassware from around the world on the 2nd floor. About 30 shops surround it; at the No. 2 glass studio you can watch craftsmen at work, and hands-on classes offer glassblowing, stained glass and more.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetKusatsu, ShigaKusatsu-juku HonjinAbout 500 m south of JR Kusatsu Station, surrounded by high walls, a national historic site. A honjin was a lodging for lords and nobles; Kusatsu, at the junction of the Tokaido and Nakasendo, had two, and one survives, also called "Kiya Honjin". Founded in 1635, it later burned and is said to have received the "Kawaragahama Palace" of the Honda lords of Zeze. With a site of 4,727 m2 and 39 rooms, it is among the largest honjin, and the only one on the Tokaido that survives almost intact.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetShiga, ShigaLake BiwaJapan's largest freshwater lake, covering one sixth of Shiga Prefecture and larger than Awaji Island: about 670.25 km2 in area, about 235 km of shoreline, a maximum depth of 103.58 m, 63.49 km long and 22.80 km at its widest.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetOmihachiman, ShigaLake Nishinoko Boat TourLake Nishinoko is a Ramsar-listed wetland. You can take a boat tour said to be a pastime Nobunaga enjoyed in imitation of court amusements. The departure point, "Nishinoko Station", serves light meals, and the Yoshibue Road cycling path is nearby.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetTakashima, ShigaMetasequoia Tree-lined RoadAbout 500 metasequoia trees line the roads for 2.4 km as the approach to the Makino Highlands. The trees were first planted in 1981 by the Makino fruit growers' association as part of a children's farm project, and have been cared for by local people and extended along the prefectural road into today's grand avenue. Metasequoia, native to China, is a tall deciduous tree growing up to 35 m.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetOtsu, ShigaMiidera Temple (Onjoji)The head temple of the Tendai Jimon sect. A sacred spring said to have been used for the birth baths of Emperors Tenji, Tenmu and Jito gave it the name "Mii-no-tera", later "Miidera". Many halls stand in the grounds, including the National Treasure Kondo, the Kannon-do (14th stop of the Saigoku pilgrimage), the Shakado and Toin, and it holds more than 100 National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties. Sights include the "Evening Bell of Mii", one of the Eight Views of Omi, and Benkei's dragged bell.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetKoka, ShigaMinakuchi Castle Ruins (Minakuchi Castle Museum)Castle ruins about 150 m north of Minakuchi-jonan Station (Ohmi Railway). Built as lodgings for the third shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu on his way to Kyoto, it later became the seat of the Minakuchi domain, also called "Hekisui-jo" (castle of blue water) for its spring-fed moat. After the Meiji Restoration most buildings and stone walls were sold off. It became a prefectural historic site in 1972, and in November 1991 the Minakuchi Castle Museum, modelled on the turret of old, opened, with a corner turret reconstructed on the stone wall.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetNagahama, ShigaOdani Castle RuinsOn Mt. Odani (495.1 m), the castle of the Azai family for three generations, built around 1524 and one of the three great medieval mountain castles. It is linked with Azai Nagamasa, Oichi and the three Azai sisters (Chacha, Hatsu and Go), and the ruins look out over Lake Biwa and the Kohoku area. After the Azai fell it was given to Hideyoshi, who built his castle at Nagahama instead, so Odani was abandoned. Enclosures lie along the ridges, and foundation stones were found at the main enclosure; it became a national historic site in 1937.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetNagahama, ShigaOdani Castle Sengoku History MuseumA museum within the Odani Castle ruins, the castle of the Azai clan for three generations, one of Japan's five great mountain castles, telling the tragic story of Azai Nagamasa, Oichi and their three daughters, destroyed by her brother Oda Nobunaga. On the theme "The Azai clan and Odani Castle" it shows portraits (replicas) of Nagamasa, Oichi and Nobunaga, a map of the castle ruins and excavated finds.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetOmihachiman, ShigaOmihachiman Suigo Boat TourThe waterways of Omihachiman, counted among the Eight Views of Lake Biwa, change with the seasons: reeds sprout in spring, grow nearly 4 m in summer, turn gold in autumn and are cut in winter. The boat tour lets you feel this atmosphere directly; it is said to have begun when Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hidetsugu copied the elegant pastimes of the court. The Omihachiman waterways were selected on January 26, 2005 as Japan's first Important Cultural Landscape.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetKoura, ShigaSaimyoji Temple (Koto Sanzan)A Tendai temple, one of the three Koto Sanzan temples, said to have been founded by the monk Sanshu at the wish of Emperor Ninmyo in the Heian period. Having escaped Oda Nobunaga's fires, its main hall, three-storey pagoda and Niten-mon gate, built by Hida craftsmen, survive. The main hall, built in the early Kamakura period without a single nail, was designated among the first National Treasures; the all-cypress three-storey pagoda to the right of the main hall is also a National Treasure with Kamakura-period paintings inside. It is famous for autumn leaves, and its "fudan-zakura" cherry lets you see leaves and blossoms together.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetHikone, ShigaSawayama Castle RuinsCastle ruins on Mt. Sawa (232.5 m) north of Hikone Station, a strategic point near Sekigahara. Built by the Sasaki family, it became the castle of Ishida Mitsunari in 1590, said to have had a five-storey keep. After Mitsunari lost at Sekigahara, Ii Naomasa became its lord, but it was abandoned in 1606 when Hikone Castle was built; many buildings were moved to Hikone Castle and nearby temples, and today only a few remaining stone walls and a stone monument are left.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetOtsu, ShigaSeta River and Lake Biwa River CruiseA cruise on the scenic Seta River aboard the nostalgic "Ichibanmaru", viewing the settings of "Evening Glow at Seta" and "Autumn Moon at Ishiyama" from Hiroshige's "Eight Views of Omi".Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetTakashima, ShigaShirahige ShrineA shrine about 2 km south of JR Omi-Takashima Station, with a vermilion great torii standing in the lake and the shrine buildings across National Route 161; it is also called "the Itsukushima of Omi". Founded about 2,000 years ago, it is said to be the oldest in Omi; the present buildings were built by Toyotomi Hideyori, with Katagiri Katsumoto in charge, on the dying wish of Hideyoshi. The main hall is an Important Cultural Property. The view of fishing boats passing through the lake torii with Okishima behind is beautiful.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetOtsu, ShigaZeze Castle Ruins ParkZeze Castle, on land jutting out just south of the west end of Omi Ohashi Bridge, was the first castle Tokugawa Ieyasu had Todo Takatora, a master castle builder, construct after the Battle of Sekigahara. A classic water castle using the lake as a natural moat on its west side, its white keep and stone walls floating on the lake were praised in a local song. It was abandoned in the Meiji Restoration; its gates, Important Cultural Properties, survive at Zeze Shrine and Shinozu Shrine. The main enclosure is now a park known for cherry blossoms.Official check: 26 Sept 2026