Festivals Otsu Festival 2026 Mid Oct Otsu Matsuri takes place in early October and features thirteen ornate floats with ingenious mechanical puppets.
Festivals Mii-dera Cherry Blossom Awa Odori 2026 Early Apr Shiga's Mii-dera Temple is set to host a lively new event this spring—the Mii-dera Cherry Blossom Awa Odori— bringing the ..
9 Gardens & Parks Ishiyamadera's Muyu-en Pond Garden Cathy Cawood Muyu-en, a beautiful Japanese pond garden at Ishiyamadera in Otsu, has koi ponds, red bridges and a small waterfall.
14 Temples & Shrines 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.
Historical Hiking to Enryaku-ji Temple Ryoji Aramaki Hike to Enryakuji is a great way to see a world heritage site for free.
11 Temples & Shrines Ishiyama Temple in Otsu Cathy Cawood A large, unusual wollastonite rock formation is surrounded by beautiful temple buildings of Ishiyama-dera in Otsu.
Culture Otsu: Oddly Overshadowed Arlene Bastion Otsu has its own merits including Lake Biwa and shrines significant to Buddhist-Shinto origins. It need not be overshadowed as a..
Culture Corn Festival 2026 Early - Mid Aug Corn is a vital crop with immense importance as a food, feed, and fuel source. The Yatsugatake corn variant grows well in Japan..