6 Museums 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 a..
Historical Hiking to Enryaku-ji Temple Ryoji Aramaki Hike to Enryakuji is a great way to see a world heritage site for free.
12 Traditional 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..
12 Temples & Shrines Shirahige Shrine Cathy Cawood The "floating" tori at Shirahige Shrine is smaller than the tori at Miyajima, but forms a beautiful scene against the backdrop of..
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..
Festivals Otsu Festival 2026 Mid Oct Otsu Matsuri takes place in early October and features thirteen ornate floats with ingenious mechanical puppets.
Museums 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 ..
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..