Hikone Castle
National Treasure · Edo Period
A local guide to Shiga, written from Kyoto

9 minutes from Kyoto.
The Shiga that doesn't make the guidebooks.

The spots we (Kyoto and Shiga residents) actually love — handpicked, none of them the usual.

© Sky View Films / BIWAKO AERIAL ARCHIVE
Places · Shiga

Spots we'd send our friends to

Hikone Castle at night during cherry-blossom season — the keep lit on the hill above the moat, with sakura reflected in the water
Place · Castle

Hikone Castle

One of Japan's 12 surviving original castle keeps. 45 minutes from Kyoto. A National Treasure since 1952.

Read the guide →
Metasequoia Road in summer from directly above — a 2.4-km avenue of around 500 dawn redwood trees running through Makino farmland, Takashima, Shiga
Place · Summer

Metasequoia Road in Summer

A 2.4-km tree-lined avenue north of Lake Biwa. Autumn is famous; summer is the secret season — dense green tunnel, almost no crowds.

Read the guide →
Stories · Makers of Shiga

The people who make Shiga what it is

A new series profiling the small family makers of Shiga — tea farmers, sake brewers, fermenters, sweet-makers — many of them one or two generations away from disappearing.

Kida Mitsuo, the last working Kitayama tea farmer, at his Hino tea fields, Shiga
Story #1 · Tea · Hino

The Last Maker of Kitayama Tea

A district at the foot of Mt. Watamukai once had twenty tea-growing families. Today it has one. Kida Mitsuo runs the last working Kitayama tea farm — and he is openly looking for someone to inherit it.

Read the story →
Local Picks

Before you fly: a 3-item checklist ✅

Three things we (Shiga & Kyoto locals) actually use ourselves. Set them up before you leave home.

eSIM (8 days)
Mobile data the moment you land. Activate the day before you fly — it works the second you step off the plane.
Local Pick Get yours → (we use this)
Welcome Suica / ICOCA
Pick one up at the airport. Trains, subways, convenience stores, and most of Shiga — all on one card.
Airport Pickup Order yours → (works in Shiga too)
Pocket Wi-Fi (up to 4 devices)
For families or small groups, Wi-Fi is usually cheaper than separate eSIMs. Handy for streaming in the car too.
Best for 3+ Reserve yours →
JR Kansai Pass
Covers JR trains across Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Nara. Best value if you're doing 3+ days in the region.
Best for 3+ days Get the pass → (covers Shiga)
Wise Travel Card
Multi-currency debit card. Spend in JPY at the real exchange rate, no foreign-card fees at Japanese ATMs.
No FX fees Order yours →

※ Some links above are affiliate links. We may earn a small commission, but it never changes what we recommend.

© Unsplash

SHIGA · 19 CITIES

All 19 towns, one map.

Decide where to start your Shiga trip — straight from the map.

The only map that lets you travel all 19 towns of Shiga in one tap.

Colored bubbles = recommendations live · others = coming soon

Our Itineraries

Day trips and weekends we'd send our own friends on

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How locals get around

9 minutes from Kyoto. The train takes you everywhere.

No tour buses needed. Just the JR lines we ride every day.

© Unsplash
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By Train
From Kyoto and Osaka
Kyoto Stn
45 min
¥1,170
Hikone Stn
Kyoto Stn
26 min
¥510
Omihachiman Stn
Osaka Stn
60 min
¥1,520
Hikone Stn
Kyoto Stn
9 min
¥190
Otsu Stn
PR📍 Get the JR Kansai Pass → (covers Shiga)
Rental Car
Best for covering wider ground
Hikone
30 min
Free P
Omihachiman
Omihachiman
50 min
Free P
Koka
Koka
40 min
Paid P
MIHO MUSEUM
PR📍 Reserve a rental car → (best for the north)
Bus & On Foot
From station to sight
Hikone Stn
15-min walk
Free
Hikone Castle
Omihachiman Stn
10-min bus
¥220
Hachiman-bori Canal
Good to Know
Practical notes before you go
IC Cards
Suica and ICOCA work everywhere
Wi-Fi
Free at stations and main sights
ATM
Use 7-Eleven or Japan Post ATMs
English Signs
Hikone Castle and main sights are well signed in English
Biwako Visitors Pass
A ¥5,500 three-day pass: unlimited local trains and buses, plus discounts at select sights.
Get the 3-day pass → PR
Bike Rental
About ¥500/day at most stations. The right tool for exploring one neighborhood.
Lake Biwa Cruise
The Michigan paddle steamer leaves Otsu Port. ~80 minutes, from ¥2,200.
Book the Michigan cruise → PR

Work With Us

For businesses, municipalities, and tourism associations reaching English-speaking visitors to Shiga. The form below goes straight to us.

Itineraries & travel content
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Local Eyes

Shiga, the way we see it

4K drone footage from the lake we live next to. Slow, honest, no filter.

See all films on SkyView Films →
© Sky View Films / BIWAKO AERIAL ARCHIVE
FOR BUSINESS

Footage Licensing & Commissioned Filming

For commercials, municipal PR, broadcast, signage, or original drone work — get in touch through the form below.

PLAN YOUR TRIP

Putting your Shiga trip together?

These are the tools we use ourselves when friends visit. We earn a small commission — it never affects what we recommend.

eSIM
Mobile data the second you land
Welcome Suica
Works in Shiga too
JR Kansai Pass
Covers Shiga, 1–4 days
Hikone Castle
Skip the line
Find a Hotel
Otsu, Hikone, or Kyoto
Lake Biwa Cruise
80 min from Otsu Port