Japan private tour insights for Shiga Prefecture, just east of Kyoto

A huge ceramic Shiga Prefecture Shigaraki tanuki raccoon dog often at the entrance to bars and restaurants all over Japan.

I lived next door to Shiga Prefecture, located on the east side of Kyoto Prefecture, for nearly half of my adult life. In the early 21st century my wife and I referred to Shiga as "California" because it was so free and open in comparison to "uptight and conservative" Kyoto City.

And for my daughter, going to Shiga was going to a place mostly empty of people and overflowing with fresh water and farmland spaces. She learned to swim there in Japan's largest freshwater lake, Lake Biwa. Lake Biwa, on the east side, is stunning for its pine tree lined pristine beaches.

The mountains on the east side of Lake Biwa are also ideal for hiking, taking the cable car to the Enryakuji Temple complex, skiing and hot spring bathing. The east side of Lake Biwa is also home to a number excellent hot spring resorts.

But there's more that makes Shiga Prefecture worth visiting in any season. Learn more!

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Top spots to visit in Shiga Prefecture

Japan private travel content by Your Japan Private Tours' (established in 1990) founder Japan travel expert Ian Martin Ropke. I have been planning, designing, and making custom Japan private tours on all five Japanese islands since the early 1990s. Your Japan Private Tours specializes in bespoke travel for private clients (I do not work with agents) including exclusive excursions, personalized experiences, and unique adventures. I am 100% client-centric and total individual attention. Consider my Japan travel services for your next trip. And thank you for reading my content. Learn more!

Top spots to visit in Shiga Prefecture

Omi Hachiman Edo merchant town: Omi Hachiman, on the west side of Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, is well known for its well preserved Muromachi Period and Edo period merchant town and canal district. The merchants of Omi were one of the most successful and richest in all of Japan. Two of Japan's most famous industrial conglomerates were founded by Omi merchants in the Meiji Period when Japan Westernized. The Omi merchants had amazing trade route advantages. They were on the Nakasendo (or Tokkaido) highway that linked Kyoto with Edo-Tokyo and on the Lake Biwa water route that linked Kyoto with the Sea of Japan (and China).

Hikone Castle and reconstructed castle town: Hikone City is also on the west side of Lake Biwa, a little north of Omi Hachiman (see above). Hikone's fame comes from its perfectly preserved original castle (one of only 12 in Japan). Of the 12 surviving castles, five are National Treasures. Hikone Castle is one of these treasure castles. You can get to Hikone Castle in under 90 minutes from Kyoto Station. The castle, high on a hilltop, offers stunning views of Lake Biwa and the mountains on the east side of the lake. It took 20 years (1602-1622) to build Hikone Castle, which was "owned" by the Ii samurai clan until the end of Japan's feudal period in 1868. The Hikone Castle Museum at the base of the hilltop castle complex is a 1980s reconstruction of the buildings that once served as offices for the Ii clan lords. Here visitors can see incredible artifacts from the feudal era including weapons, clothing, and manuscripts.

Shiga's Koka district: Ninja homeland: The Koka district is in Shiga and it's right next door to Iga, and both of these towns are considered to be the original ninja centers of Japan. Koka is less known than Iga and less developed as a ninja experience location. Koka is remote and extremely rugged, and these features made it perfect for hiding from the authorities, which lead to ninja culture in the 15th and 16th centuries. Ninja were basically mercenaries for hire, and they sure had killer skills. Koka's Ninja House is almost 300 years old and was a palatial home for ninjas for nearly 150 years. From outside it looks like an ordinary traditional Japanese home but upon closer examination it is full of protective tricks and secrets. Koka Ninja House also teaches visitors how ninja fought. At Koka's Ninja Village, located in a remote forest location, you can learn even more about the legendary ninja of Japan.

The world-class art worlds of Shiga's Miho Museum: The Miho Museum, which was featured in Time magazine and many other international publications, is amazing for its art and its architecture. The structures were designed by one of America's most famous architects, I. M. Pei. The museum was funded by a wealthy family who feel that viewing beautiful art is a spiritual experience (or can be). The museum's structures are embedded seamlessly in a tiny valley and full of the best art the world has produced: everything from Egyptian and Roman masterpieces to stunning ancient works from Southeast Asia.

Shiga's Shigaraki pottery worlds: Shiga's Shigaraki pottery villages attract visitors year-round. Visitors come to Shigaraki for its pottery-related workshops and the chance to see traditional Japanese climbing kilns, museums and galleries devoted to both local and international ceramic artists. But for most Japanese people Shigaraki is where Japan's lovable ceramic standing tanuki raccoon dogs were born. Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park is home to a museum, always-changing exhibitions, and facilities for resident artists. The old parts of Shigaraki are charming townscapes where visitors can see ceramic mosaics and shops selling a wide range of ceramic tools, brushes, glazes, and finished pottery items. The area also has a scenic train, the Shigaraki Kogen Railway, that shows visitors the charms of the local landscape.

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