Shiga Prefecture - Prefettura di Shiga

Shiga Prefecture
Okishima Port
Location
Shiga Prefecture - Location
Coat of arms and flag
Shiga Prefecture - Coat of Arms
Shiga Prefecture - Flag
StateJapan
RegionKansai
CapitalOtsu
Surface 4,017.36 km²
Inhabitants1.410.014 (2018)
Tourism site
Institutional website

There Shiga Prefecture (滋 賀 県, Shiga-ken) is a prefecture of Kansai.

To know

Geographical notes

Shiga is close to Kyoto is Nara, so there are many historical places like temples, shrines, castles and ninja houses. Shiga also has the largest lake in Japan and is surrounded by mountain ranges, so you can easily see beautiful natural landscapes.

Background

In the past, Shiga was known as the province of Ōmi (近 江).

Territories and tourist destinations

Urban centers

  • Ōtsu (大 津) - unesco The capital of the prefecture which includes many historical sites.
  • Azuchi (安 土) - Where one of the main castles of Oda Nobunaga is located.
  • Hikone (彦 根) - Where is one of the few unreconstructed castles in Japan located.
  • Kusatsu (草津) - Regional Trade Center and Lake Biwa Museum.
  • Kōka (甲 賀) - The birthplace of the Kōga ninja clan and Shigaraki pottery.
  • Maibara (米 原) - Great railway junction. Mount Ibuki, the highest mountain in Shiga.
  • Nagahama (長 浜) - A city with old buildings, such as the oldest surviving railway station in Japan.
  • Ryūō (竜 王) - A city where beef is produced.
  • Ōmihachiman (近 江 八 幡) - The birthplace of the ancient culture of commerce. From William Merrell Vories' rural navigation and western buildings.

Other destinations

  • 1 Biwa Lake (琵琶湖) - The largest lake in Japan.
  • 2 Mount Hiei (比叡 山) - unesco A vast complex of temples overlooking Kyoto.


How to get

On the train

  • There Shinkansen Tōkaidō line stops at Maibara on its journey from Kyoto to Nagoya. Ōtsu and the southern area of ​​Lake Biwa are easily accessible by local trains from Kyoto.
  • The Special quick service (新 快速 Shinkaisoku) trains of the JR Tōkaidō and Hokuriku lines (nicknamed "JR Kyoto line" and "Biwako line", which connect Osaka, Kyoto, Kusatsu, Maibara, Omi-Shiotsu and Tsuruga) and the Kosei line (connections to Osaka, Kyoto, Katata, Omi-Maiko, Omi-Shiotsu and Tsuruga) are convenient for travel between Osaka, Kyoto and Shiga. These trains run approximately every half hour.
    • On the Tōkaidō and Hokuriku lines, special rapid service trains stop in Kyoto, Yamashina, Ōtsu, Ishiyama, Minami-Kusatsu, Kusatsu, Moriyama, Yasu, Omihachiman, Notogawa, Hikone, Maibara, Sakata, Tamura, Nagahama, Torahime , Takatsuki, Kinomoto, Yogo, Omi-Shiotsu, Shin-Hikida and Tsuruga.
    • On the Kosei line they stop in Kyoto, Yamashina, Otsukyo, Hieizan-Sakamoto, Katata, Omi-Maiko, Kitakomatsu, Omi-Takashima, Adogawa, Shin-Asahi, Omi-Imazu, Omi-Nakasho, Makino, Nagahara, Omi-Shiotsu, Shin-Hikida and Tsuruga.
  • The Keihan Keishin Line connects Yamashina (in the eastern part of Kyoto city) and Ōtsu. It joins the Kyoto Tōzai subway line continuing past Yamashina.


How to get around


What see


What to do


At the table

It's not as well known as Kobe beef, but beef is very popular with Japanese foodies, and every local town has a (expensive) specialty restaurant. If you want to try it at a reasonable price, you can buy one ekiben (packed lunch sold at train stations) by beef Ōmi to JR Maibara station.

Funazushi (鮒 寿司) is a famous local sushi. Made by funa (鮒), a local freshwater carp, anaerobically fermented, the recipe dates back thousands of years and is actually the original form of sushi. It is very fragrant and is not appreciated the first time, even among the Japanese.

Safety


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