Shrines, museums, parks, and the spots in between, with the access details worked out.
Seventeenth-century castle built by the Ii clan near Lake Biwa with defensive double moats, recognized as one of Japan's best-preserved castles.
Hikone · ShigaTendai Buddhist temple with National Treasures and a designated scenic garden, featuring ancient Asuka-period Buddhist paintings discovered on interior pillars in 2020.
Kora · ShigaAgricultural park in Shiga offering flower gardens, hands-on farming activities, farm animal interactions, seasonal events, and a dog park for family visitors.
Hino · ShigaSaikyo-ji, the head temple of the Tendai Shinsei sect, was founded by Prince Shotoku and reorganized in 1486 as the sect's central training site.
Otsu · ShigaEstablished in 1940, Ōmi Jingu enshrines Emperor Tenji and stands adjacent to the traditional site of the Ōmi Ōtsu Palace, which he founded in 667.
Otsu · ShigaHead temple of the Tendai Jimon sect, Miidera was founded in the seventh century and has survived repeated destruction, earning the name Phoenix Temple.
Otsu · ShigaAn ancient burial mound from the late 4th century and the oldest known tumulus in the Ōmi region, now a public archaeological park.
Otsu · ShigaLake Biwa Museum explores the relationship between Japan's largest and oldest lake and human society, featuring a tunnel aquarium displaying rare freshwater fish species.
Kusatsu · ShigaEigen-ji is a Rinzai Zen temple founded in 1361 that serves as head temple of the Eigen-ji branch, overseeing over 120 temples and housing the revered Yotsugi Kannon statue.
Higashiomi · ShigaFounded in 788 by Saichō, this Tendai Buddhist headquarters on Mount Hiei hosts the famous kaihōgyō practice and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Otsu · ShigaMiho Museum houses 3,000 Asian and Western antiques in a design by I. M. Pei, with 75 percent of the space underground and featuring a glass roof with French limestone walls.
Koka · ShigaA Tendai sect Buddhist temple founded in the early Heian period, housing a National Treasure main hall with Heian-period statues and garden.
Aisho · ShigaTakebe Shrine in Otsu enshrines Yamato Takeru and Onamuchi and served as the principal shrine of the ancient Ōmi Province.
Otsu · ShigaThe Seta Hills Production Sites are ancient iron-working facilities from the Nara period, designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1985.
Otsu · ShigaTaga Taisha enshrines Izanami and Izanagi and appears in Japan's oldest chronicles from 712 AD; its gardens are designated a nationally recognized Place of Scenic Beauty.
Taga · ShigaThis Tendai Buddhist temple, designated a National Historic Site, stands as one of three great temples east of Lake Biwa with structures dating to the 17th century.
Higashiomi · ShigaThis art museum in Ōmi combines Japanese-style paintings and sculptures with a striking water garden and the historic Bonshō temple bell, designated a National Treasure.
Moriyama · ShigaA Shingon Buddhist temple in Otsu traditionally founded in 747, preserving numerous important cultural properties and National Treasures of traditional architecture.
Otsu · Shiga
