Shiga being located roughly at the centre of Japan means that part of the prefecture gets to experience one thing every year: snow. While the south only gets a couple of flurries that usually melt within a few hours, mountains, the north and large sections of the east have snow on the ground for part of winter. How enchanting it is to get on a train and look out as the landscape progressively gets covered in a white blanket! And for a month only, every year, you can experience that change by boat, too.
Of course, we’ve enjoyed several trips on Lake Biwa during our Adventures in Shiga series, including when we visited its three islands: Okishima, Chikubushima and Takeshima. We also independently took some of the other cruises that stay in the southern part of the Lake, like the Michigan or the one from Karasaki. The Yukimisen cruise stands out in two ways: it’s specifically created to allow guests to view the white peaks of the Hira and Suzuka mountain ranges, and it’s about the only one that will take you from Otsu all the way up to Nagahama.
Our trip starts at Otsu port in the morning. As the boat slowly makes its way north over the next 2 hours and 20 minutes, we can relax indoors and look out as the lakeside landscape changes in the warmth of the cabin, or stretch our legs outside at the back of the boat. The day is not overly cold, so it’s not unpleasant, even with the wind. A guide narrates the trip most of the way.
The first point of interest is the Biwako Oohashi, one of only two bridges on the Lake, connecting Moriyama and Katata. If you try hard enough, maybe you can hear the Lake Biwa song being played by cars driving over bumps in the road! Once we’ve gone under, we can really see the Hira mountains in their snowy glory. We then successively pass Okishima and Oki-no-Shiraichi before sailing around Takeshima to see all of its faces. At that point, we can see the Suzuka mountains and Ibuki as we get into Nagahama around noon.
We have a few places to visit in the third largest city in Shiga, but our first point of order is to eat, and our sights are set on white gyoza. This special type of dumpling is originally from Chiba, and Nagahama is the only place in all of Kansai that sells them. After playing in the snow a bit, we head out to Chashin and have our meal.
Once our bellies are filled, we notice how close we are to one of the most important tourist areas in Nagahama: Kurokabe Square. We walk up just one street and we’re in the busy shopping arcade, filled with traditional buildings. You can find a variety of boutiques, galleries, shops, restaurants and cafés, in addition to a figurine museum and the glass studio. If you have time, you can try workshops here in addition to shopping for glass objects and other activities.
After having a look around, we head out to our final destination: Keiunkan, where they are holding the yearly plum blossom bonsai festival, called Bonbaiten.
On the way there, we climb to the top of the building in front of Nagahama station to check out the view of Mount Ibuki, the tallest mountain in Shiga. The stairs up may be closed in the winter, but you can use the elevator up to the last floor. After a few photos, we cross over to the station, get to the ground floor through the Heiwado grocery store, and Keiunkan is just a short walk away.
I’ve talked about the historical building and its garden in an article a long time ago, and briefly mentioned the exhibit. It usually takes place from January to March, and they rotate the bonsai trees to maximize the number of flowers. They come in all shapes and sizes, and some of them are several centuries old! That year, the exhibit partnered with a paper cutting artist whose pieces you can see all around the beautiful trees. We stick around the first floor for a while before going to the second and looking at the smaller exhibit and the store there. If you want to take a break, they also serve teas with Japanese sweets, and offer some workshops.
While we could’ve made our way back to Otsu on the cruise again, we decided instead to take the Kosei line that passes through Makino and other places that get snow in the winter to prolong our experience. If you ever find yourself missing that white blanket, don’t hesitate to enjoy Shiga’s winter wonderland too!
Want another peek of those snowy peaks? Check out Emily’s video too!
GETTING THERE
Otsu Port is at Biwako Hamaotsu station on the Keihan line, or a 5- to 10-minute walk toward the Lake from Otsu station. The Yukimisen cruise must be reserved in advance and is 3,500 one-way, or 5,000 for a return trip (as of 2023).
Keiunkan, Chashin and Kurokabe square are all at a walking distance from Nagahama station.
The Bonbaiten usually takes place from mid-January to mid-March every year and tickets are 800 as of 2023 (available at the door).
Yo! Biwako 