Tengu Very Much!

We visit Aga Shrine, where we make protection charms, get between a rock and a hard place, and win great views from climbing stairs!

Climb Every Mountain!

Our trip up Tachiki and Iwama mountains to visit the temples on top!

Ragtag Taga

We go deep into the mountains to explore a wind cave and then visit one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan.

Something Old and Something New

Castles! Cakes! Canals! We explore Omihachiman city, where we see the old, the new, and the old again.

Old Tokaido Road, Take Me Home! Pt. 2

Leaving the Seta River behind, we go to Kusatsu. The city is where the two great Edo-period highways, the Tokaido and Nakasendo, fused before continuing to Kyoto; Kusatsu-juku was the second-to-last stop on the road between the two capitals.

Old Tokaido Road, Take Me Home! Pt. 1

During the Edo period, two great highways linked the old capital, Kyoto, to the new one, Edo: the Tokaido and Nakasendo roads. They had to pass through Shiga to avoid mountains, following the south shore of Lake Biwa. You can still find remains of that time in Otsu and Kusatsu.

Okishima Island 沖島

Did you know that Shiga Prefecture has its own cat island? This might seem surprising, as Shiga is technically a landlocked prefecture, but in addition to boasting the largest lake in Japan, Lake Biwa, Shiga also has the claim to fame of containing the only inhabited lake island in the country. And that island also…

Semimaru Shrine 蝉丸神社

One goal of this series is not just to introduce the most popular and well-known tourism sites in Shiga, but also lesser known attractions. Otsu specifically is a very old city, and many of its shrines, temples, and roads have their own interesting story to tell. このシリーズの目的の一つは、滋賀県の最も有名かつ人気である観光地だけではなく、知名度の低い場所も紹介することです。大津市はことに古い都市で、数ある神社、お寺、道路などにそれぞれの歴史や逸話があります。 This time we visited Semimaru Jinja, a lesser…

This Temple is NOT IN KYOTO (Hieizan Enryakuji Temple) 比叡山延暦寺

Hey Everyone! I hope you are continuing to press on during this crazy year. 皆さまこんにちは。予断を許さない状況が続いておりますが、元気にお過ごしでしょうか。 Location One of the biggest and most famous attractions in Otsu is the World Cultural Heritage Site, Hieizan Enryakuji Temple. Despite often erroneously claimed otherwise, THIS TEMPLE IS NOT IN KYOTO. I won’t put any specific blogs under fire for…

Omi Jingu Shrine

Happy 2020 Everyone! We hope to make this year our most active yet on this blog! 皆さん明けましておめでとうございます！2020年もよろしくお願いします！今年こそこのブログでもっと活動できるように頑張りたいです！ We’re starting off the year the way many Japanese people do, at a shrine! In particular, Omi Jingu Shrine, one of the most prominent shrines in Otsu. 今年の最初の投稿は、日本人がよく年明けに神社でする初詣！今回は、大津の有名な近江神宮に行ってきました。 Omi Jingu Shrine was constructed in 1940 and is dedicated…

Chikubushima Island 竹生島

Hey what’s up peeps! It’s been forever since we’ve updated this blog! Today I want to introduce Chikubushima Island, the first in a new video/blog series about various tourism spots in Shiga Prefecture. 久しぶりの投稿です！ 今回は、滋賀県の様々な観光地についての新しいシリーズで、竹生島を紹介したいと思います！ Shiga Prefecture is unfortunately often skipped over or ignored by tourists, both from abroad and Japan alike. So, fellow CIR…

As Oito vistas Modernas de Ômi 3: Pôr do Sol em Seta 現代の近江八景3：勢多夕照

Nota da autora: Esta é a terceira parte de uma série de artigos a respeito das Oito Vistas de Ômi. (Leia a parte dois aqui) Esperamos que vocês gostem e nos acompanhem enquanto desconstruimos a paisagem moderna de Shiga e examinamos sua história e cultura vibrantes. Obrigada pela leitura! – Maddie 著者メモ: 近江八景にかかるシリーズの第三稿です。（第二稿はここです） 現代の滋賀県の景色を解体したり、豊かな歴史と文化を調べたりしているので、楽しんで読み進めてください！ご読了ありがとうございます。 –…