Climb Every Mountain!

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

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.

Honke Tsuruki Soba

What comes to mind when you think of Shiga Prefecture’s specialty products? Probably funazushi or fermented crucian carp, but there is also eel, Omi beef, and…soba noodles or ramen’s healthier cousin as I like to think of it. If you plan on traveling to Japan, you should know that there are three food noodle staples:…

Michigan Cruise ミシガンクルーズ

Enjoy a slice of classic Americana with a Japanese twist on the Michigan. ミシガンクルーズでは日本にいながら伝統的なアメリカ文化を楽しむことができます。 You might be confused as to why, of all things, a Huckleberry Finn-esque paddle steamer offers cruises on Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture. The answer is rather simple and heartwarming – it is a show of the sister state bonds that…

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…

O Antigo Chikurin-in

Oi, pessoal! Tive a oportunidade de acompanhar a Émilie e a Emily em um passeio pela cidade de Otsu (capital da província de Shiga) no mês passado, então hoje quero relatar sobre esse dia para vocês! Uma coisa que eu gostaria de dizer, primeiramente, é que a província de Shiga e a sua capital são…

Former Chikurin-in

Overview: The Former Chikurin-in, also known as Kyuchikurin-in, is located in the Sakamoto area of Otsu, Shiga Prefecture. It is a former satobo, or a monk retirement residence. This particular one was home to many monks after they finished their tenure on Enryakuji Temple on Mt. Hiei, at the foot of which sits Sakamoto. 滋賀県大津市坂本地域にある旧竹林院。元々は里坊と呼ばれる比叡山延暦寺で修行を終えた僧侶の隠居所でした。…

Celebrating Spring at Ishiyamadera

Over 1200 years ago, at a time when classical art and literature were flourishing in and around Heian-kyo (the newly relocated capital of Japan), a Japanese monk named Kukai traveled to China, where he was taught the secrets of the esoteric Buddhist tradition.  This experience eventually led to the birth of the Japanese Shingon Sect, one…