The wide grounds of the Fisheries Center includes a number of ponds, providing plenty of opportunities to get close to the water and the fish swimming in it.

The Biwako Otsukan was built in 1934 as the first international tourism hotel in the prefecture, with the intention of bringing in more tourists from overseas.

Zeze Castle was completed by Ieyasu Tokugawa in the year following his historic victory at the great battle of Sekigahara, and was a beautiful castle that used water from the lake to create natural moats around it.

Nagara Park is famous for its cherry blossoms in spring.

The large and extremely beautiful gardens that spread to the south of Enmanin-shinden Temple are a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty and Historic Site, and a visit is especially recommended during the changing of the leaves in fall.

The Lake Biwa Flower Fountain is a large fountain located on a 180m breakwater in the Otsu Port offing, that sends out streams of 440m long water 40m high into the air (the equivalent of a 10 storey building).

From January to February you can see 12,000 early blossoming “Kanzaki Hanana” rape flowers.

If you’re looking to pick some strawberries in Shiga, you need to head to Felice in Yasu City! Winter is actually the best time to pick them, as they are at their sweetest.

The Kusatsu City Aquatic Botanical Garden Mizunomori is a liberating botanical garden that features lakes spreading away in three directions.

A oasis in the urban sprawl, located just 1 hour from Kyoto and 2-3 hours from Osaka, Kobe and Nagoya.