The Manto-sai, a Buddhist festival involving lanterns, is held on the three days from August 3 to August 5 each year at Taga Taisha Shrine.

More than 10,000 fireworks, focused in the always impressive star mines, beautifully illuminate both the summer sky and the stunning Lake Biwa.

Enjoy 10,000 fireworks launched into the air over Lake Biwa, a stunning display of light that plays out in harmony with jets of fountain water.

In the illuminated Genkyu-en, listen to the sound of insects and enjoy the gentle passage of time in a manner impossible in any city.

Lanterns placed around the town and along the Hachiman Moat bring out a sense refinement and emotion.

The “Okinahajimeshiki” is a divine service performed at Taga Taisha Shine to greet the gods at the start of the year.

More than 2,000 lanterns create an illusory and ethereal world inside the temple grounds.

With its connection to the opening poem of the famous collection known as the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, Omi Jingu Shrine plays host to the “Karuta Opening Ceremony,” based in the Japanese card game.

The Otsu Festival has been held since the start of the Edo period (1603 – 1868), and is a designated Intangible Folk Culture Property of the prefecture.

Kohoku Mizudori Station is located inside a water bird park that is visited by a variety of wild birds throughout the year.