The little Green Venice on Lake Biwa
Omihachiman is a small town on the east shore of Lake Biwa, between Kyoto and Hikone. Still a lesser known place among foreign travelers, it has everything to seduce visitors: a canal and samurai residences dating from the Edo Period (1603-1868), breathtaking panoramic lake views, a temple dedicated to love, delicious pastries and even surprising architecture. Omihachiman walks a fine line between a preserved tradition and a modern respect of the past and the environment.
The city is ideally explored on foot or by boat on its canals. We recommend the "Hachiman-bori meguri," a boat cruise in the moats that were dug to ease trading between the merchants ’district and Lake Biwa. It makes for a great excursion during cherry trees or iris blooming seasons and it gives the feeling of traveling back in time in Medieval Japan. The Omihachiman Riverside District, a wetland along Hachiman-bori, was designed Important Cultural Landscape in 2006.
Along the charming Hachiman Canal, shops housed inside renovated ancient white-walled storehouses and merchant's house line the street. Exploring the atmospheric lakeside district is something you will remember for a lifetime!
The city is ideally explored on foot or by boat on its canals. We recommend the "Hachiman-bori meguri," a boat cruise in the moats that were dug to ease trading between the merchants ’district and Lake Biwa. It makes for a great excursion during cherry trees or iris blooming seasons and it gives the feeling of traveling back in time in Medieval Japan. The Omihachiman Riverside District, a wetland along Hachiman-bori, was designed Important Cultural Landscape in 2006.
Along the charming Hachiman Canal, shops housed inside renovated ancient white-walled storehouses and merchant's house line the street. Exploring the atmospheric lakeside district is something you will remember for a lifetime!
