Water Has Been Tied to Lifestyle Here Since Long Ago
Takashima is a treasure trove of forests, villages, lakes, and other natural sights just northwest of Lake Biwa. Takashima is also home to many interesting historical sites, such as Shirahige Shrine, the oldest Omi (former name of Shiga) era shrine, the 48 Stone Buddhas, Omizo Castle Ruins, a number of Manyo Monuments, and others. You'll find plenty of natural landscapes and historical buildings co-existing in beautiful harmony, lifting your mood and giving you a good start to your day of activity here.
The Katsuno District is an ancient castle town that's full of quaint charm. Relics of its past, such as the olden government outpost known as the jin'ya, grand-looking sōmon gates, and samurai houses can still be seen here. At a little corner of this district is a 150-years-old merchant house that was refurbished by hand by volunteers from the Chamber of Commerce, gaining a new lease of life as Takashima Village, with a total of eight halls currently. Although foreign languages are not supported yet, you can still take a walk in the environment of an old-style street while enjoying what it has to offer in terms of food, experiences, and souvenirs.
On a hilly forest surrounded by stone walls lies the ruins of Omizo Castle's tower keep. Merchant houses and shrines ware moved into the area to build a castle town. At the Otomegaike Pond inner lake the scenery from long ago, where the Omizo-jo "water castle" stood, can still be enjoyed, and water from lakes and ponds has been tied to lifestyle here since long ago.
Omi's oldest shrine, Shirahige Shrine has a beautiful large lake torii gate that floats above the water surface of Lake Biwa, making it a popular and scenic place of interest that tourists love to visit no matter the season. Known affectionately as simply "Shirahige-san" or "Myōjin-san", this is the oldest shrine in Omi's Itsukushima, also known as Miyajima.
The Katsuno District is an ancient castle town that's full of quaint charm. Relics of its past, such as the olden government outpost known as the jin'ya, grand-looking sōmon gates, and samurai houses can still be seen here. At a little corner of this district is a 150-years-old merchant house that was refurbished by hand by volunteers from the Chamber of Commerce, gaining a new lease of life as Takashima Village, with a total of eight halls currently. Although foreign languages are not supported yet, you can still take a walk in the environment of an old-style street while enjoying what it has to offer in terms of food, experiences, and souvenirs.
On a hilly forest surrounded by stone walls lies the ruins of Omizo Castle's tower keep. Merchant houses and shrines ware moved into the area to build a castle town. At the Otomegaike Pond inner lake the scenery from long ago, where the Omizo-jo "water castle" stood, can still be enjoyed, and water from lakes and ponds has been tied to lifestyle here since long ago.
Omi's oldest shrine, Shirahige Shrine has a beautiful large lake torii gate that floats above the water surface of Lake Biwa, making it a popular and scenic place of interest that tourists love to visit no matter the season. Known affectionately as simply "Shirahige-san" or "Myōjin-san", this is the oldest shrine in Omi's Itsukushima, also known as Miyajima.
