Just a short train ride from Kyoto you’ll find the charming village of Omi Hachiman on the edge of Lake Biwa.
The business end of town isn’t much to look at – pretty dreary in fact – but make locating the tourist information centre at Omi Hachiman station the very first thing you do and you will be set for the day. Grab a map and hop on a bus (from directly in front of the TIC) and in less than 10 minutes you are in a gorgeous, well preserved area ripe for wandering.
From Kyoto station take the Tokaido line train to Omi Hachiman (650y) in neighbouring Shiga prefecture -its a 32 minute ride.
Plenty to see and absorb – you’ll find photographic streets, bridges and waterways, temple and shrines, a lovely little traditional tile museum, craftspeople, fishermen (and fisherchildren!) and really friendly folk.
There’s even a cablecar and boat rides if your feet need a rest. And the local speciality foods are beef and aka(red) konnyaku if you are looking to sample their culinary wares. Definitely worth a day trip if you have time to spare whilst staying in Kyoto town. Take a further peek…
I’ll confess we didn’t go inside the Tile Museum building but the grounds are free to stroll around and there’s plenty to see – the pathways are lined with old roof tiles so look down!
himure hachiman shrine
a most unusal site… but as always, there’s a story behind this fella
Gorgeous old streets and waterways
There’s a lovely little group of shops in traditional buildings. Keep an eye out for restaurants serving Omi Beef – delicious.
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