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About 40 rowers from overseas rowed around Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, Japan on June 5-11, 2011 for the annual FISA World Rowing Tour held for the first time in Asia. Schedule and map for June 5, the first day of rowing. They started from Otsu. 361 views
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Farewell, and thank you everyone for visiting Japan and Shiga Prefecture. We are all happy you had a great time here. Hope you visit again because we have a lot more than just Lake Biwa, Enryakuji, and Hikone Castle. And spread the word about Shiga.290 views
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"Tell your friends back home that JAPAN IS FINE!!" says Masaki Unose, tour director. Shiga was totally safe from any radiation. I was disappointed in Shiga's tourism bureau and other organizations which failed to assert that Shiga was safe 263 views
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And who knows when another FISA World Rowing Tour will be held again in Japan. Not anytime soon as there are many other significant countries in Asia.250 views
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Southeastern shore of Lake Biwa205 viewsAs seen from Mt. Hiei Driveway. Kusatsu and Moriyama are in view.
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View from Mt. Hiei186 views
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Northern Lake Biwa (Sugaura)174 views
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Near Imazu, Takashima172 views
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Takatsuki-cho166 views
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Otsu shoreline and Mt. Hiei165 viewsAs seen from the Otsu Prince Hotel.
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Sugaura in northern Lake Biwa162 views
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Near Sugaura in northern Lake Biwa160 views
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Lake Biwa has the North Basin and South Basin with the Biwako Ohashi Bridge as the border. Seta River is the only outflowing river.139 views
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Lake Biwa is near the center of Honshu island between Nagoya and Kyoto.134 views
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Here are two versions of Omi-Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi 近江八景) by Hiroshige. The main complaint is that they center on Otsu in the southern half of Shiga. No scenes from northern Shiga. Autumn Moon at Ishiyama117 views
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This is how Lake Biwa compares to Tokyo in area.103 views
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Shirahama Beach along the lake's western shore.102 views
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Hot rowers in a cool Lake Biwa.97 views
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Tokaido Road: Otsu96 views
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Tokaido Road: Otsu96 views
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Boat houses at Imazu. The boat house on the right includes two fixed-seat wooden boats based on a design dating back to 1917. Photos of fixed-seat boats here.93 views
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According to legend, two high mountains in northern Shiga argued over who was the highest in Shiga. One of the mountains got so upset by the argument that he drew a sword and sliced off the other mountain's peak...92 views
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Ganbaro Nippon! stickers on oars.91 views
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Seta Rowing Club front a small canal connected to Lake Biwa.88 views
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Sugaura85 views
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Imazu has a local club called Takashima-Imazu Rowing Club and Imazu Junior High School Rowing Club, one of only two junior high schools in Shiga with a rowing club. 83 views
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Tokaido Road: Otsu83 views
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Heading for Sugaura, a small lakeside village. From Sugaura, there's a scenic road going up the mountains called Oku-Biwako Parkway. Part of the road is visible here.82 views
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June 9, 2011 (Day 6): Nagahama Port at around 8 am. This was the only day I accompanied the rowers on a motorboat to take pictures and videos.82 views
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Omi-Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi 近江八景): Returning Boats at Yabase82 views
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And everyone formed a circle and danced. All the rowers who came to Japan were very happy that they decided to come. They all had an unforgettable experience. It's too bad there were many people who canceled their trip. They really missed out...81 views
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Koto lesson.80 views
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Seta Rowng Club members in kimono.80 views
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June 6, 2011 (Day 3): Beach in front of Hotel Laforet.80 views
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Rest stop in Sugaura.80 views
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Chikubushima is also home to Tsukubusuma (Chikubushima) Shrine which is also a National Treasure.80 views
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Group photo on the steps going to Monjuro tower.80 views
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Going down from Hikone Castle to Genkyuen Garden. More photos of Hikone Castle and Genkyuen Garden here.80 views
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June 6, 2011 (Day 3): Rowing from Moriyama to Imazu. They made history by being the largest (around 40) and perhaps only group from overseas to row completely around Lake Biwa.79 views
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Passengers sit on the floor like in a Japanese room and have lunch as they ride through reed fields in and around Lake Nishinoko in Omi-Hachiman.79 views
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Welcome Ceremony at LaForet Hotel in Moriyama. The tour was supposed to have 60 rowers, but many cancelled due to the sensationalized Fukushima radiation scare without understanding that Shiga was unaffected.78 views
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Captain's meeting. They wear Chinaman hats.78 views
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Shiga does have dragon boat races. Dragon boats are fun because anybody can row on it.78 views
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Landing at the beach in front of Hotel Laforet.78 views
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Omi-Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi 近江八景): Evening Glow at Seta78 views
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Shirahige Shrine torii, Takashima. One of Lake Biwa's best-known landmarks. It faces the shrine on land. Rent a bicycle or go by taxi from Omi-Takashima Station (Kosei Line).78 views
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Funazushi fermented carp fish.78 views
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Rowing past Kaizu-Osaki, well-known for cherry blossoms lining the lakeshore road. Photos of Kaizu-Osaki cherry blossoms here.77 views
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Marker and sign indicating the site of the Ii clan residence in Edo (Tokyo) during the feudal era.76 views
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Beach in front of Hotel Laforet.76 views
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Group photo in Nagahama.76 views
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Mt. Hie is on the border between Shiga and Kyoto. The east side of Mt. Hie is in Shiga, while the west side is in Kyoto. Enryakuji is on the east side in Shiga and also accessible from Kyoto.76 views
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Goshu Ondo folk dance native to Shiga was performed.76 views
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Ukimido floating temple in Katata, one of Shiga's most famous and picturesque buildings. One of the eight Omi Hakkei Views made famous by ukiyoe prints by Hiroshige.76 views
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June 9, 2011 (Day 6): Rowing from Nagahama to Hikone (Satsuma Beach).75 views
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June 8, 2011 (Day 5): Day trip to Enryakuji temple on Mt. Hie in Otsu. This is the cable car station at Sakamoto, at the foot of Mt. Hie (Hie-zan) in western Shiga.75 views
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Zazen meditation lesson at Enryakuji temple. Mt. Hie is the birthplace of Japanese Buddhism as many founders of Japanese Buddhist sects once trained on Mt. Hiei. 75 views
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Photo taken from Omi Ohashi Bridge.74 views
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Passing by Shirahige Shrine in Takashima, western Lake Biwa.74 views
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Lunch at Shirahama.74 views
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The brown building is the Imazu Sun Bridge Hotel.74 views
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Arriving at Sugaura for a rest stop. Sugaura is one of the best areas of northern Lake Biwa with a nice lakeshore road and trail almost to the tip of the peninsula. It's a quiet and scenic place.74 views
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While they rested off Maibara, the lead boat played Lake Biwa Rowing Song (Biwako Shuko no Uta). Mt. Ibuki, Shiga's highest mountain in Maibara, was hidden by clouds.74 views
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The Seta Rowing Club is in eastern Otsu. It has a two-story clubhouse and an annex for storing more boats. It fronts a small canal connected to the lake.73 views
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Rowing on dragon boats from Ogoto to Katata.73 views
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Departing Omi-Maiko beach. More photos of Omi-Maiko here.73 views
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The cormorant birds inhabit parts of the island inaccessible to humans. Besides ruining the greenery on the island, they also gobble up the fish in the lake, seriously affecting the local fishermen.73 views
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More photos of Enryakuji temple here.73 views
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Lunch at Enryakuji.73 views
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Buddhist cuisine called "shojin ryori" which is vegetarian.73 views
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Leaving Matsubara Beach in Hikone.73 views
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The island is noted for its giant stone monument inscribed with the prayer words "Namu Myo-horenge-kyo" from the Lotus Sutra.73 views
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Tokaido Road: Otsu73 views
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Nakasendo Road: Toriimoto (Hikone). The sixty-third of the sixty-nine stations or shukuba post towns on the Nakasendo Road.73 views
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Omi-Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi 近江八景): Evening Bell at Miidera Temple73 views
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Lake Biwa (blue) in Shiga Prefecture highlighted in pink.73 views
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Lunch in Nagahama (Restaurant North Pole). More photos of Nagahama here.72 views
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Omi-Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi 近江八景): Descending Geese at Katata72 views
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June 5, 2011 (Day 2): Starting at Seta Rowing Club (click for their Web site) in Otsu.71 viewsLake Biwa Rowing Song (Biwako Shuko no Uta).
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More photos of Shirahige Shrine here.71 views
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Inside the cable car going up to Enryakuji temple. One of the largest temple complexes in Japan, Enryakuji is the headquarters of the Tendai Buddhist sect atop Mt. Hie in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture. 71 views
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Leaving Nagahama.71 views
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Tokaido Road: Otsu71 views
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Nakasendo Road: Echigawa (Aisho), the 65th post town on the Nakasendo. A bridge across Echigawa River. It was toll-free (Muchin-bashi). On the left across the river is Mt. Kannonji (Kinugake).71 views
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June 11, 2011 (Day 8): Rowing from Moriyama to Otsu (Seta River). Shiga Prefecture is one of Japan's 47 prefectures. A prefecture is similar to a US state like California, Texas, etc.70 views
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T-shirt with "Biwako" written was given to all rowers. "Biwako" means Lake Biwa. Rowing is most common at the southern tip of the lake, along Seta River in the capital city of Otsu. A few rowing clubs row partially around the lake. 70 views
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Rowers casting off at Seta Rowing Club.70 views
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Arriving at the boat landing for the Scenic Water Channel boat ride (Suigo Meguri) in Omi-Hachiman.70 views
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Omi-Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi 近江八景): Night Rain at Karasaki. The print made the Karasaki pine tree at Karasaki Shrine famous.70 views
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The western shore of Lake Biwa has many white sand beaches.69 views
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Leaving Imazu.69 views
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The rear of Chikubushima island is still recovering from wilted trees caused by tens of thousands of cormorant birds.69 views
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JCMU is an educational facility for college students mainly from Michigan to study in Japan. Shiga and the US state of Michigan are sister states. Many cities in Shiga have sister-city ties with cities in Michigan.69 views
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Buffet of sushi, sandwiches, etc.69 views
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Omi-Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi 近江八景): Clearing Storm at Awazu69 views
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Katata is on the west end of Biwako Ohashi Bridge, opposite of Moriyama where the hotel was. The ferris wheel was part of an amusement park which closed over 10 years ago. It has been rusting and abandoned since.68 views
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Isakiji temple has a 13-meter long plank jutting above the lake in the city of Omi-Hachiman.68 views
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Tokaido Road: Otsu68 views
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June 4, 2011 (Day 1) started with a reception at LaForet Hotel in Moriyama, Shiga Prefecture.67 views
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Masaki Unose, tour director and member of the Seta Rowing Club in Otsu, gives a welcome speech. The rowing tour was organized and hosted by the Seta Rowing Club.67 views
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Omi-Maiko Beach, a rest stop.67 views
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Arriving at Nagahama Port. Nagahama is one of Shiga's major cities and covers northern Shiga almost entirely. Chikubushima is also part of Nagahama.67 views
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Portable boat landing decks (in blue) were used.67 views
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Tokaido Road: Minakuchi (Koka). A summer scene of a few women drying gourd shavings to make kanpyo. Minakuchi-juku was the fiftieth of the fifty-three stations of the Tokaido Road.67 views
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Omi-Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi 近江八景): Descending Geese at Katata67 views
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Northern Lake Biwa as seen from Mt. Shizugatake.67 views
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Shirahige Shrine's torii gate in the lake is one of Lake Biwa's best-known landmarks. It faces the shrine on land.66 views
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66 views
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Departing Imazu.66 views
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Omi-Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi 近江八景): Autumn Moon at Ishiyama66 views
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Omi-Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi 近江八景): Night Rain at Karasaki66 views
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"Ganbaro" means, "do your best and don't give up." This is the slogan for people affected by the earthquake and tsunami which occurred in northern Japan.65 views
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Heading for Ogoto.65 views
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Chikubushima island in the background with Mt. Ibuki, Shiga's highest mountain (in Maibara), on the right.65 views
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Mt. Hiei affords great views of southern Lake Biwa. Enryakuji was founded by the priest Saicho to protect Kyoto from the demons of the northeast.65 views
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Masaki "Follow Me" Unose on the lead boat going to Takeshima island.65 views
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A Japanese tradition of smashing open a barrel of sake or rice wine. The stack of square wooden cups on the right emblazoned with "FISA World Rowing Tour in Biwako" was also given as a souvenir to the rowers.65 views
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Tokaido Road: Tsuchiyama (Koka)65 views
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Tokaido Road: Otsu65 views
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Tokaido Road: Otsu65 views
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Nakasendo Road: Imasu (Gifu, on the border with Shiga). Shows the border between Imasu and Kashiwabara. There is an inn on the Imasu side (left) and Kashiwabara side.65 viewsNemonogatari-no-Sato is where the prefectural boundary between Gifu and Shiga is located. The inns are no longer here, but guests at both inns used to talk to each other across the border before sleeping.
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Chikubushima65 views
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Uminoko Floating School operates overnight cruises for 5th graders to learn about Lake Biwa.65 views
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Rowing along western Lake Biwa. The JR Kosei Line is in the background. The Kosei Line runs from Kyoto to Imazu.64 views
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Although it was during the rainy season, the rowers endured minimal rain and bad weather. The tour went on every day as scheduled. If it were Aug., it would have been really hot and humid.64 views
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A priest explains the concepts behind the practice of meditating. Enryakuji is also part of a World Heritage Site called ''Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto."64 views
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Picture panels telling stories of famous Japanese Buddhist Sect founders such as Honen, Shinran, and Nichiren who trained on Mt. Hiei.64 views
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Leaving Nagahama Port at around 8:30 am. Photos you see here are only part of the total number of photos I gave to Seta Rowing Club for distribution.64 views
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Heading for Takeshima, a small island about 6.5 km off Hikone. 64 views
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Approaching Satsuma Beach, the final stop for the day.64 views
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Tokaido Road: Kusatsu. A rest house and servants are depicted. Kusatsu-juku was the 52nd station on the Tokaido Road (following Ishibe-juku) and the 68th station (following Moriyama-juku) on the Nakasendo Road.64 views
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Omi-Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi 近江八景): Evening Snow at Mt. Hira64 views
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With shrines and temples, Chikubushima is a sacred island in northern Lake Biwa.64 views
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Okino-shiraishi Rocks, a favorite resting place for birds which turned the rocks white from bird droppings. Four rocks stand 80 meters deep in the lake. Out of the water, the tallest stands 14 meters high. 沖の白石64 views
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Omi-Maiko white sand beach.64 views
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June 8, 2011 (Day 5): Day trip to Enryakuji temple (No rowing). Photos here are shown for display purposes, not really for downloading. Rowers will receive a disc of high-resolution photos.63 views
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Watching Hiko-nyan, Hikone Castle's official mascot which is wildly popular. He performs daily inside Hikone Castle Museum. He is a white cat with a samurai helmet.63 views
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Top floor of Hikone Castle tower. Hikone Castle's last lord was Ii Naosuke, the Chief Minister of the Tokugawa samurai government. He was the one who agreed to open Japan to the USA in 1858 after Commodore Perry visited.63 views
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63 views
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The Scenic Water Channel boat ride uses traditional-looking motorized boats for large groups.63 views
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Tokaido Road: Kusatsu63 views
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Nakasendo Road: Musa (Omi-Hachiman), 66th of the 69 stations on the Nakasendo Road. A bridge of boats.63 views
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June 10, 2011 (Day 7): Rowing from Hikone (Satsuma Beach) to Moriyama. Lake Biwa is Japan's largest lake in Shiga Prefecture. "Biwa" means lute. The lake has a number of unique species such as the Lake Biwa catfish.62 views
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Trying the tea.62 views
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Leaving beach in front of Hotel Laforet.62 views
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The torii is a smaller version of the much more famous one in Miyajima (Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima Prefecture). 白鬚神社62 views
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Chopstick lesson.62 views
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Group in front of Konpon Chudo Hall, a National Treasure and Enryakuji's main worship hall and largest building.62 views
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Motor boat flying Seta Rowing Club's flag.62 views
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Tokaido Road: Tsuchiyama (Koka). People at the head of a daimyo procession are crossing a bridge over a river near Tamura Shrine during spring rains. Tsuchiyama-juku was the 49th of the 53 stations of the Tokaido Road.62 views
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Nakasendo Road: Kusatsu Oiwake, Kusatsu is the 68th post town on the Nakasendo Road.62 views
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Nakasendo Road: Otsu, 69th post town on the Nakasendo from Hiroshige's Kisokaido series. Hatcho-dori street and Lake Biwa in the distance.62 views
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Omi-Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi 近江八景): Evening Bell at Miidera Temple62 views
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Omi-Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi 近江八景): Evening Snow at Mt. Hira62 views
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June 7, 2011 (Day 4): Rowing from Imazu to Nagahama in northern Lake Biwa. This online gallery shows only 372 photos of the rowing tour mostly taken by Seta Rowing Club members. They show only the highlights of the tour.61 views
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The back of her kimono obi sash has a design featuring rowing geisha.61 views
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Captain's meeting.61 views
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Lunch and a misspelling.61 views
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Rowing past Hikone Castle atop a hill.61 views
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Shabu-shabu lunch in Hikone with Omi beef. People had questions about how to eat the food. Cook the meat, vegetables, and udon noodles in the little shabu-shabu pot of boiling water, then dip into the sauce. One sauce for the meat, another for the udon.61 views
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Click on page 2 below to see more photos.61 views
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Omi-Maiko is Shiga's most popular swimming beach.61 views
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Setagawa River boat cruise modeled after the Ichiban-Maru paddlewheel steamboat which cruised on Lake Biwa in the 19th century. In operation during warmer months from Ishiyama-dera port and stopping at Nango Aqua Biwa and Seta-no-karahashi ports.61 views
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Motoki Kyo, chairman of Seta Rowing Club.60 views
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Kanpai! (Cheers)60 views
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Leaving the beach in front of Hotel Laforet.60 views
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That's Hotel Laforet in the background, where the rowers stayed every night during the rowing tour and commuted to/from the rowing start/end points.60 views
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60 views
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Leaving Satsuma Beach.60 views
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60 views
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Nakasendo Road: Bamba (Maibara). The 62nd station on the Nakasendo.60 views
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Omi-Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi 近江八景): Evening Glow at Seta. Today, you can see a modern version of Seta-no-Karahashi Bridge.60 views
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Southern Basin is shallow compared to the Northern Basin.60 views
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Miidera in Otsu.60 views
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Thirty-nine rowers from overseas (12 countries, mainly Europe) and three rowers from Japan participated for a total of 42. The FISA World Rowing Tour has been held since 1971.59 views
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Dragon boat ride at Ogoto. Ogoto is a major hot spring town.59 views
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59 views
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59 views
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59 views
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Isakiji temple holds a Buddhist ritual on Aug. 1 where participants jump off the plank into the lake 7 meters below. They do it to wash away bad luck and build up courage.59 views
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59 views
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Tokaido Road: Otsu59 views
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Tokaido Road: Tsuchiyama (Koka)59 views
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Nakasendo Road: Kashiwabara (Maibara). Depicts Kameya, a shop selling mugwort from Mt. Ibuki used for moxa. The shop is still there, the last surviving maker of moxa cautery in Kashiwabara, the 60th station on the Nakasendo.59 views
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Nakasendo Road: Takamiya (Hikone). The sixty-fourth of the sixty-nine stations or shukuba post towns on the Nakasendo Road.59 views
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Kaizu-Osaki cherry blossom cruise. Megumi docked at Kaizu-Osaki Port, Takashima, Shiga.59 views
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59 views
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Cycling up northern Lake Biwa.59 views
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Ground staff wore bright yellow T-shirts with the Lake Biwa logo on the back.58 views
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58 views
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Omi-Maiko is Lake Biwa's most famous and popular beach. Well-known for white sands and green pine trees. In summer, people from Kyoto come here to swim and sun bathe.58 views
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"Shirahige" means white beard, and so people pray here for long life and longevity. The shrine is dedicated to a god named Sarutahiko.58 views
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Rowing through the torii. Seta Rowing Club ground crew greet the rowers from land.58 views
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The torii in the water is perfectly aligned with the torii on land and the shrine's main worship hall.58 views
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June 7, 2011 (Day 4): Imazu is the birthplace of the Lake Biwa Rowing Song in 1917 when Kyoto University rowers lodged here and sang the new song they had created.58 views
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Posing at Imazu, a nice lakeside town. In June, they hold a choir contest for the Lake Biwa Rowing Song. More photos of Imazu here.58 views
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58 views
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Trees on a sandbar, a haven for birds.58 views
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Rough waves.58 views
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58 views
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After lunch, the group visited Hikone Castle and Genkyuen Garden. Hikone Castle is famous for cherry blossoms and Hiko-nyan (see next photo).58 views
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58 views
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Omi-Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi 近江八景): Clearing Storm at Awazu. This area is pretty much gone, covered by roads. Very few Awazu pine trees remain.58 views
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Kaizu-Osaki and Chikubushima.58 views
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Arrow-shaped "eri" fish trap. It leads fish swimming along the fence into a small area where they can be caught.58 views
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Michigan paddlewheel boat leaving Otsu Port, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.58 views
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Nightly water fountain show at Otsu Port.58 views
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Tea ceremony and koto (Japanese harp) performance.57 views
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Rowing along western Lake Biwa.57 views
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A busload of tourists even stopped to gawk at the spectacle of rowers around the torii.57 views
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Final stop for the day was here at Shirahama Beach. "Shirahama" means white sand beach.57 views
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Approaching Matsubara Beach in Hikone.57 views
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Tokaido Road: Ishibe (Konan). a teahouse which has been reconstructed in Ishibe.57 views
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Tokaido Road: Tsuchiyama (Koka)57 views
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Tokaido Road: Tsuchiyama (Koka)57 views
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Nakasendo Road: Moriyama, 67th post town on the Nakasendo) from Hiroshige's Kisokaido series. Tea houses in spring.57 views
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Omi-Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi 近江八景): Returning Boats at Yabase57 views
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Biwa means "lute."57 views
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Biwako Shuko no Uta song monument at Imazu Port. In June 1917, a song called Biwako Shuko no Uta (Lake Biwa Rowing Song) was composed by college student Taro Oguchi during a boat rowing trip around Lake Biwa.57 views
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A small stream empties through Haginohama Beach on the western shore.57 views
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57 views
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