Taga-cho, Shiga

From PHOTOGUIDE.JP
Taga, Shiga (多賀町; Taga-chō)
Taga Taisha Taga Matsuri More Taga photos here.
Map of Shiga with Taga highlighted
Google Map of Taga here.
Location Shiga Prefecture, Kinki region, Honshu island, JAPAN  
Population 7,470 (?? foreigners) (2022-10-31)
Area 135.93 km²
Town Centers Taga Taisha 
Major Sights Taga Taisha Shrine 
Major Gateways Taga Taisha-mae Station 
Train Stations Taga Taisha-mae Station 
Claim to Fame Taga Taisha Shrine
Products Ito-kiri mochi 糸切餅
Neighbors Hikone, Kora-cho, Aisho-cho, Maibara, Higashi-Omi, Inabe (Mie), Ogaki (Gifu) 
Old Name(s)
Keywords Taga Taisha
Historical Persons Izanagi, Izanami (Shinto god)
Links Taga Articles | Taga Photos
Taga Tourist Information
Location Same as town hall.
Phone 0749-48-2361 
Tourist Links Taga Tourism  
Int'l Association None  
Volunteer Guides Website  
Taga Town Hall 多賀町役場
Address 〒522-0341滋賀県犬上郡多賀町多賀324

Taga 324, Taga-cho, Inukami-gun, Shiga 522-0341 JAPAN

Phone/Fax 0749-48-8111 
Official Site Japanese |  
Symbols Flower:  Lilium japonicum ササユリ
Tree:  Japanese Cedar スギ
Bird:  Japanese Bush Warbler ウグイス
Others:  enter
Logo:  [[Image:|50px|]]
Sister Towns

This page is 70% complete. Last updated: July 11, 2023

by Philbert Ono

Town of Many Felicitations

Taga (多賀町; Taga-chō) is a town in eastern Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

Famous for:

  • Taga Taisha Shrine, Shiga's most popular shrine during New Year's.
  • Major seasonal festivals at Taga Taisha Shrine.
  • Ito-kiri mochi, a famous local confection.

Rural town next to Hikone and best-known for Taga Taisha Shrine, Shiga's most popular shrine, especially during New Year's and early Aug. Meaning "Many Felicitations," Taga is perhaps Shiga's most auspicious municipality name.

Thanks to Taga Taisha Shrine, the town has many major festivals including a horse procession in spring and a rice-planting festival. It will make you want to visit the town again and again.

In 1993, a complete skeleton of an Akebono elephant (Stegodon aurorae) was discovered in Taga. Although fossils of this elephant has been found in other parts of Japan, the one found in Taga is Japan's most complete fossil set dating from 1.8 million years ago. This species was smaller than the elephants we know today. The shoulder height was only 1.9 meter. Since it has not been found on the Asian mainland, it is thought to be endemic to Japan.

The Taga Town Museum exhibits most of the Akebono elephant skeleton. Taga has started to play up its connection to the Akebono elephant with various events and activities.

Sights

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Taga Taisha on New Year's Taga Taisha New Year's dance Lantern Festival
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Taga Taisha Setsubun Taga Matsuri Taga Taisha Rice-Planting Festival

  • Kawachi Fuketsu Cavern 河内の風穴] - Cavern with a small entrance, but large interior made of coal. Takes 15-30 min. to see 200 meters of the cavern which stretches on for 6,800 meters. Average temperature of 12 C even in summer. Admission 500 yen. Accessible by car, 20 min. from town. Map
  • Taga Town Museum (多賀町立博物館) - Natural history and folk culture museum highlighted by Akebono elephant fossils found in Taga in 1993. Full-scale Akebono elephant skeleton replica on display too. Part of the Akebono Park Taga which includes Taga Public Library. Small admission charged. Open: 10:00 am-6:00 pm (5:00 pm on weekends and holidays). Closed on Mondays, national holidays, third Sunday of the month, last Thu. of the month, Dec. 29–Jan. 4. 25-min. walk or 5 min. by taxi from Taga Taisha-mae Station. Buses also run from JR Hikone Station, bus stop 3. Get on the bus bound for Minami-Hikone-eki Nishi-guchi (南彦根駅西口). Get off at Akebono Park Taga (あけぼのパーク多賀). Bus schedule here.
  • Kirin Beer Shiga Factory - Free factory tours (70 min. or 90 min.) of the brewery are held. Two tours are available: One for beer (beer tasting at the end of the tour) and the other is for bottled tea (lemon tea, milk tea). For tour times and reservations, call in Japanese 0749-48-2810. Closed on Mon. (open if national holiday and closed on Tue. instead). From JR Minami Hikone Station, it takes 10 min. by bus bound for Taga Taisha-mae Station. Get off at Kirin Beer-mae (キリンビール前) and enter through the Seimon Gate (正門). Or walk 15 min. from Ohmi Railways Screen Station. English website Japanese website | Map

Event Calendar

  • Feb. 3: Taga Taisha Setsubun Festival 多賀大社 節分祭 - It marks the beginning of spring according to the lunar calendar. So they throw beans at ogre to eliminate the evil of the previous year and bring in good fortune. On Feb. 3, 2009, Taga Taisha had an impressive ogre (called oni in Japanese) dancers from Shimane Prefecture to act as the demons to chase away during the festival. Map
  • April 22: Taga Matsuri 多賀まつり - A long procession featuring Shinto priests, children in costume, women warriors, and more people on 40 horses. A total of 500 people were in the procession. There is a morning procession from Taga Taisha to Totonomiya Shrine deep in Taga's countryside, and an afternoon (main) procession going to the Otabisho, a short distance away from Taga Taisha. Map
  • 1st Sun. in June - Taga Taisha Rice-Planting Festival 多賀大社御田植祭 - Held annually on the first Sunday in June, the Taga Taisha O-taue Matsuri rice-planting festival has 70 local junior high school girls planting rice in the shrine's sacred rice paddy. There's also a stage for ceremonial performances and rituals. A ceremony starts at 1 pm at the shrine, then the rice planting starts at the nearby sacred rice paddy at 2 pm. Map
  • Aug. 3-5 - Taga Taisha Mantosai Lantern Festival 多賀大社万燈祭 or 10,000-Lantern Festival is a night festival when numerous lanterns are lit within the shrine grounds. The lanterns are for the repose of ancestral spirits. Various sacred dances and entertainment are also held nightly during the festival. Map

Travel Tips

  • Taga Taisha is a 10-min. walk from the train station. Some shops and restaurants line the road in front of the shrine.
  • Taga is famous for kiri-mochi which are kochi with pin stripes. A number of different shops sell them.
  • Current weather warnings/advisories for Taga here (Japan Meteorological Agency).

Getting There

By Train Taga has only one train station, Taga Taisha-mae Station on the Ohmi Railways. When coming from Maibara Station or Yokaichi Station, you might have to transfer trains at Takamiya Station.

Train Lines & Stations

Travel Time

By Bus

Nearest Airports

Getting Around

To Taga Taisha Shrine, you can walk from the train station. For other places, catch a taxi from the train station. Buses leave infrequently.

Maps

Placemarks in Google Maps are in English. Click on upper right icon to enlarge.

Photos

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Taga Taisha Setsubun Taga Matsuri
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Rice-planting Festival Dragon Dance

More photos at Taga Photos. More Shiga photos here.

Videos

Click on the video to start playing it.

More Shiga videos here.

Side Trips

Other sights in neighboring cities/towns within easy reach from Taga.

  • Hikone

History

  • 1914 - Ohmi Railways open rail link between Takamiya Station and Taga Station.
  • 1941 - Town founded upon the merger of Taga village and two other villages.
  • 1955 - Town merges with two other villages to form the town as it is today.

Additional Reading

More Taga News here.

Miscellaneous

Trivia

  • Taga is blessed with factories of leading companies, contributing to about 30 percent of the town's tax revenue.

Famous People

Related Articles

External Links

Municipalities of Shiga Prefecture 滋賀県
Cities & Towns: Aisho-cho | Higashi-Omi | Hikone | Hino-cho | Koka | Konan | Kora-cho | Kusatsu | Maibara | Moriyama | Nagahama | Omi-Hachiman | Otsu | Ritto | Ryuo-cho | Taga-cho | Takashima | Toyosato-cho | Yasu
愛荘町 | 東近江市 | 彦根市 | 日野町 | 甲賀市 | 湖南市 | 甲良町 | 草津市 | 米原市 | 守山市 | 長浜市 | 近江八幡市 | 大津市 | 栗東市 | 竜王町 | 多賀町 | 高島市 | 豊郷町 | 野洲市
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