Near JR Makino Station, Kaizu-Osaki is a very scenic stretch along the northern shore of Lake Biwa in Makino, Shiga Prefecture. Seeing it by boat on a sakura cruise is also highly recommended. One of Japan's 100 Famous Sakura Spots. Bumper-to-bumper trafffic jams are the result during cherry blossoms season. MAP

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Shin-Asahi in Takashima, Shiga Prefecture has a neighborhood called Harie where homes draw clean water from an ever-flowing spring directly from the ground into wells called kabata. A local NPO conducts tours of the area and homes with kabata. Shin-Asahi also has a scenic shoreline, bird sanctuary, and Dutch-style windmill. MAP

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Imazu in Takashima, Shiga Prefecture is on the northwest corner of Lake Biwa. Imazu has boats going to and from Chikubushima island. The town is also famous as the birthplace of the Lake Biwa Rowing Song (Biwako Shuko no Uta). It even holds an annual choir contest in June just for this song. More about the song here. MAP

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On Aug. 8, 2007, I went with over 45 members of this rowing club to row across Lake Biwa from Nagahama to Imazu. They took turns rowing on different boats, including two traditional, fixed-seat boats made of wood. Also see my YouTube video here. 今津中学校ボート部の長浜〜今津の琵琶湖周航に参加しました。

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Takashima-cho in Takashima, Shiga Prefecture is Takashima city's southern-most area. Belonging to Shirahige Shrine, the torii in the lake is in Takashima-cho and one of Lake Biwa's best-known landmarks. Also find the ruins of Omizo Castle, and Hagi-no-Hama and Shirahige-no-Hama swimming beaches. More about Takashima here. MAP

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A procession of five ornate floats are pulled around the neighborhood of JR Omi-Takashima Station (JR Kosei Line). The festival eve on May 3 has the floats festooned with paper lanterns as they are pulled around. On May 4, they pull the floats around during the day and gather at Hiyoshi Jinja Shrine which holds the festival annually. Also see my video at YouTube. MAP

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Adogawa in Takashima, Shiga Prefecture is proud of their favorite son, 17th-century Confucian philosopher Nakae Toju. Near JR Adogawa Station, see a Chinese-style garden, museum, shrine, gravesite, and drawing room all related to Toju. The city celebrated the 400th anniversary of his birth in 2008. Adogawa also has lakeside beaches and rivers. MAP

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Held annually on May 4 at Oarahiko Shrine in Takashima, this festival features a procession of yakko-furi procession, yabusame horse runs, and portable shrine procession. This is the largest festival in the Kosei area (western Shiga) and the only one featuring horses in Kosei. The shrine is near Shin-Asahi Station (JR Kosei Line). Also see my video at YouTube. MAP

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Makino is Takashima's northern-most area, tucked into the northwest corner of Lake Biwa, Shiga Prefecture. It has a number of sights such as Makino Highland, Makino Sunny Beach, and Kaizu. MAP

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Held annually by Kaizuten Jinja Shrine on April 29, this local festival features men dressed as sumo wrestlers (rikishi) carrying two mikoshi portable shrines around their respective neighborhoods. They wear kesho mawashi ceremonial aprons. They jostle the mikoshi during the day, and then at night they go to the shrine for the festival climax with lit torches. Also see my YouTube video here. MAP

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Held annually on April 18 by Hioki and Tsuno Shrines in Imazu, Takashima, Shiga, this festival features a pair of very tall (18 meters), decorated bamboo poles called O-nobori carried little by little at a horse-riding course. There are also children in costume playing music with drums and bells and others carrying a decorated branch called sanyare. The red, white, and blue motif caught my American eye. Photos taken on April 18, 2009. Also see my YouTube video here. MAP

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The 3rd Imazu Regatta was held off the shore of Imazu on Aug. 17, 2008. Organized by the Takashima-Imazu Rowing Club NPO, over 100 rowers, young and old, participated. Some even came from Kyoto and Osaka. The "Lake Biwa Rowing Song" CD was donated as one of the prizes to the 1st place finishers. The CD was also played as the regatta's background music. Also see my YouTube video here.

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