Ryuo-cho, Shiga

Ryuo, Shiga (竜王町; Ryuo-chō)
Namura Shrine Nishi Honden Hall. More Ryuo photos here.
Google Map of Ryuo here.
Location	Shiga Prefecture, Kinki region, Honshu island, JAPAN
Population	11,600 (?? foreigners) (2022-10-31)
Area	44.52 km²
Town Centers
Major Sights	Namura Shrine
Major Gateways	Omi-Hachiman Station
Train Stations	None
Claim to Fame	Namura Shrine (National Treasure), Mitsui Outlet Park
Products	Wooden buckets, Omi beef
Neighbors	Higashi-Omi, Omi-Hachiman, Koka, Yasu, Konan
Old Name(s)
Keywords	dragon
Historical Persons
Links	Ryuo Articles | Ryuo Photos
Ryuo Tourist Information
Location	Ryuo Town Hall
Phone	(0748) 58-3715
Tourist Links	Tourist Assn.
Int'l Association	None
Volunteer Guides	Webpage
Ryuo Town Hall 竜王町役場
Address	3 Oguchi, Ryuo-cho, Gamo-gun, Shiga JAPAN 〒520-2592滋賀県蒲生郡竜王町大字小口3番地
Phone/Fax	(0748) 58-3701
Official Site	Japanese | English
Symbols	Flower:	Rhododendron
	Tree:	Japanese pine (matsu)
	Bird:
	Others:	Dragon
	Logo:	[[Image:|50px|]]
Sister Towns	Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

This page is 75% complete. Last updated: Nov. 11, 2022

by Philbert Ono

Dragon King's Town

Ryuo (also Ryuoh or Ryuou) (竜王町; Ryūō-chō) is a town in eastern Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

Famous for:

• Kenketo Odori, one of the furyu odori folk performing arts in Japan designated as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
• Namura Shrine, National Treasure.
• Mitsui Outlet Park, Shiga Ryuo, a large shopping mall.
• Daihatsu Ryuo auto factory.

Although it looks very rural with rice paddies, farming accounts for only a small percentage of the town's economy. The Daihatsu car factory and other heavy industries and service industries make up the lion's share. Sooner or later, you will see large factories amid the farm land.

Ryuo has been taking the tourist spotlight since Mitsui Outlet Park, Shiga Ryuo opened in July 2010. The mall's 165 shops have been attracting large numbers of shoppers.

Ryuo is one of Shiga's few small towns which has resisted merging with a neighboring municipality. Its large Daihatsu car factory and Mitsui Outlet Park afford a good revenue stream to sustain the town.

Operating since 1974, the Daihatsu Shiga-Ryuo car factory is one of Shiga's largest factories, employing over 5,000 and producing 1,000 cars a day. It produces the Daihatsu Tanto, Rocky, and Move Canbus cars (as of 2021). The factory is largely automated with 245 robots assembling the cars starting with a large roll of sheet steel pressed into shape. The sprawling factory (2 million sq. meters) also has a full-scale test track.

Although Ryuo is a separate municipality, for practical purposes it seems more like a suburb of Omi-Hachiman. From Ryuo, you can see Mt. Hachimanyama in central Omi-Hachiman. Ryuo means "dragon king."

Sights

Namura Shrine	Sekku Matsuri	Mitsui Outlet Mall
Kenketo Matsuri	Agri-Park Ryuo	Yuge Fire Festival

• Namura Shrine 苗村神社 - Facing a busy road in the center of Ryuo-cho, Namura Jinja Shrine is noted for its elegant-looking, thatched-roof main gate and Nishi Honden hall which is a National Treasure. The shrine's architecture is from the Kamakura Period. Map

• Mt. Kagamiyama - Noted for hiking trails and old kilns. Map

• Mt. Yukinoyama 雪野山 - On the east side of Ryuo, this ancient mountain is home to over 200 tumuli built during the 5th to 7th centuries. It also has a few hiking trails. It takes about 90-120 min. to go up and down the mountain. There are some fine views from the trails. At the foot is Ryuoji Temple (龍王寺) and Tenjin Shrine. Map

• Mitsui Outlet Park, Shiga Ryuo - Opened on July 8, 2010, the mall is near the Ryuo Interchange on the Meishin Expressway, making it readily accessible by car for shoppers coming from Kyoto, Nara, Mie, and Gifu. It also targets Chinese tourists traveling from the Kansai area to Mt. Fuji and further. Merchants do accept Chinese credit/debit cards. It is the first outlet mall in the Kyoto-Shiga area. The two-level mall has 165 stores, 145 of which are outlet shops. Most are clothing shops and some are first-time outlet shops. There are many big names including Burberry, Gap Outlet, Barney’s New York Outlet, Armani, Paul Smith, Coach, Beams, Ralph Lauren, Nike, Bebe, Edwin, Vans, Levi’s, Puma, and Adidas. The shops open from 10 am to 8 pm. Buses run from Omi-Hachiman and Yasu Stations. Map

• Agri-Park Ryuo - A local farmer's market where they sell local produce. There's also a pond with swan boats, farm museum, and petting zoo. Great for the kids. Map

Event Calendar

• April 20 - Namura Matsuri Festival 苗村祭 - A Shinto ceremony and procession of horses and portable shrines starting at 4 pm at Namura Shrine. Map

• May 1 - Yuge Fire Festival 弓削の火祭り (Yuge no Hi Matsuri) is held by a small shrine called Kobiyoshi Jinja on the evening of May 1. After small torches, tossing flares, lots of firecrackers, and fireworks, two giant torches made of straw are set afire as well as other fireworks on the ground. From Omi-Hachiman Station No. 4 bus stop, board the bus for Okaya Minami and get off at Nishikawa Higashi-guchi bus stop. The ride is about 13 min. From the bus stop, the shrine is a 10-min. walk. You can also take a taxi from Omi-Hachiman Station. Taxi would be required on the way back to Omi-Hachiman since the buses will not be running after the festival is over. Map

• May 3 - Kenketo Matsuri ケンケト祭り is held annually by a few Shinto shrines in Ryuo and neighboring Higashi-Omi. The festival is mainly a naginata (pole sword) dance and procession by boys dressed in costume. The main venue is Suginoki Shrine in Yamanoue, Ryuo. One of the furyu odori folk performing arts in Japan designated as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2022. A short walk from Yamanoue 山之上 bus stop from JR Omi-Hachiman Station. Map

• May 5 - Sekku Matsuri Festival 節句まつり - Held annually on Children's Day on May 5 at Namura Shrine. The highlight is the yabusame horseback archery along a path in front of the Romon Gate. The festival prays for the healthy growth of children. Map

Travel Tips

• If you're using public transportation, you will likely get off at Omi-Hachiman Station. This train station has a tourist info office and they can tell you which bus to take to get to Ryuo.
• Current weather warnings/advisories for Ryuo here (Japan Meteorological Agency).

Getting There

By Train

Although Ryuo has no train station, buses from Omi-Hachiman Station run to Ryuo often enough, especially if you want to go to the outlet mall.

Train Lines & Stations

• None

Travel Time

• From Tokyo Station to Maibara Station: 2.5 hours via JR Tokaido Shinkansen Hikari. All Kodama trains and a few faster Hikari trains (about once an hour) stop at Maibara.

By Bus

• From Omi-Hachiman Station: 20 min. At JR Omi-Hachiman Station, go to the North exit bus stop. 近江八幡駅　北口バスターミナル. Catch a bus at stop 4 going to Okaya Minami 岡屋南. Or catch the bus going to Ryuo Daihatsu-mae.

Nearest Airports

• Kansai International Airport
• Central Japan International Airport (Centrair)
• Osaka International Airport

Getting Around

By train

No trains in Ryuo.

By bus

Buses from Omi-Hachiman Station run within Ryuo. If the bus schedule does not match your schedule, take a taxi.

By bicycle

No rental bicycles in Ryuo.

Maps

Google Map placemarks have English text. Click on upper right icon to enlarge.

• Sightseeing Map of Ryuo

Photos

Yuge Fire Festival	Dragon at Agri-Park

More photos at Ryuo Photos. More Shiga photos here.

Videos

Click on the video image to start playing the video.

More Shiga videos here.

History

• 2010 - Mitsui Outlet Park, Shiga Ryuo opens in July.

Additional Reading

• Mitsui Outlet Park, Shiga Ryuo opens - July 8, 2010

• More news about Ryuo here.

Miscellaneous

Famous People

Lastname firstname (1800-1900)

Description

Side Trips

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

• Omi-Hachiman

Related Articles

• Shiga Prefecture
• Shiga Prefecture Sights
• Shiga Prefecture Transportation
• Shiga Prefecture Municipalities

External Links

• shiga-ken.com - Comprehensive guide to Shiga Prefecture.