Yogo-cho, Shiga

Yogo, Shiga (余呉町; Yogo-chō)
Lake Yogo More Yogo photos here.
Google Map of Yogo here.
Location	Shiga Prefecture, Kinki region, Honshu island, JAPAN
Population	3,931 (2005)
Area	167.62 km²
Town Centers	Around Lake Yogo
Major Sights	Lake Yogo
Major Gateways	JR Yogo Station
Train Stations	JR Yogo Station
Claim to Fame	Lake Yogo, site of Japan's oldest Hagoromo (Swan Maiden) Legend
Products
Neighbors	Nishi-Azai-cho, Kinomoto-cho, Tsuruga (Fukui), Minami Echizen-cho (Fukui), Ibigawa-cho (Gifu)
Old Name(s)
Keywords	Yogo-ko, Lake Yogo, Hagoromo Densetsu
Historical Persons
Links	Yogo Articles | Yogo Photos
Yogo Tourist Information
Location	Same as town hall
Phone	0749-86-3085
Tourist Links	Yogo Tourism]
Int'l Association	Web site Tel:
Volunteer Guides	Tel:
Yogo Town Hall 余呉町役場
Address	〒529-0515滋賀県伊香郡余呉町中之郷958 Nakanogo 958, Yogo-cho, Ika-gun, Shiga-ken 529-0515 JAPAN
Phone/Fax	Tel: 0749 -86-3221 Fax: 0749-86-3220
Official Site	[Japanese] | English
Symbols	Flower:	Cosmos コスモス and Hydrangea アジサイ
	Tree:	Aesculus turbinata トチノキ
	Bird:	Mandarin Duck オシドリ
	Others:	Lake Yogo
	Logo:
Sister Towns

by Philbert Ono

Yogo (余呉町; -chō) was a town in Shiga Prefecture. It was dissolved as a municipality upon the town's merger with the city of Nagahama on Jan. 1, 2010.

Note that this Web page will no longer be updated. For the latest photos and news about the Yogo area, please refer to the Nagahama page for travel info and the Nagahama gallery page for photos.

Shiga's northern-most area has a sprawling area approaching Tsuruga Bay in neighboring Fukui Prefecture. However, most residents and visitors confine themselves to the southernmost part of the town where Lake Yogo is. Mountainous and often beset with snow, the area has a major asset in Lake Yogo, a small but scenic lake right above the Mother Lake.

Lake Yogo is also the site of Japan's oldest Swan Maiden (Hagoromo Densetsu 羽衣伝説) folktale. A white swan lands on the lake and transforms into a beautiful heavenly maiden. A man sees her and falls in love. He hides her clothes, preventing her from returning to heaven. She ends up marrying the man with whom she has children. But she later finds her clothes and returns to heaven. There are various versions of this tale for Lake Yogo (and all over Japan).

Sights

• Lake Yogo 余呉湖 - Small but scenic lake north of Lake Biwa. You can walk or bicycle around the lake's 6.4-km perimeter. There is a road going completely around the lake. The lake area is 1.82 square km, and the deepest point is 13 meters. The lake's elevation is 49 meters higher than Lake Biwa into which it empties via Yogo River. On the southern end of the lake is a Yogoko-so, an inexpensive lodge where you can also eat lunch.
• Mt. Shizugatake 賤ヶ岳 - Provides grand views of Lake Biwa and Lake Yogo. One of Shiga's most scenic. Take a bus from Kinomoto Station, then go up the chair lift (operates March-Dec., 9 am - 5 pm). There are also hiking trails to Lake Yogo. The mountain was the battleground between Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Shibata Katsuie in 1583.
• Chawan Matsuri no Yakata Museum 茶わん祭の館 - Museum dedicated to introducing the Chawan Matsuri festival held every several years by Niu Shrine.
• Woody Pal Yogo ウッディパル余呉 - Recreational campground with log cabins, tennis courts, hiking trails, and ski grounds.

Event Calendar

• May 4, every 5-6 years - Chawan Matsuri 茶わんまつり is a procession of three floats and display of sacred dances. The floats have 10-meter high "balancing act" decorations that seem to defy gravity as they do not collapse and fall down. The festival was started by local potters offering their teacups to the shrine in appreciation for their earth and pottery skills.
• June - Hydrangeas bloom around the lake.
• On or around Oct. 10 (Sports Day) - Yogo-ko Kenko Marathon.

Travel Tips

• On foot, it takes about an hour to walk around Lake Yogo (without snow).
• If there is snow, the road on only the west side of the lake is cleared.
• There is a Visitors Center, but not near the train station.
• Around Lake Yogo, there are a number of lodges where you can stay.

Getting There

Yogo has only one train station, JR Yogo Station on the Hokuriku Main Line.

• From Maibara Station - 30 min. via Hokuriku Main Line
• From Tsuruga Station - 20 min. via Hokuriku Main Line
• From Kyoto Station - 60 min. via shinkansen to Maibara and transfer to Hokuriku Main Line

Getting Around

By bicycle

Rental bicycles available at Yogo Station.

Maps

Placemarks in the Google Map are in English.

View Larger Map

• Sightseeing Map of Yogo

Photos

More photos at Yogo Photos. More Shiga photos here.

History

• 1889 - Yogo-mura village is established.
• 1954 - Yogo village merges with two other villages.
• 1971 - Yogo-mura village becomes Yogo-cho town.
• [[]] - Yogo is dissolved as a municipality upon its merger with Nagahama on Jan. 1, 2010.

Miscellaneous

Recent News

• On Sept. 20, 2006, the mayor of Yogo-cho town again told the town assembly that he wants to accept highly radioactive nuclear waste for final disposal in Yogo. He said that it was important for Japan to find such a place. The large amount of money the town would receive for studies conducted for the disposal site would greatly help the cash-strapped town which forecasts a lot of red ink in the coming years. Shiga Governor Kada Yukiko was opposed to the plan, saying that a nuclear waste dump near Lake Biwa which supplies water to 14 million people in the Kinki region would cause too much anxiety among the population. Fortunately, this proposal was later scrapped.

Side Trips

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

• Mt. Shizugatake - In neighboring Kinomoto. Great views of Lake Yogo.

Trivia

• Even as Shiga's population increases, Yogo's population is decreasing. After neighboring Kinomoto-cho, Yogo has the second highest rate of depopulation in Shiga.

Related Articles

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

External Links

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