Ritto, Shiga

Ritto, Shiga (栗東市; Ritto-shi)
JRA Ritto Training Center. More Ritto photos here.
Location	Shiga Prefecture, Kinki region, Honshu island, JAPAN
Population	70,473 (?? foreigners) (2022-11-01)
Area	52.75 km²
City Centers	An'yoji, Ritto Station, JRA Training Center
Major Sights	JRA Training Center, tumuli
Major Gateways	JR Tokaido Line Ritto Station Tehara Station
Train Stations	JR Tokaido Main Line Ritto Station; JR Kusatsu Line Tehara Station
Claim to Fame	Home of JRA Ritto Training Center
Products
Neighbors	Yasu, Konan, Koka, Otsu, Kusatsu, Moriyama
Old Name(s)
Keywords	JRA training center, thoroughbred, horse, new shinkansen station
Historical Persons	Take Yutaka
Links	Ritto Articles | Ritto Photos
Ritto Tourist Information
Location	〒520-3088滋賀県栗東市安養寺一丁目13番33号 栗東市役所観光振興室 Anyoji 1-13-33, Ritto-shi, Shiga 520-3088
Phone	077-551-0126 Fax: 077-551-0148
Tourist Links	Tourist Ass.
Int'l Association	Web site Phone: 077-551-0293 Fax: 077-552-9320
Volunteer Guides	Phone: 077-551-0126
Ritto City Hall 栗東市役所
Address	〒520-3088滋賀県栗東市安養寺一丁目13番33号 Anyoji 1-13-33, Ritto-shi, Shiga 520-3088 JAPAN
Phone/Fax	077-553-1234
Official Site	Japanese |
Symbols	Flower:	Pot Marigold キンセンカ
	Tree:	Kaizuka 貝塚伊吹
	Bird:	Japanese White-eye メジロ
	Others:	Racehorses, Kuri-chan
	Logo:
Sister Cities	Birmingham, Michigan; Hengyang City 衝陽市, Hunan, China

by Philbert Ono, Updated: Nov. 11, 2022

Thoroughbred Town

Ritto (栗東市; Ritto-shi) is a city in Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

Famous for:

• Thoroughbred race horses at Japan Racing Association training grounds.
• Highly ranked nationally as the most livable city.

Landlocked city in southeastern Shiga and best known for the JRA (Japan Racing Association) horse-racing training grounds and home base of Take Yutaka, Japan's winningest jockey. Ritto is also known to be one of Japan's most livable cities.

Express trains do not stop at Ritto Station on the Biwako Line. You have to take a local train to reach Ritto.

Sights

JRA Ritto	Daiho Jinja Shrine	Wada Tumuli
Wada Tumuli	From Anyoji	Ritto Station

• JRA Ritto Training Center 栗東トレーニング・センター - Since 1969, the government-run Japan Racing Association (JRA) has trained jockeys and race horses in Ritto. It offers free tours (telephone reservations required) of this large, impressive facility on Sunday afternoons (1 pm - 2:30 pm) and early Wednesday mornings (when you can see horses running on the track). Map

• Tumuli 古墳 - Ritto is dotted with numerous ancient tumuli. Painstaking work is being conducted to unearth and clean ancient artifacts. There is even an archeaological museum next to the Wada Tumuli, a group of small tumuli. Website | Map

• History/Nature Walk - Ritto tourist pamphlets show a map of a history and nature walk from Tehara Station taking you to see the History Museum, nature forest, Mt. Anyoji, tumuli, etc. You don't need to walk much of the route drawn on the map (take a bus instead). And there are very few signs showing the way to the sights. Mt. Anyoji has no legible signs nor map. Website | Map

• Ritto History Museum 栗東歴史民俗博物館 - Local museum exhibiting Buddha statues, old minka thatched-roof house, etc. Accessible by bus from Kusatsu Station. Website | Map

• Daiho Jinja 大宝神社 - Dedicated to Susano-O no Mikoto, Daiho Shrine is a short walk from JR Ritto Station. Holds a sumo festival in spring. Website | Map

Event Calendar

• Feb. 3 - Setsubun bean throwing at Daiho Shrine.
• May 4-5 - Daiho Shrine Reitaisai Festival features tug of war and taiko performances on the 4th and portable shrine processions on the 5th.
• May 5- Otsuki Taisha Hanagasa Matsuri with flower hat dances. 小槻大社

Travel Tips

• The tourist info booth in Kusatsu Station provides tourist pamphlets for Ritto.
• Current weather warnings/advisories for Ritto here (Japan Meteorological Agency).

Getting There

Depending where you want to go, you can take a train or bus. To visit the JRA Training Center, take a bus from Kusatsu Station on the JR Tokaido/Biwako Line taking 30 min.

By Train

Ritto has two train stations. On the JR Tokaido/Biwako Line, take the local train to Ritto Station. Or from Kusatsu Station, take the Kusatsu Line to Tehara Station, the next stop.

Train Lines & Stations

• JR Tokaido/Biwako Line: Ritto Station
• JR Kusatsu Line: Tehara Station

Travel Time

• From Tokyo Station to Ritto Station: 140 min. via JR Tokaido Shinkansen Nozomi to Kyoto Station, then 25 min. to Ritto Station via Tokaido/Biwako Line.
• From JR Kyoto Station to Ritto Station: 25 min. via JR Tokaido/Biwako Line.
• From JR Maibara Station to Ritto Station: 40 min. via Tokaido/Biwako Line.
• From JR Kusatsu Station to Tehara Station: 5 min. via JR Kusatsu Line.

Nearest Airports

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

Getting Around

There are two train stations. Buses run from both train stations. Most places of interest are not within walking distance of either train station as well as Kusatsu Station. The major sights and facilties along the train lines are as follows:

JR Tokaido Line

• Ritto Station (栗東駅) - Daiho Shrine is nearby on the west side of the station. Only local (futsu) trains stop at this station.

JR Kusatsu Line (草津線)

• Tehara Station (手原駅) - Station next to Kusatsu Station. Near Ritto City Hall and Mt. Anyoji. Also near the former site of the new Tokaido shinkansen station which was proposed to be built.

Maps

Click on upper right icon to enlarge.

Photos

Wada Tumuli	From Anyoji	Ritto Station

More photos at Ritto Photos. More Shiga photos here.

Videos

Videos of Ritto coming later.

History

• 1954 Ritto-cho township established.
• 2001 Ritto established as a city.
• 2005 Major business magazine publisher Toyo Keizai Inc. ranked Ritto as Japan's No. 1 Livable City, noting the city's safety, convenience, and pleasantness.
• 2007 The city long pushed to build a new shinkansen train station and even started construction in May 2007. However, the city was forced to cancel construction in Oct. 2007 when the prefectural government declined to support the project. Unlike her predecessor, Shiga Governor Kada Yukiko opposed the project, citing the prefecture's poor financial condition. Kada was elected governor in July 2006 promising to cancel such "wasteful" construction projects. The news made national headlines.
• 2019 Due to local opposition citing heavy traffic, Ritto City Hall decides to withdraw its request for Costco to open a store in the city.

Additional Reading

• Shinkansen station in Shiga canceled - Japan Times, Oct. 29, 2007

More Ritto News here.

Miscellaneous

Weather forecast provided by tititudorancea.com

Famous People

Take Yutaka 武 豊 (1969-)

Japan's most famous horse race jockey grew up in Ritto and commutes to the JRA Training Center from his home in Kyoto.

Side Trips

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

• Kusatsu

Related Articles

• Shiga Prefecture
• Shiga Prefecture Sights
• Shiga Prefecture Transportation

External Links

• Ritto International Friendship Association 栗東国際交流協会
• Daiho Jinja Shrine 大宝神社
• An'yoji temple 東方山安養寺