Otsu/Kusatsu/Yawata

A Ride with a Great View of History!

A side trip to Yawata! Minamiko Round-the-lake 80km Course

While taking on the challenge of circling around Lake Minami, we will take a short detour through the history of Omi! The tour will take you to historical spots in Omi, such as Yawata Bori, a waterway once used by Omi merchants for distribution, and Fujigasaki Ryujinsha, a shrine dedicated to the dragon god who presides over water.


  • Touring the History of Omi at Hachimanbori
  • Visit Fujigasaki Ryujinsha Shrine with its spectacular view
  • Hiyoshi Shrine to ward off bad luck and evil spirits


Port of Otsu

大津港

Otsu Port, a historic port that once flourished as a logistics base supporting the capital of Kyoto, is the departure and arrival base for Michigan Cruise, a large sightseeing boat that allows visitors to enjoy Lake Biwa from the sea. The Biwako Hana Fountain, which makes a spectacular display on Lake Biwa, is also located here, and the Lake Biwa Grand Fireworks Festival, a summer tradition, offers a spectacular view of the lake's surface with approximately 10,000 fireworks.

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Fujigasaki Ryu Shrine

藤ヶ崎龍神社

Fujigasaki Ryujin, a small shrine on the shore of Lake Biwa, enshrines the Dragon God who presides over water, and is known as a power spot where visitors can feel close to the dragon due to its mysterious appearance. There are two shrines: the Outer Shrine, which was built on a rocky outcrop jutting out into Lake Biwa, and the Inner Shrine, built in a crevice in a large rock, both of which can be visited freely.

Hachiman-dori

八幡堀

The town of Yawata, a castle town that flourished under Toyotomi Hidetsugu's Yawata Castle residence in the Azuchi-Momoyama period and a base for Omi merchants, developed around the Yawata moat, a waterway built to flow through the center of the town. It flourished for a long time as a distribution channel, but after the war it was abandoned due to the development of land transportation, and although it is no longer used, the white-walled storehouses and old houses that line the moat still tell us what it was like in those glamorous days.

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Rural landscape of Omi Hachiman City

近江八幡市の田園風景

The rural landscape that stretches between Lake Biwa and the city is very attractive to cyclists who can ride in a relaxed manner!

Hiyoshi Shrine

日吉大社

Opened 2,100 years ago, Hiyoshi Shrine has been revered by many people as a shrine to pray for the protection of the capital from evil and misfortune at the time of the relocation of the capital to Heian-kyo, and as a protective deity for the Tendai sect of Buddhism since the establishment of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mt. Hieizan was once home to a large number of monkeys, which are called "Masaru" (meaning "good luck monkey" in Japanese) because they are believed to be the messengers of the gods of Hieizan.

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