Kansai · Day Tour
An original castle keep, the largest lake in Japan and the monastery Nobunaga burned.
From
¥50,000 per person
approx. US$316
Free cancellation up to 48 hours before
Instant confirmation
A private Shiga tour from Kyoto. Hikone Castle, one of the few original keeps left in Japan, Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei and the shoreline of Lake Biwa are the usual candidates. Shiga is forty minutes from Kyoto and carries a fraction of the visitors.
Only a handful of Japanese castle keeps survive from the feudal period, and Hikone's is one of them. It is small, steep and built for defence, and it was very nearly demolished in the 1870s when castles were being pulled down as relics. The gardens below it and the view out over Lake Biwa are part of the same estate.
Enryaku-ji was founded on Mount Hiei in the eighth century and grew into a religious power with its own army. In 1571 Oda Nobunaga destroyed it completely and killed the community. What stands today was rebuilt afterwards, spread out across a forested mountainside above the lake. Your guide explains why a temple needed an army and why a warlord thought it worth eliminating.
Lake Biwa holds a large share of Japan's fresh water and has shaped everything around it — the trade routes, the food, the towns. Boats run from several points on the shore. The eastern side has the old post towns and the western side has the mountain.
Shiga sits directly next to Kyoto and receives almost none of its visitors. The same period, the same history, none of the queues. For anyone who has done Kyoto once, it is the obvious second day.
Meet your guide at Kyoto City Hall.
The original keep and its gardens.
The shoreline, or a boat if the weather suits.
The monastery on Mount Hiei.
Kyoto City Hall, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto. Your guide will contact you on WhatsApp beforehand to agree the plan.
The price covers your private English-speaking guide. Entry fees, transport and meals are paid as you go, and by convention you also cover your guide's. Bring cash.
Yes, and the tour is built that way. You meet your guide in Kyoto and travel out from there.
It is possible but rushed. Most guests pick one and add the lake shore. Your guide will tell you honestly which suits your interests.
Yes. It is one of a small number of keeps that survived from the feudal period and is designated a national treasure.
Hikone involves a climb to the keep on steep steps, and Enryaku-ji is spread across a mountainside. Both need reasonable footwear.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time. Bookings are confirmed instantly.
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