Here’s the fireworks (hanabi) schedule for Shiga Prefecture in summer 2010 listed by date: July 17, 2010 Echigawa Gion Noryo Hanabi Taikai in Aisho, 7:30 pm – 9:20 pm Along the Echigawa River bank near Miyukibashi Bridge. If rained out, to be postponed to July 18. 愛知川祇園納涼祭花火大会 More info: 愛荘町秦荘観光協会／愛荘町愛知川観光協会 TEL：0749-37-8051 http://www.biwa.ne.jp/~e-machi/new/hanabitaikai.html July 24, 2010 Kashiwabara-juku [...]
Posts under ‘Nagahama’
Tonda bunraku puppet show
The renown Tonda bunraku puppet troupe in Nagahama will hold its summer performance on Aug. 1, 2010 at Lute Plaza in Nagahama. The show starts at 1:30 pm and includes four plays lasting about 2 hours. Advance tickets are 1,000 yen (1,200 yen at the door on Aug. 1). You can buy advance tickets by [...]
Nagahama sightseeing map in English
An NPO in Nagahama called Machizukuri Yakuba created a sightseeing map of Nagahama in English. The A3-size black-and-white map is available at the tourist info counter at Nagahama Station and at Nagahama hotels and ryokan inns. The back of the map has a guide to Nagahama hotels and ryokan inns and the ferry schedule to [...]
Congratulations to a new Nagahama!
Today, Jan. 1, 2010, is when Nagahama became a new city upon its merger with six towns in northern Shiga: Torahime, Kohoku, Takatsuki, Kinomoto, Yogo, and Nishi-Azai. Congratulations to all the residents of these former towns on becoming citizens of Nagahama. With a population of 123,608 (as of Nov. 1, 2009), Nagahama is now Shiga’s third-most [...]
Tonda bunraku puppet show on Dec. 6
人形浄瑠璃「冨田人形」秋公演 The highly-acclaimed Tonda bunraku puppet troupe based in Nagahama will stage their autumn puppet show on Dec. 6, 2009 at 1:30 pm at Lute Plaza in Biwa-cho. Tickets are only 1,000 yen for non-reserved seats (free for kids under high school age). Reserve a ticket by calling Lute Plaza at 0749-72-5257. Tickets will also [...]
Rowing lessons for 5th graders at Nagahama
From June 2 to late Oct. 2009, Nagahama will host about 7,500 fifth graders from 147 elementary schools in Shiga for rowing lessons as part of the Lake Biwa hands-on experience program (体験学習). This is the first time rowing has been added to the program. They are using a 5-meter boat seating 8 people to [...]
Smoking banned in central Nagahama
禁煙 From June 1, 2009, smoking on the streets in and around Kurokabe Square in Nagahama is banned. Smoking is banned along the main shopping arcades in central Nagahama, including Otemon-dori, the Daitsuji temple area, and the Ekimae-dori main road from Nagahama Station heading east (toward the mountains). Smoking is banned in a total of [...]
Chawan Matsuri at Yogo on May 4, 2009
Yogo town, home of Lake Yogo in northern Shiga, held an unusual festival called the Chawan Matsuri or Teacup Festival. It’s been 6 years since it was last held in 2003. It supposed to be held every 3 years, but depopulation and the lack of funds and young people has threatened the continuation of the [...]
Kohoku towns slated to merge with Nagahama
On March 3, 2009, the six northern Shiga towns of Torahime, Kohoku, Takatsuki, Kinomoto, Yogo, and Nishi-Azai (虎姫、湖北、高月、木之本、余呉、西浅井) signed a letter of agreement (協定書に調印) to merge with the city of Nagahama on Jan. 1, 2010. The letter signing was witnessed by Governor Yukiko Kada who gave her blessing to the proposed merger. By March 17, 2009, all the [...]
Shiga-born cormorants found in Kumamoto
Japan’s largest kawau cormorant colony is found in Lake Biwa. These birds are flying off from Shiga and spreading over a wide area. Kawau cormorants from Lake Biwa have been found in Kumamoto in Kyushu, over 580 km away, the furthest distance away confirmed so far. Previously, the furthest away where they were found was [...]
Shooting 70,000 cormorants in Shiga
NHK TV Otsu reported that from April 2009, Shiga will restart the shooting of cormorant birds called kawau. They found that the kawau population in Shiga has almost doubled since last year to a whopping 74,000 birds. Most of them live on Chikubushima island where they have devastated the trees with their droppings and nests. [...]
Ennichi festival at Kinomoto
On Aug. 25, 2008, I went to see the Ennichi festival in Kinomoto. Nice sunny day and lots of people and food stalls along the road to Jizo-in temple. I didn’t stay to see the fireworks though. Pictures: http://photoguide.jp/pix/index.php?cat=172
English Web page for Torahime town, Shiga
Torahime-cho in English: http://photoguide.jp/txt/Torahime-cho,_Shiga Photos: http://photoguide.jp/pix/index.php?cat=178
More photos of Takatsuki
A major update for my Takatsuki-cho page: http://photoguide.jp/txt/Takatsuki-cho,_Shiga You can see that I visited Amenomori Hoshu-an museum. If you are interested in Japan-Korean relations, visit this museum. Nishino Water Tunnel was also interesting. The tunnel has cool air, good place to cool off in summer. Also Google Map of Takatsuki: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=105501786212832952601.000442bb566771db7e066&z=13&om=0
Hayazaki (Hayasaki) Naiko Biotope
I recently visited Hayazaki Naiko Biotope 早崎内湖ビオトープ and talked with a local NPO taking care of it. Hayazaki (Hayasaki) Naiko was a small lake or lagoon north of Oku-Biwa Sports no Mori. In 1970, it was reclaimed (filled in) and turned into rice paddies. About half of Biwako’s naiko (attached lakes) were reclaimed right after [...]
Nagahama’s sightseeing map in English
So Nagahama has published a sightseeing map in English (together with Japanese). http://mainichi.jp/area/shiga/news/20080123ddlk25040237000c.html That’s really nice. Next time I visit Nagahama, I hope to get the map, available at the tourist info counter at Nagahama Station and other major tourist spots in the city.
English Web page for Nishi-Azai, Shiga
I’ve created an English page about Nishi-Azai here: http://photoguide.jp/txt/Nishi-Azai-cho%2C_Shiga
English Web page for Kinomoto town, Shiga
I’ve created an English page about Kinomoto-cho here: http://photoguide.jp/txt/Kinomoto-cho%2C_Shiga
English Web page for Yogo, Shiga
I’ve created an English page about Yogo-cho here: http://photoguide.jp/txt/Yogo-cho%2C_Shiga
Ishida Mitsunari’s birthplace
I visited Ishida Mitsunari’s birthplace in Ishida, Nagahama. There are a few monuments and a shrine dedicated to him. I didn’t have time to visit nearby Kan’onji though, where he gave tea to Hideyoshi. The place is a short bus ride from Nagahama Station. Pictures: http://photoguide.jp/pix/thumbnails.php?album=468 When you think of Mitsunari, you also think about [...]