On Nov. 25, 2007, the 400th anniversary festival for Hikone Castle ended with a total attendance of 764,484 during the period of March 21 to Nov. 25, 2007. This far exceeded the break-even attendance of 550,000.

Visitors spent an estimated 17 billion yen or an average of 5,200 yen per person who came on a day trip and 23,300 yen per person who lodged in Hikone. Ten percent of the amount were spent on Hiko-nyan merchandise.

Three buildings at Hikone Castle which were closed to the public prior to 2007 will remain open to the public even after the 400th anniversary event ends in Nov. 2007. You can enter the Umaya horse stable, Tenbin Yagura turret, and Nishinomaru Sanju-yagura turret. However, the castle admission will be increased by 100 yen to cover maintenance costs.

Also, Hiko-nyan, the official mascot character created for the 400th anniversary of Hikone Castle, has proven to be so popular that the city has decided to retain Hiko-nyan as the city’s official mascot.