Omi-Hachiman-based confection maker Taneya has opened a new cafe and shop named LAGO Otsu (LAGO 大津) on Lake Biwa’s lakefront in Otsu.
Ever since it opened on March 24, 2025, it has been attracting people in droves almost like Taneya’s La Collina flagship cafe park in Omi-Hachiman. It has become another major attraction in Otsu. Went there myself in late April 2025.
Lago means “lake” in Italian. An appropriate name since it’s on the lakefront near Otsu Prince Hotel. Like La Collina (meaning “hill”), Lago was designed to blend into the natural environment. It’s within a nice, landscaped setting complemented by lake views and breeze. Before Lago was built, the property was a grassy, sloping public park.
While La Collina has multiple buildings, LAGO Otsu has only one building, the Shop & Cafe overlooking the landscaped grounds and Lake Biwa. It sells confections (especially castella, baumkuchen, and monaka) in the shop and serves coffee and confections in the cafe.
It’s an inconspicuous building looking earthy with an exterior covering of bamboo grass. It blends in with the newly landscaped grounds out front named Lake Biwa Woods (琵琶湖の森).
Thousands of tree saplings have been planted to create Lake Biwa Woods fronting the lake. Although there’s hardly any thicket of trees or shrubs right now, we can look forward to the saplings growing into a burgeoning forest 10 to 20 years from now. Seems like a long time from now, but it really isn’t. Like children, they will grow up fast.
The landscaping, ponds, and woods were designed by Otsu-native Imamori Mitsuhiko, a prominent photographer specializing in insect and nature photography and satoyama, the coexistence of human communities amid nature. The woods are designed to attract insects, birds, etc.
Shop & Cafe
The only building on the premises is the Shop & Cafe. The main entrance is on the side. It looks more like a bunker in a small hill.
Once you enter, you see a modern cafe and shop full of people. The lighting is somewhat dark and subdued.
The entrance has two lines, the left line for the cafe, and right line for the shop. The line for the cafe is usually longer. People entering the cafe have to first use the self-order terminal’s touch screen to place their orders. Then they pick up their order at the cafe counter when it’s ready.
Besides serving coffee and confections, there’s soft-serve ice cream and light meals such as Omi-gyu beef and vegetable soup with red konnyaku (devil’s tongue). Omi-Hachiman is known for Omi beef and red konnyaku.
The cafe interior doesn’t have private tables, only two long communal tables, so you’ll be sitting with other people. But you also have the option to sit outside on a terrace table or bench fronting Lake Biwa Woods.
The cafe occupies the left half of the building, and the right half is the shop. Both the cafe and shop were full when I was there in the afternoon.
The shop also has a wall exhibiting old relics like old, wooden cake molds. It’s like a confection museum.
In the shop, you can browse and pick up the confections you want to buy. Hard to decide since they all look yummy. (No samples.)
Popular confections include yakitate freshly baked items (焼きたて), limited edition confections made and sold only at LAGO Otsu, and seasonal items in packaging such as a koinobori carp design for Golden Week (Children’s Day).
LAGO’s special packaging include lake blue baumkuchen boxes (left photo) and koinobori carp package designs in April-May for Children’s Day.
During Golden Week, castella topped with Setouchi lemon (from Hiroshima) was available. Previous flavors included matcha from Tsuchiyama, Koka. Yum! Shoppers usually have to stand in a long line for the cashier. Takes some minutes, but it progresses fast enough.
LAGO Otsu hours: 9:00 am–6:00 pm (cafe until 5:00 pm), closed Jan. 1, Aug. 8 (Biwako Fireworks day), and in bad weather.
Address: Yumihama 4, Otsu, Shiga, Japan (滋賀県大津市由美浜4番地)
Website (in Japanese only): https://taneya.jp/lago/tsukuru/detail/732
Getting there
Lago Otsu is on the tip of a small lakeside park next to Otsu Prince Hotel. Although Otsu Prince Hotel has a free shuttle bus from/to JR Otsu Station, it’s only for hotel guests. Tickets are required to board. Can’t ride it for LAGO Otsu. If you at least dine at one of the restaurants, you can ride it.
From JR Otsu Station’s North Exit (kitaguchi), go to bus stop 2 and take the bus bound for Aeon Mall Kusatsu (イオンモール草津行). After about 20 min., get off at Kinoshita-cho (木の下町). Short walk along the lakefront from there.
The only problem is that this bus runs very infrequently. There’s one at 10:35 am on weekdays and 8:35 am and 10:55 am on weekends. After that, it’s a few hours before the next bus leaves.
For the return trip, the bus leaves Kinoshita-cho at 5:15 pm and 7:15 pm on weekdays and only at 1:13 pm and 4:13 pm on weekends (as of May 2025). Bus schedule here in Japanese and for return trip.
Otherwise, you will need to catch a taxi (easy to find at Otsu Station). For the return trip, go to Otsu Prince Hotel and catch a taxi there. Or if you don’t mind walking, the nearest train station is Zeze Station about a 20-min. walk (1.5 km).
