Chronology of Shiga Prefecture’s news bits for January-December 2010. Compiled by Philbert Ono.
Updated: April 27, 2025
Jan. 1, 2010: Nagahama becomes a new city by merging with six towns in northern Shiga Prefecture: Torahime, Kohoku, Takatsuki, Kinomoto, Yogo, and Nishi-Azai. With a population of 123,608 (as of Nov. 1, 2009), Nagahama is now Shiga’s third-most populous city after Otsu and Kusatsu. By area, Nagahama is now Shiga’s largest city covering a massive 539.48 ㎢ of land (680.79 ㎢ if you include Lake Biwa), larger than Takashima’s 511.36 ㎢. More details here.
Feb. 14, 2010: ITO Miki, native of Hino, places 12th in the finals of the women’s freestyle moguls competition at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
March 10, 2010: Google Maps street views start including photos of the streets of Shiga, mainly in Otsu, Kusatsu, and the road going around Lake Biwa.
March 21, 2010: Omi-Hachiman and the town of Azuchi merge, becoming a new city of about 82,000 residents. A mayoral election will be held on April 25 to elect the new city’s first mayor (won by the mayor of the old Omi-Hachiman). More details here.
March 31, 2010: Shiga Kaikan, a public hall, theater, and exhibition space across from the prefectural office, is closed due to old age.
May 2010: Japan’s oldest clay figure (called “doguu” 土偶) is discovered in Aidani-kumahara ruins (相谷熊原遺跡) in Higashi-Omi’s Eigenji area near the Echigawa River. Slightly larger than a human thumbnail, the tiny clay figure is about 1.3 cm tall and depicts the upper torso of a female. The clay sculpture was dated as from the early Jomon Period, about 13,000 years ago. Details here.
June 2010: Overseas exports of Omi beef start with Macao after approval is obtained.
June 19, 2010: Natsuhara Heijiro, the founder of the Heiwado supermarket chain, passes away due to pneumonia at age 91. A funeral was held at Hikone-shi Bunka Plaza on Aug. 5, 2010. More details here.
June 2010: Five city mayors in Shiga Prefecture have formed a mayor’s association (市長有志の会) to oppose the reelection of Shiga Governor Kada Yukiko and to support the election of rival candidate Ueno Ken’ichiro.
Otsu Mayor Mekata Makoto (目片信), Omi-Hachiman Mayor Fujitani Eisho (冨士谷英正), Hikone Mayor Shishiyama Koyo (獅山 向洋), Moriyama Mayor Yamada Nobuhiro (山田亘宏), and Ritto Mayor Kunimatsu Shoichi (國松 正一) belong to the association. They prodded Shiga’s other mayors to join up, but they apparently declined. Most are well-aware of Kada’s popularity among Shiga voters and some think that mayors should not get involved in gubernatorial campaigns.
At least two of these opposing mayors do have an ax to grind as Kada opposed or canceled major public works projects in Ritto (shinkansen station) and Hikone (dam construction) during her first term.
July 8, 2010: Mitsui Outlet Park, Shiga Ryuo, a large outlet mall in Ryuo opens. It is near the Ryuo Interchange on the Meishin Expressway, making it readily accessible by car for shoppers coming from Kyoto, Nara, Mie, and Gifu. It also targets Chinese tourists traveling from the Kansai area to Mt. Fuji and further. Merchants do accept Chinese credit/debit cards. It is the first outlet mall in the Kyoto-Shiga area. The two-level mall has 165 stores, 145 of which are outlet shops. Most are clothing shops and some are first-time outlet shops. More details here.
July 11, 2010: Kada Yukiko is reelected for her second term as governor of Shiga Prefecture. She pulls in a record 419,921 votes, the highest number ever for a Shiga governor. More details here.
Oct. 24-25, 2010: Biwako Basho exhibition sumo tournament is held in Otsu’s Shiga Prefectural Gymnasium. Yokozuna Hakuho, on a winning streak of 62 consecutive wins, and the rest of the top sumo wrestlers and staff totaling about about 270 were on hand to entertain about 2,700 spectators each day. More details here.
Nov. 2010: The export of Omi beef to Singapore and Thailand starts.
Nov. 17, 2010: The former Toyosato Elementary School is burglarized. Twenty-two figurines based on the K-ON! anime program were stolen along with a portable cash safe containing almost 300,000 yen and three guitars modeled after those used in the anime series. More details here.
Dec. 10, 2010: A two-story ryokan called Nakamura-ya (中村屋) in Musa, Omi-Hachiman has been totally destroyed by an early-morning fire. Nakamura-ya has a 400-year history as one of the hatago inns of Musa, the 66th post town on the Nakasendo Road. More details here.
