Chronology of Shiga Prefecture’s major news headlines for January–December 2024.
News and information sources include NHK Otsu TV news and local newspapers in Shiga.
Updated: April 27, 2025
Jan. 1, 2024: The devastating Noto Earthquake off Wajima, Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture occurring at 4:10 pm was also felt in Shiga Prefecture. Magnitude M4 in Nagahama, Hikone, and Omi-Hachiman, and M3 in Otsu, Kusatsu, and Moriyama. The shinkansen and local trains running in Shiga were suspended following the quake, but restarted by evening. No earthquake damage in Shiga was reported. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Noto_earthquake
Jan. 11, 2024: Los Angeles Dodgers pro baseball superstar Ohtani Shohei’s gift of baseball gloves to all Japanese elementary schools has also reached Shiga. Azai Elementary School in Nagahama received three baseball gloves today. The kids opened the box and played catch with the gloves (two right-hand gloves and one lefty glove). They faced Los Angeles and shouted out their thanks to Ohtani. #浅井小学校
Jan. 22, 2024: Otsu Mayor Sato Kenji (50) was reelected for another four-year term as Otsu mayor with 54,970 votes vs. rival Narita Seiryu’s 47,122 votes. Sato is a former NHK reporter and promised to make Otsu more resistant to natural disasters. Need to start with Otsu City Hall which is not earthquake resistant enough.
Jan. 29, 2024: Ishiyama-dera Temple in Otsu opens the Taiga Drama-kan exhibition hall to promote this year’s NHK Taiga Drama “Hikaru Kimi e” about author Lady Murasaki who wrote the epic “Genji Monogatari” (Tale of Genji) novel. Kimono used in the drama and other items are displayed. Runs until Jan. 31, 2025. #大河ドラマ館 https://otsu-murasakishikibu.jp/
Jan. 29, 2024: Ministry of Education has found that the average obesity rate among Shiga’s children in almost all grades up to high school was lower than the national average during the last school year. Among high school sophomores in Shiga, the obesity rate was only 6.7%, the lowest in Japan. It seems Shiga’s kids have found ways to remain physically active even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jan. 30, 2024: Lake Biwa’s water level is still -64 cm as of this morning. There was a slight increase in the water level since last summer due to snow melt. Still 42 cm lower than usual. Sakamoto Castle’s stone wall rocks on the shore remain exposed. Oku-no-su island in Nagahama now has a footpath from the lakeshore. Water conservation efforts in effect.
Feb. 1, 2024: Sleepy JR Omi-Nagaoka Station in Maibara opened a small, new cafe named Cafe Lumière (カフェ・ルミエ) today. Run by three people who moved to Maibara. The cafe occupies part of the station’s spacious waiting room. It serves organic coffee/tea and pastries using local ingredients like Ibuki Milk. It has nine seats and operates only on Sundays from noon to 5 pm and Wednesdays from 2 pm to 7:30 pm for now. With the cooperation of JR Tokai, Maibara providing a subsidy, and crowd funding, the cafe became a reality and the operators hope to revitalize the place. #近江長岡大好き倶楽部 https://www.instagram.com/cafe._.lumiere
Feb. 7, 2024: A 30-meter long, one-meter high stone wall from Sakamoto Castle in Otsu has been discovered while the land was being surveyed for a housing construction project. It is believed to be part of the castle’s Sannomaru keep and moat and the most outermost part of the castle. The discovery may shed light on the size or scale of the little-known castle. The lakeside Sakamoto Castle was built by Akechi Mitsuhide as ordered by warlord Oda Nobunaga. However, it was abandoned after only 15 years.
Feb. 8, 2024: In 2023, Otsu residents spent an average of ¥10,321 on supermarket coffee products (excluding canned coffee and coffee shop spending). This is the highest amount in Japan compared to other municipalities. Otsu has kept this No. 1 ranking for three years in a row. (No. 2 is Kyoto city, at ¥10,311/resident.)
Feb. 18, 2024: Ropeway ticket vending machines on the summit station of Biwako Valley ski grounds in Otsu was broken into and a total ¥280,000 was stolen. Ticket machine for the restaurant was also broken into. Apparently, the thief hid on the summit or climbed the mountain (takes 3 hours) during after-hours to steal the money. #びわ湖バレイ
Feb. 24, 2024: At almost 11 am, large falling rocks near the summit on Mt. Ibuki hit two male alpine climbers in their 50s from Kobe. One of them, Ogawa Takuma (55, 小河 拓磨), died. The other was injured.
Feb. 26, 2024: In Miyama, Fukuoka Prefecture, a 1st grade boy choked and died from a quail egg stuck in his throat during school lunch. Thus has prompted Aisho Town to prohibit quail eggs in kindergarten lunches from next month. Otsu BOE has also issued a notice to all schools to make sure students chew food well to prevent choking on food in school lunches.
Feb. 27, 2024: Due to the lack of bus drivers, Kojaku Kotsu (江若交通) will reduce the number of local bus runs in Otsu and Moriyama from March 16, 2024. Six bus routes will be affected: Hama-Otsu, Biwako Ohashi, Higashi Chiku Rose Town, Nishi Chiku Rose Town, Ogi-no-Sato, Hiyoshidai, and Otsu-Moriyama. Ohmi/Kokoku Bus has also already announced decreased bus runs on five bus routes including Omi-Hachiman from April 2024. https://www.kojak.co.jp/bus/
Mar 16, 2024: Congrats to Fukui Prefecture and our neighboring city of Tsuruga for finally joining the shinkansen club today! The Hokuriku Shinkansen has been extended from Kanazawa to Tsuruga. Feels good to have a bullet train in your neighborhood, huh? It will eventually be extended to Osaka via Obama and Kyoto.
Meanwhile, Tokkyu Shirasagi Limited Express trains which ran from Nagoya and Maibara to Fukui/Kanazawa since 1964 will now run only up to Tsuruga where you can transfer to the shinkansen to go further to Kanazawa. Note that from Tsuruga and Maibara, it is still cheaper and faster to take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Tokyo instead of the Hokuriku Shinkansen.
With the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension to Tsuruga, northern Shiga is working to attract Hokuriku tourists to visit Shiga as well. https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/routemaps/hokurikushinkansen.html
March 10, 2024: At a Paris 2024 Paralympic swimming qualifier meet in Fuji, Shizuoka, Paralympic butterfly swimmer Kimura Keiichi (木村 敬一) from Ritto qualified to represent Japan at the Paris 2024 Paralympics this summer. After training in Tokyo, he will fly to Paris in early Aug. 2024. At Tokyo 2020, Kimura won the gold medal for Paralympic butterfly 100m.
Mar 25, 2024: Hikone-native Olympic gold medalist Ohashi Yui (28, 大橋 悠依) joyfully earned a ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics this summer by winning the Olympic qualifier in Tokyo today for the 200-meter women’s individual medley. Although she failed to qualify for the 400-meter women’s individual medley by coming in fourth, she will look forward to her second consecutive Olympics in Paris.
Mar 26, 2024: Lake Biwa’s water level is finally back to normal for the first time in 7 months, thanks to adequate rain since last month. Rice farmers are relieved along with the native fish.
Mar 28, 2024: Lake Biwa Canal Cruise between Keage in Kyoto and Miidera in Otsu has extended its route to Otsu Port from today. The extension adds 1.5 km to the normal 7.8 km canal route. The first boat from Keage to Otsu Port was greeted by Otsu mayor and Miss Otsu in a short ceremony. Only certain boat runs will be extended to Otsu Port. The boat normally operates in spring and autumn (until June 9, 2024 this spring). https://biwakososui.jp/biwakososui/?lang=en
Mar 28, 2024: In Maibara, Tokugen-in Temple completed major renovations of its three-story pagoda thanks to crowd funding. New roofing and interior parts replaced. Renovations started in June 2023. It’s been 50 years since the last major renovation.
Mar 28, 2024: Tobidashi-boya is marking its 50th anniversary in Higashi-Omi where it was invented in 1973. Shaped as a young boy or girl darting onto the road, tobidashi-boya is a roadside warning sign for cars to slow down in child zones. An exhibition of a wide variety of tobidashi-boya is being held at Notogawa Museum (能登川博物館) until May 5, 2024. #飛び出し坊や
April 1, 2024: Both Mainichi Shimbun and Sankei Shimbun newspapers have stopped the home delivery of their evening editions in Shiga due to the lack of demand and increase in delivery costs.
April 1, 2024: Teisan Konan Kotsu in southern Shiga have reduced their number of bus runs on 11 routes starting from Ishiyama Station, Seta Station, Kusatsu Station, and Minami-Kusatsu Station due to the lack of bus drivers and shorter working hours.
April 1, 2024: Ohmi Railways today reorganized into a new business structure where the rail tracks and train stations will be owned and maintained by local governments (10 cities and Shiga Prefectural Government) and the trains to be operated by Ohmi Railways.
Next year, Ohmi Railways will start accepting ICOCA cards for train fares to make it easier for passengers to transfer to other train lines. They also plan to hold events near train stations to attract more passengers to the train line bleeding red ink.
April 8, 2024: A Tokyo company announced plans to build a water park on Karasuma Peninsula in Kusatsu. The big plot of land next to Lake Biwa Museum that stood empty for over 30 years will finally be developed into a leisure facility named “Wave Park Biwako” offering surfing on artificial waves. Construction will begin in May 2026 and the facility is slated to open in May 2028.
April 9, 2024: In Koka, one of the 29 stone Buddha sculptures at Tarao Falls Waki-magai was reported stolen today. A local resident noticed the missing stone sculpture which is round, about 40 cm diameter and 8 cm thick, weighing 20 kg. Inscribed with a symbol for the Fudo-myoo deity. (多羅尾滝の脇磨崖石仏群).
April 12, 2024: The number of foreign residents in Shiga as of Dec. 31, 2023 was a record 39,366, an increase of 3,200 over 2022. For the first time, Vietnamese nationals made up the largest group with 9,585 (increase of 1,500 over 2022), surpassing the 9,251 Brazilians in Shiga. Third largest was Chinese (4,740), followed by Koreans (3,724) and Filipinos (3,165). Permanent residents numbered the most with 15,569, followed by technical trainees at 5,743. Many work in factories.
April 15, 2024: Shiga Prefectural Government employee Sasaki Tadashi (佐々木忠志, age 46) arrested for hugging and groping a woman in her 20s on the street in Otsu on late night of March 8, 2024. He admits that he groped her rear end but denies hugging her first. Sasaki works in Shiga’s Civil Engineering and Transportation Dept. However, he was later not charged. Police gave no reason.
April 23, 2024: At Lake Biwa Museum in Kusatsu, the aquarium tunnel reopened today after completing repairs to cracks found over a year ago following the shattered water tank for the Giant Lake Biwa catfish in Feb. 2023. Repairs attained with crowd funding.
April 26, 2024: The busy lakeside road (Route 161) in front of Shirahige Shrine in Takashima, famous for the torii in the lake, now has a dedicated, marked bicycle lane going south for 5 km. Hopefully, it will make it safer for drivers and cyclists alike. The lakeshore also has a fence to prevent people from entering the shore and water.
May 4, 2024: A rare cobalt-blue Biwa-masu salmon/trout at Samegai Trout Farm in Maibara was widely reported. It hatched out of 250,000 fry in fall 2022 and has reached adulthood. Really stands out in the water.
May 19, 2024: Shiga Lakes pro basketball team won their B2 Division this season and will be rewarded with a promotion to the top B1 Division next season.
May 23, 2024: Japan Post Offices in Shiga Prefecture have started selling limited edition stamps featuring “Tale of Genji,” novelist Murasaki Shikibu, and Ishiyama-dera Temple in concert with the NHK Taiga Drama TV series. They are on ¥84 stamps on a sheet of 10 stamps priced ¥1400.
May 29, 2024: Shiga Lakes pro basketball team will have a new head coach in Maeda Kenjiro (33, 前田健滋郎) who was the head coach of the Nagasaki Velca team which moved up to the top B1 Division after last season. He’s originally from Osaka. Interesting that his name Kenjiro includes the kanji for “Shi” in Shiga. https://www.lakestars.net/roster/staffs/detail/id=20124
May 29, 2024: Hybrid species between the native Japanese giant salamander and the Chinese giant salamander (A. davidianus) has been designated as an invasive species by the Japanese Environmental Ministry. From July 1, 2024, it will be illegal to import, raise, sell, or release these hybrid salamanders in Japan. The hybrid species are currently found in Shiga, Gifu, Okayama, and other prefectures. They squeeze out native Japanese salamanders from their natural habitats and have a long lifespan, making it difficult to eradicate. Chinese giant salamanders were imported to Japan for food in 1972 when the ongoing introgressive hybridization began. They now threaten the native Japanese giant salamander’s survival.
May 31, 2024: Konan City Hall deputy dept. head (age 50s) punished today for inappropriate remarks to two foreign subordinates in his/her dept. Punishment was a 90% salary cut for 3 months.
From June 2023 to Feb. 2024, the deputy dept. head gave disparaging, anti-foreigner remarks repeatedly to the foreign employees. “I’m prejudiced against foreigners.” “If more foreigners don’t work, welfare assistance will also increase.” “If there’s a fire, a Japanese putting it out would be an act of extinguishing the fire, but a foreigner doing it would be an act of destruction.”
The unnamed deputy dept. head apparently remains employed at Konan City Hall. Takeuchi Noriyuki (竹内範行) head of the General Policy Department (総合政策部) offered his apologies for the offending employee.
June 5, 2024: In 2023, women in Shiga gave birth to an average of 1.38 babies in their lifetimes, the lowest on record and a decrease for three years in a row. This is still slightly higher than the national average (1.20) with Shiga ranking 13th highest among all 47 prefectures. In 2020, Shiga Prefectural Government set a goal of increasing this number to 1.80 by 2060. In 2023, there were 9,249 childbirths and 14,955 deaths in Shiga Prefecture.
June 6, 2024: Mayor of Maibara announced the city’s approval of a proposal to finally develop the large vacant plot of land on the east side of JR Maibara Station. A group of northern Shiga companies plan to build a multi-purpose complex comprising a research facility, shops, and condominiums to open in three years. This large plot has laid empty since 2007 after the city and prefecture bought it from the defunct Japan National Railways (JNR) in 1999. 米原駅東口周辺まちづくり事業
June 15, 2024: In Takashima, an event was held to celebrate the completion of two-year renovations of Omizo Jinya Somon Gate to make it look like an Edo period structure. It’s near Omi-Takashima Station. Jinya was a local samurai government office.
June 21, 2024: The start of the rainy season today in the Kinki Region (includes Shiga) was announced by the Meteorological Observatory. This is 15 days later than usual and 23 days later than last year. More photos here…
June 28, 2024: At Ishiyama-dera Temple in Otsu, the Tahoto pagoda (National Treasure) developed a leak during heavy rains. The Dainichi Neural buddha statue inside was not damaged thanks to quick-thinking temple staff who covered the statue with a plastic bag. However, the Tahoto will be closed for repairs for two years, so visitors will not be able to see inside.
July 1, 2024: The Ibuki district in Maibara suffered a large mudslide damaging seven homes on the foot of the hill near Mt. Ibuki. Another mudslide also hit on July 25. A previous mudslide on Mt. Ibuki in 2023 apparently created a mudslide path causing the latest mudslides.
July 7, 2024: The sixth and final Biwako Music Festival (第６回びわ湖音楽祭) was held at Omi-Hachiman Bunka Kaikan hall with singer Kato Tokiko, special guest and local boy Nishikawa Takanori (T.M.Revolution), and local school choirs performing for 1,100 people. This six-concert series had been held annually since 2017 to celebrate Biwako Shuko no Uta song’s 100th anniversary. The concert was held every summer (except during Covid) in a place connected to the song: Otsu, Omi-Maiko (Wani), Imazu, Nagahama, Hikone, and Omi-Hachiman.
July 17, 2024: Due to heavy rains since July 14, 2024, part of Hikone Castle’s Uchibori inner moat’s stone wall collapsed. The damaged stone wall is part of the Komekura water sluice (米蔵水門) on the west side of the castle. The wall damage is 3.7 meters high and 7 meters wide. Some of the stones fell into the moat water. The damage is slated to be repaired.
July 19, 2024: Shinno Iwao (神農 巌), a 67-year-old potter based in Otsu, will be designated as a National Living Treasure. A native Kyoto, he has been making pottery since college. He established his pottery studio in Otsu in his 30s. He has invented a few pottery techniques such as a layering design he calls tsuji (堆磁). He is only the third person in Shiga to have ever been designated as a Living National Treasure.
July 19, 2024: February 5 has been designated as Omi Hino Merchants Day (近江日野商人の日) by Hino Town. It is to bring Hino merchants and their families and descendants closer together through events.
July 20, 2024: JR Kosei Line along the western shore of Lake Biwa celebrates its 50th anniversary. It was 50 years ago when Japan National Railways (JNR) started operating this train line to replace the old Kojaku Railway (江若鉄道) between Hama-Otsu and Omi-Imazu. To mark the anniversary, a special Kosei Line train ran on the line from Omi-Imazu Station to Tsuruga Station today. At Omi-Imazu Station, pop singer Nishikawa Takanori joined the celebration as the day’s Honorary Station Master.
July 20–21, 2024: For the 2nd anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kateryna Yavorska, who runs Ukrainian restaurant The Faina in Hikone, organized Ukraine Fest Tokyo in Yoyogi Park in Tokyo (ウクライナ フェスティバル). She invited two relatives to talk about the tragedy of war and their loss of a loved one. The festival featured Ukrainian food and stage entertainment by Ukrainians living in Japan.
July 30, 2024: For the tenth consecutive year, the scholastic achievement test scores of Shiga’s 6th graders & 3rd-year junior high students were below the national average. Total 23,000 students from 321 elementary and junior high schools were tested in Shiga in April 2024. Exam scores for Japanese language (国語) and math (算数・数学) were below the national average by 2.7 and 1.4 points respectively for 6th graders. No mention of English scores. #学力テスト
Aug. 1, 2024: Near Hikone Castle, a new budget hotel on wheels named Trail inn Hikonejo (トレイルイン彦根城) opened for business. Container trailers on wheels are outfitted as guest rooms for two to four people with beds, private bath/toilets, A/C, mini kitchen, and washing machine. There’s a convenience store and drugstore nearby. Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/XZGxziikejoiiDrE9
Aug. 7, 2024: Summer Koshien national high school baseball tournament started today with Shiga Gakuen defeating Saga Prefecture’s Arita Kogyo 10-6 in the tournament’s opening game. It’s been 15 years since Shiga Gakuen made it to Koshien.
Aug. 23, 2024: Under construction since Oct. 2023, Costco in Higashi-Omi opened at 5:00 am, earlier than the planned 8:00 am opening time. It was due to the huge number of cars waiting outside since before dawn. Major traffic jams on nearby roads is expected to continue for a few weeks. Normal store hours is 10 am to 8 pm. Store has a floor space of 10,000 sq. meters and 900 parking spaces. Japan’s 34th Costco store expects to see 4,000 to 9,000 customers per day. コストコ東近江倉庫店
Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/sc1V1wSWJ8xm6v9s7
Aug. 31, 2024: At the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Ritto-native swimmer Kimura Keiichi won the Paralympic gold medal in the 50-meter men’s freestyle at 25.98 sec., setting a new Japanese record. It’s his second consecutive Paralympic gold medal following Tokyo 2020. It’s his ninth Paralympic medal after competing in four Paralympics since London 2012.
September 13, 2024: For the 28th year in a row, Shiga Prefecture has a record-breaking number of centenarians with 956 residents 100 years old or older as of Sept. 1, 2024. That’s 25 more than last year in 2023. They are 114 men and 842 women. The oldest woman in Shiga is Nakamura Fumi (中村フミ) at age 109 (born 1914) in Yasu, and the oldest man in Shiga is Fuchita Ko (淵田 考) in Takashima at age 107 (born in 1917).
Also, as of July 1, 2024, 27.4 percent of Shiga Prefecture’s population was age 65 or older, an increase of 0.4 percent over last year. Takashima had the highest proportion of age 65 and older with 38.1 percent of its population, followed by Kora with 35.7 percent, and Taga with 35.4 percent age 65 or over. The youngest population was in Ritto with only 19.7 percent age 65 and older, Kusatsu with 22.3 percent, and Moriyama with 22.7 percent.
September 14, 2024: Two-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ohashi Yui announces her retirement from competitive swimming. This comes after her last race where she finished second in the 200-meter individual medley at the National Sports Festival in Saga Prefecture. At the Paris Olympics, she didn’t qualify for the 200-meter individual melody finals. She plans to get into coaching and sports nutrition.
Oct. 1, 2024: Shiga Prefecture’s hourly minimum wage has been raised by ¥50 to a record high, a whopping ¥1,017. It’s the first time it exceeded ¥1,000. The new rate takes effect today when all employers must pay their workers this minimum wage or higher.
Oct. 1, 2024: Hikone Castle admission fees increase for the first time since 2017. Adult admission fee increases from ¥800 to ¥1000. Kids admission to ¥300. Hikone Castle Museum admission fees also increases from ¥500 to ¥700. Kids admission from ¥250 to ¥350.
Oct. 3, 2024: At the Sawagumi Archaeological Site (沢組遺跡) in Otsu, numerous Kofun Period (6th century) pottery were discovered intact and three ancient hillside kilns (as long as 6.7 m) were discovered during a dig since January 2024. The kilns were used for as long as 100 years. Important discovery to see how pottery was made in that period.
Oct. 9, 2024: Hikone Basho exhibition sumo tournament was held with 100 top sumo wrestlers and 3,700 spectators. Nionoumi (鳰の湖) from Otsu also appeared and took photos with fans.
Oct. 15, 2024: Moriyama resident and high school teacher in Shiga, Ishida Masayuki (石田 雅之) (age 41) arrested for candidly taking nude photos of a teenage girl in a Kyoto hotel in Jan. 2024 and was also found to have child porn video files on his smartphone in Moriyama in May 2024. According to police, he is remaining silent.
Nov. 1, 2024: Omi-Hachiman City Hall assistant section chief (課長補佐) Karasuno Shigeji (烏野 茂治) (age 55) arrested for placing a hidden camera in the city hall’s women’s restroom on Oct. 30, 2024 at around 7:30 am. The camera was discovered in a toilet stall by a female employee later that afternoon and reported it to police. Investigation of the camera led to Karasuno’s arrest. He has admitted to the crime (did it three times), and the city mayor apologized to the public. In December, he was suspended from his job for six months, but he resigned. He cited job stress for his crime.
Nov. 3, 2024: Sumida Koya (52, 角田 航也) is Maibara’s new mayor after winning the election unopposed. He is from Maibara and a former Shiga Prefectural Assembly member. The mayoral election was held upon the October resignation of preceding Mayor Hirao Michio who resigned to unsuccessfully run for a seat in the House of Representatives to represent Shiga. Sumida’s four-year term starts on Nov. 10, 2024.
Nov. 5, 2024: In Moriyama, neighborhood fire hydrant hoses stored in street boxes (消火栓ボックス) had their metallic parts stolen, mainly the nozzle and pipe stands. Total 52 fire hoses were found to have been tampered with. Total value of the stolen parts amounts to ¥780,000. These fire hoses let residents put out fires until the firemen arrive, so they remain unlocked. Similar thefts occurred since June 2024 in Kusatsu.
Nov. 5, 2024: Shiga Prefectural Assembly member (first elected in 2011) and former Toyosato Town mayor Ono Wasaburo (大野和三郎) submits his resignation after being under house arrest since October 17, 2024 for stealing a total of ¥5.84 million during six years until fiscal 2022. He submitted falsified receipts for work expenses and never paid back the money. His resignation was later approved by the assembly.
Nov. 6, 2024: In Higashi-Omi, a 90-cm long iguana was found wandering in Usogawa Dam. It was captured and now kept by a pet shop awaiting the owner to claim it.
Nov. 6, 2024: At the Nakazawa Archaeological Site (中沢遺跡) in Ritto, an ancient grindstone was discovered, one of the largest ever found in Japan. It measures 32.9 cm long, 11.9 cm thick, and weighs 7.4 kg. It was likely used to make metallic objects like swords during the Yayoi to Kofun Periods.
December 18, 2024: According to the Shiga Board of Education, last school year saw a record 4,777 students at Shiga’s public elementary to high schools who refused to attend school. This is one in 30 students in Shiga being truants.
December 18, 2024: December 2024’s catch of ayu sweetish in Lake Biwa is a record low 4.3 tons, less than half of the usual 10 tons in December. Ayu fishing season starts on December 1, and it’s the most abundant commercial fish caught in Lake Biwa. The poor catch is attributed to the hot summer which kept the river water warm until September and consequently delayed the fish breeding’s peak period. The ayu fish this month is therefore still small. The hopeful news is that since October 2024, five times more ayu spawned than last season, so the ayu fish catch may improve from next spring.
December 18, 2024: Hikone saw its first snowfall of the season this morning, eight days later than usual, and one day later than last year. Yogo in Nagahama is also snowy.
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