Shiga at Osaka Expo 2025

Updated: Aug. 2, 2025(大阪・関西万博で滋賀の発見) Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 (大阪・関西万博) just reached its halfway point on July 13. It’s been three months since it opened on April 13, and now only three… Read more

Maihara Hikiyama Matsuri festival schedule in Maibara, Shiga Prefecture

Updated: July 12, 2025 Maihara Hikiyama Matsuri (米原曳山まつり) is a traditional float festival highlighted by child kabuki performed by local elementary school boys in Maibara, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. It is held annually in mid-October during… Read more

Paris 2024 Olympic-Paralympic athletes from Shiga Prefecture

がんばれ!ニッポン! The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics are being held on July 26 to August 11 and Paralympics on August 28 to Sept. 8, 2024. Out of 409 athletes from Japan… Read more

Moriyama Ashikari-en hydrangea garden

Moriyama Ashikari-en (もりやま芦刈園) in Moriyama, Shiga Prefecture has 100 varieties of 10,000 hydrangea on a huge two hectares. It has numerous hydrangea groves displaying a very impressive collection of many… Read more

Origin of Shiga prefectural name

SHIGA – Nourished Felicitations 滋賀県 If there are multiple theories for the origin of the prefectural name, it means nobody knows for sure what the origin or the exact meaning… Read more

Ibuki soba buckwheat noodle restaurants and history in Maibara

Updated Sept. 8, 2023 Ibuki soba buckwheat noodles (伊吹そば) is a local specialty unique to Maibara, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. It has been cultivated for about 900 years near the western… Read more

Enryakuji’s 10-year renovations 2016–2026

Next to Kyoto, Enryakuji Temple (延暦寺) on Mt. Hiei (Hiei-zan 比叡山) in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture is now offering a rare look at its massive, 10-year renovation of its main temple… Read more

Koto Sanzan Temple Trio autumn foliage 2022

Koto Sanzan (湖東三山) is Shiga Prefecture’s famous trio of autumn foliage spots. The fall leaves are spectacular, contrasting with distinctive National Treasure Tendai Buddhist temple buildings and Japanese gardens. Koto… Read more