This web page gives basic info about the Nagahama Hikiyama Festival, the April 2026 festival schedule (illustrated), and a synopsis of the four kabuki plays performed by the four Hikiyama… Read more
The Omi Beef Association (近江肉牛協会) went all out to serve a complimentary Omi beef barbecue lunch for some lucky foreigners in Tokyo on March 7, 2026. I was lucky to… Read more
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
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
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 (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
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
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