HikoneManga1

Hikone: A Journey in Time (manga review)

Updated: Nov. 7, 2014 The Hikone Board of Education has published a manga comic booklet in English titled, Hikone: A Journey in Time. Targeting tourists, the black-and-white manga explains about… Read more

Heavy snowfall in Shiga

Shiga and the Japan Sea Coast (especially Niigata Prefecture) got a heavy dump of snow during Feb. 2 and 3, 2012. Nagahama and Imazu (Takashima) in northern Shiga have gotten… Read more

Shiga History 2011

Chronology of Shiga Prefecture’s news bits for January-December 2011. Compiled by Philbert Ono.Updated: April 27, 2025 Jan. 9, 2011: The first episode of NHK TV’s year-long Taiga Drama called Go–Himetachi… Read more

New Year’s worshippers in Shiga

The Shiga Prefectural Police Department has estimated that 1.31 million people will pray at shrines and temples in Shiga during the first three days of 2012. This is more than… Read more

2011 FISA World Rowing Tour in Lake Biwa, Japan

Video link: http://youtu.be/Fo4fc8AufeY During June 4-12, 2011, about 40 rowers from Europe, Australia, and the US visited Shiga Prefecture to row completely around Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest lake. It is unusual… Read more

JCMU students evacuating Shiga

The 43 students studying Japanese at The Japan Center for Michigan Universities (JCMU) in Hikone have been ordered to return to the U.S. by March 25, 2011. The 2011 Spring… Read more

Hiko-nyan runner at Tokyo Marathon 2011

I watched and photographed the 5th Tokyo Marathon on Feb. 27, 2011 at Tokyo Big Sight. It was a warm, sunny day for over 33,000 runners chosen by lottery from… Read more

Funeral held for Heiwado founder

Natsuhara Heijiro (夏原 平次郎), the founder of the Heiwado supermarket chain, passed away on June 19, 2010. He died of pneumonia at age 91. A funeral was held at Hikone-shi Bunka Plaza… Read more