This post has been updated in Oct. 2017 here: UCC Shiga Factory tours in Echigawa, Aisho The new UCC Shiga Factory (UCC滋賀工場) in Aisho,…
Updated: July 14, 2023 Hikone’s nationally famous official mascot, Hiko-nyan (ひこにゃん) (also spelled Hikonyan ひこんやん), is a white beckoning cat (maneki-neko) wearing a…
Starting on April 1, 2013, over 70 percent of supermarkets in Shiga Prefecture will charge 5 yen for a plastic shopping bag. Some…
Updated: March 27, 2023 Here are my favorite cherry blossoms (called sakura in Japanese) in Shiga. They bloom in April, starting with southern Shiga…
I’ve finally created an annotated Google Map of Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture in English. The major places of interest have been marked on the…
Updated: April 27, 2023 My friend in Niigata recently posted this video of a choir singing Hitsuji-gusa or Water Lilies. What’s significant about…
NHK TV news in Otsu reported an interesting bit of news on Feb. 26, 2013 about the governor of Kyoto stating that he…
I saw these two runners wearing a Hiko-nyan cap near the finish line at Tokyo Big Sight today, Feb. 24, 2013. The man…