Discovering the History and Culture of Nagahama: A Town on the Shores of Japan’s Largest Lake, Biwa
Last month, I took a trip to Nagahama, a place in Shiga Prefecture, so I thought I’d share my experience in this article.
I think Shiga Prefecture is an area that people living in Eastern Japan may not have many opportunities to visit, and it’s not a particularly famous area internationally either. It was my first time visiting, too.
Shiga Prefecture is home to Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan, which everyone learns about in elementary school, so it’s a well-known location. Nagahama is located on the eastern shore of Lake Biwa, and Kyoto is on the west.
If you take the bullet train, you can arrive from Shin-Yokohama Station in about two hours, making it a great spot for a two-day trip.
On the “Nozomi” and “Hikari” bullet trains heading west from Tokyo, they have onboard sales, and I always order ice cream, making it one of the fun parts of train travel for me. (Note: The bullet train “Kodama” does not have onboard sales.)
When I looked up Nagahama, I learned that it is a place associated with Toyotomi Hideyoshi, an extremely famous Japanese samurai known to all Japanese. His first castle, Nagahama Castle, was located there. I didn’t know!
When I got off at Nagahama Station, I was greeted by a relief of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, making me feel like I was experiencing the roots of this city.
After getting off at Nagahama Station, I left my luggage at the ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) where I would be staying tonight, called “Hamakogetsu.” The ryokan is located very close to Nagahama Castle, and it’s popular for its hot springs and meals, so I’m excited for tonight. I’ll introduce my experience at the ryokan in a separate article.
As for the atmosphere of the city, it’s less busy compared to tourist areas in urban areas. Recently, I’ve been into taking calm trips to places like Nagahama instead of bustling city areas like Kyoto, Sapporo, or Fukuoka.
There’s a tourist spot called “Kurokabe Square” about five minutes northeast of the station. It’s a charming town with a row of traditional Japanese buildings from the Edo to Meiji periods (the 19th century). The atmosphere was perfect for me, and the sweet potato sweets were very delicious.
About five minutes west of Nagahama Station, you’ll find Nagahama Castle, which Hideyoshi built for the first time. It’s not in the exact same condition as it was then, but the inside of the castle has been turned into a historical museum where you can learn about Nagahama’s history and Hideyoshi’s life, making it a must-visit spot for my travels.
As mentioned earlier, Nagahama is known for being a place connected to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the prominent military commanders who was active during the Warring States period (around the 16th century). Despite being born a peasant, he succeeded Oda Nobunaga and unified Japan, making him one of the most successful figures in Japanese history.
It’s hard to believe that such an achievement was possible in a time when there was an enormous social gap in Japan, and he’s still a popular figure today, appearing in various forms of fiction and non-fiction such as dramas, manga, and anime.
Nagahama is where he gathered merchants to create a castle town, and I’ve come to love traveling and learning about new places and experiences that I didn’t learn about in school. Whenever I’m traveling, I always make sure to visit museums and cultural centers. I think I’ve found a great hobby midway through my life.
In Nagahama, there is a shrine called Hōkokujinja Shrine that is dedicated to Hideyoshi and is said to bring success and prosperity to those who visit to honor his achievements. If you’re interested in receiving his blessings, be sure to stop by the shrine, which is right next to Kurokabe Square.
That’s all for now, hope you enjoyed reading about it!
Next time, I’ll be writing about my trip to Chikubu Island, known as the “Island Where Gods Reside” on Lake Biwa, so stay tuned. 👋
