Canals, Lakes and Vending Machines Full of Eggs: Cycling Omi Hachiman

One of my favorite prefectures in Japan is Shiga Prefecture, perhaps the least known of all the prefectures in Kansai.  Shiga always seems really small to me, but that might be because a large part of its area is taken up by Japan’s largest lake, Lake Biwa.  Interestingly enough, the lake has a similar size and shape as Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture.  (Which is just a hop, skip and a jump from where I live.)  Not surprisingly, there is a myth surrounding these two geographic features in the Kansai area.  It is said that when Japan was being formed by the gods, they took a scoop of earth and dropped it in the ocean (Awaji), and the hole left behind became Lake Biwa. 

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.  This post is about one of the cycling roads located in Shiga Prefecture, near Omi-Hachiman city.  To get there, you take the JR Tokaido line to Omi Hachiman station. Go down the stairs to the left on the north exit, and follow the station building to the rental shop near the bus stop on the corner.  The bicycle rental shop is manned by some grumpy old men- not the friendliest of Ekirin-kun employees.  But who knows, maybe I have only met the bad ones. A bicycle will set you back 300-500 yen for the day at Ekirin-kun establishments. 

I am going to try to explain my usual way of heading to the trail using some back roads, so bear with me if the directions are a little vague as I am writing from memory.  From the rental shop, ride straight out of the garage and past the bus stop, and take a left.  It’s technically a one way street, but I have seen many locals go this way before.  Keep going for a minute or two, and at some point you can take a right and meet up with the busy road. (take any right, it’s easy to find this road.)  Take a left, and keep going on this route until you are almost to the 7-11.  There is a bridge crossing a small stream with a zebra stripe crosswalk, cross here to reach the trail head.  There is a giant sign for the cycling trail, you can take a picture here for your reference.  Along the route there are sign posts as well, telling you the distance between destinations.

You can follow this as long as you like, but I personally like to take a little detour.  To the right of the trail you will see many fields, and in the distance, some hills.  On top of one of the hills you can see a temple and a ropeway.  Keep riding straight until you come across a semi-major road that looks like it will run just past the foot of the mountain.  Take a right on this road (you will know you hit the wrong one if you reach a dead end right away or you end up too far from the mountain.)

There used to be an egg vending machine on this route, where a local farmer sold his fresh chicken eggs.  I didn’t see it the last time I was there, so it might be gone for good.  A shame, it was one of my favorite attractions in this town!

Eventually you will see the town library on the left, and behind the library is a park.  There is a road that veers to the left and then right alongside the library, and then follows the base of the mountain some more.  You can feel free to explore the parks here, or keep following this road for a minute or so until you see a bus parking lot.  If you take a right on the road there, you will hit the canals in a matter of moments.

The Omi-Hachiman canal system Is actually what is leftover of the town’s castle moat.  The locals wished to preserve it by making it into a canal, which adds a lot of charm to the town.  You can also take the ropeway, or hike, up to the top of the hill to see what is left of the castle ruins.  The view of Lake Biwa alone is spectacular enough to merit the trip. 

As for the canal, you can take your time here and relax on a small motor boat  ride, or take a stroll along the stone path at the water’s edge.  There are a couple galleries here, my favorite is the café located at the eastern end of the main canal strip, where local artists display their wares, serve coffee, and give you free origami or a friendly chat.  The atmosphere here is amazing.

Don’t miss the man who sells puffed rice for 100 yen a bag.  He is always friendly and tries to speak to you in English.  I have visited him at least five times and he still doesn’t remember my face.  He will always be amazed that I am from Rochester, New York, bringing up the Twin Towers and 9-11 even though I lived about 6-7 hours away from New York City.

After you get your fill of the town-proper, you can head back the way you came to meet back up with the bike trail.

Keep following the trail, and you will find several options for detours.  Feel free to take your time to explore, as this area is best enjoyed when you allow for a little mystery and adventure.  This is the land of samurai, and while Kyoto may have been the old capital and famous for its history and culture, Shiga was where a lot of the history really happened.  There are quite a lot of castles and battlefields in and around Shiga proper.  The bike trail alone boasts temples with interesting histories, a series of canals that you can take tours down by bamboo pole steered rafts, castle ruins, a giant wheel, and rice fields galore.

The most I ever rode the trail was awhile back with a bunch of members from the Kobe Union Church.  I had an amazing time with these folks, leading them around the area and acting as a guide.  We had a picnic near the lake, saw a shrine setting up for some fire-festival, and explored a good bit of the peninsula near the bike trail.  One of the best cycling day-trips I’ve had yet.

Location: Ohmi Hachiman, Shiga Prefecture

How to Get There: Take JR Tokaido Line.  From Kyoto Station, head towards Maibara(米原) or Nagahama (長浜) on the super-rapid train, and get off at Ohmi Hachiman Station (近江八幡駅).  (Trains terminating at Yasu won’t go far enough, and will require a transfer.)