Endless Beautiful Lake Scenery – Biwako Valley in Shiga Prefecture

Many people often visit Kyoto, especially during the autumn foliage season. If you want to explore beyond Kyoto, you can try visiting the area around Lake Biwa. Lake Biwa is very large, and this time we introduce Biwako Valley, which offers a view from 1,100 feet high. Biwako Valley is open until November 4, 2024, and will reopen for the winter season starting December 28. If you want to ski and enjoy the scenery, you can visit at the end of December. It only takes half an hour to get from Kyoto Station to Shiga Station by train. However, be sure to check if you need to transfer to another train along the way, as it is easy to make a mistake. After arriving at Shiga Station, you must quickly take the shuttle bus, as it does not wait for passengers. Our group of five missed the bus because someone went to buy water (actually, it was me :)), so we had to wait over twenty minutes for the next one. After the shuttle bus arrives at the cable car station, you can buy tickets on-site to go up the mountain. The round-trip ticket for adults is 3,500 yen. Although it was not the ski season when we visited Biwako Valley, the endless view was very refreshing, especially as the cable car slowly ascended. There is a large observation deck at the top of the mountain, and its feature is that it does not have a large fence, so you can take full-body photos with the beautiful Lake Biwa as the background. Additionally, the fresh air and breeze on the observation deck are very refreshing. There is a Western-style restaurant at the top of Biwako Valley, and their food is quite good. I had a steak lunch that day.