Where will you spend an extra day on a four-day Shiga trip?
With three nights in Kusatsu, visit Ishiyamadera, Lake Biwa Museum and Hikone Castle on separate days. For more time at Hikone Castle Museum, stay three nights in Hikone. Split the castle and garden and the museum across different days, with another day for Hachiman-bori.
Choose a 4 days, 3 nights itinerary
Stay in Kusatsu for Ishiyamadera, museum and Hikone Castle
Stay three nights in Kusatsu, giving Ishiyamadera, Lake Biwa Museum and Hikone Castle a day each. Return to the same hotel after each visit. On departure day, you can take a short walk near the station.
Stay in Kusatsu for Ishiyamadera, museum and Hikone Castle →4 days, 3 nights BStay in Hikone for castle, canal and museum
Stay three nights in Hikone, visiting the keep/garden and castle museum on different days. Use another day for Hachiman-bori's canal and historic streets. This route excludes Lake Biwa Museum.
Stay in Hikone for castle, canal and museum →Stay in Kusatsu for Ishiyamadera, museum and Hikone Castle
Stay three nights in Kusatsu, giving Ishiyamadera, Lake Biwa Museum and Hikone Castle a day each. Return to the same hotel after each visit. On departure day, you can take a short walk near the station.
Day 1 · Temple return trip
Start the first day at Kusatsu Station.
- Kusatsu Station → JR Ishiyama Station
Take a Kyoto-bound JR Biwako Line train stopping at Ishiyama. Search travel-date trains and fares, allowing time from the JR platform to the Ishiyama bus bay.
JR West Sagano/Biwako Line stopping station map, revised 2024-03-16JR search
- JR Ishiyama Station bay 1 → Ishiyamadera Sanmon-mae bus stop
Take a route 1, 4, 14, 52, 54 or 55 service and get off at Sanmon-mae after about 10 minutes. Search the relevant direction for your date in the official bus timetable.
- Ishiyamadera Sanmon-mae bus stop → Ishiyamadera worship area
Enter through the gate with ordinary JPY 600 admission, worship and eat nearby. Hours are 08:00–16:30, with last entry at 16:00. Inner sanctuary and Hozoden are separate. Swap days or skip the temple if too little visiting time remains before the admission deadline.
- Ishiyamadera worship area → JR Ishiyama Station
Return on an Ishiyama Station-bound bus from Sanmon-mae stop 2. Distinguish it from Otsu-bound services, allowing time from the bus to the JR platform.
- JR Ishiyama Station → Kusatsu Station and same hotel
Return on a JR Biwako Line train towards Maibara or Yasu stopping at Kusatsu and stay at the same hotel. Temple bus return JPY 500 is separate from return JR fares, which are excluded from the partial route cost.
JR West Sagano/Biwako Line stopping station map, revised 2024-03-16JR searchKojaku Bus revised fares, March 1, 2026
The return is an Ishiyama Station-bound bus from Sanmon-mae stop 2. Distinguish it from Otsu-bound services and allow time from the bus to the JR platform at Ishiyama. Search both directions for your visit date.
Day 2 · Museum exhibitions
- Kusatsu Station west exit bay 2 → Lake Biwa Museum bus stop
From Kusatsu Station west exit bay 2, take a museum-bound Ohmi bus and get off at the museum stop after about 25 minutes. Search both directions together for your date in the official timetable, allowing waiting separately.
- Lake Biwa Museum bus stop → Lake Biwa Museum permanent exhibitions
Walk from the stop to the museum and allow time for permanent exhibitions, meals and rests. Ordinary admission is JPY 840; special exhibitions are separate. Hours are 09:30–17:00, with last admission at 16:00. Check Monday closures, public-holiday opening and temporary closures in your visit-date calendar.
Museum accessLake Biwa Museum feesLake Biwa Museum opening calendar
- Lake Biwa Museum permanent exhibitions → Kusatsu Station and same hotel
After exhibitions and a meal, take a Kusatsu Station west exit-bound bus from the museum stop. Finish in time for the return bus, then return to the same Kusatsu hotel after reaching the station.
Check museum closures and Kusatsu-bound buses for your date. Leave time to walk from exhibition rooms to the bus stop.
Day 3 · Hikone Castle
- Kusatsu Station → Hikone Station
Take a Maibara-bound JR Biwako Line train stopping at Hikone. Search the date's outward service/fare together with a Kyoto-bound return stopping at Kusatsu.
JR West Sagano/Biwako Line stopping station map, revised 2024-03-16JR search
- Hikone Station west exit → Hikone Castle ticket office
The official walk from Hikone Station to the castle takes about 15 minutes. Leave by the west exit and walk towards the castle, checking your entrance and ticket office on the on-site map. Ticket queues and the ascent to the keep are extra.
- Hikone Castle ticket office → Castle and Genkyuen
Visit the keep and garden with ordinary castle/Genkyuen admission at JPY 1,000. Hours are 08:30–17:00, with last admission at 16:30. Allow for slopes and stone steps to the keep when choosing your walking scope. For the museum on the same day too, check its opening/closures and availability of the JPY 1,500 combined ticket separately.
- Castle and Genkyuen → Hikone Station
After eating near the castle, return to Hikone Station. Allow station walks, platform access and train waiting; reduce extra facility visits if they risk your return train.
- Hikone Station → Kusatsu Station and same hotel
Take a Kyoto-bound JR Biwako Line train stopping at Kusatsu and return to the same hotel. Return JR fares/times and hotel walking are separate from partial facility/bus costs and need a travel-date check.
JR West Sagano/Biwako Line stopping station map, revised 2024-03-16JR search
Leave visiting time before the 16:30 last admission. For the museum too, check its opening/closures and combined-ticket availability. Search the hotel approach from the station and return trains separately.
Day 4 · Short Kusatsu walk and departure
- Hotel near Kusatsu Station → Deai Hiroba (de愛ひろば) area
Walk in Deai Hiroba (de愛ひろば), about six minutes from Kusatsu Station. This is one-way station-to-park walking; hotel-to-station walking and park time are separate.
- Deai Hiroba (de愛ひろば) area → Your booked departure station
After walking and eating, return to Kusatsu Station for your booked departure. Allow the return to the station and platform access. Skip the final walk for an early train.
Include final-day sightseeing or walks only if time remains before your departing train. Allow the return to the station and platform access separately from visiting time.
Included: Ordinary Ishiyamadera admission JPY 600 + Lake Biwa Museum permanent exhibitions JPY 840 + Hikone Castle/Genkyuen JPY 1,000 + temple bus return JPY 500 + museum bus return JPY 960
Extra costs: Intercity JR, hotel return trips, luggage storage, accommodation, meals, Hikone Castle Museum, inner sanctuary, Hozoden, special exhibitions, park events and final departure transport
Basic admission and both return bus trips total JPY 3,900 per adult (facility fees JPY 2,440 + temple bus JPY 500 + museum bus JPY 960). Choosing the same-day combined ticket with Hikone Castle Museum brings it to JPY 4,400. JR, accommodation, meals, extra visits, park events and final departure transport are excluded. Reorder visits for facility closures and bus operating days.
Current fees and exceptionsLake Biwa Museum feesHikone Castle visitor guideKojaku Bus revised fares, March 1, 2026Official Ohmi bus guide
Stay in Hikone for castle, canal and museum
Stay three nights in Hikone, visiting the keep/garden and castle museum on different days. Use another day for Hachiman-bori's canal and historic streets. This route excludes Lake Biwa Museum.
Day 1 · Castle and garden
Start the first day at Hikone Station.
- Hikone Station → Hikone Castle ticket office
The official walk from Hikone Station to the castle takes about 15 minutes. Leave by the west exit and walk towards the castle, checking your entrance and ticket office on the on-site map. Ticket queues and the ascent to the keep are extra.
- Hikone Castle ticket office → Castle and Genkyuen
Visit the keep and garden with ordinary castle/Genkyuen admission at JPY 1,000. Hours are 08:30–17:00, with last admission at 16:30. Allow for slopes and stone steps to the keep when choosing your walking scope. For the museum on the same day too, check its opening/closures and availability of the JPY 1,500 combined ticket separately.
Official Hikone Castle guideHikone Castle visitor guideOfficial museum guide
- Castle and Genkyuen → Starting station and same hotel
After eating near the castle, return to the same Hikone hotel. Castle admission ends at 16:30; for a late arrival, swap with tomorrow's museum visit.
Leave visiting time before the 16:30 last admission. For the museum too, check its opening/closures and combined-ticket availability. Search the hotel approach from the station and return trains separately.
Day 2 · Castle museum
- Hotel near Hikone Station → Hikone Castle Museum
Walk about 15 minutes from Hikone Station's west exit to the castle museum in the Omotemon area and buy a JPY 700 individual ticket. Hotel-to-station walking is separate. March–November museum opening is 09:00, different from the castle's 08:30.
- Hikone Castle Museum → Starting station and same hotel
After exhibitions, eat and rest near the castle or station, then return to the same hotel. This does not split a combined ticket across two days; change dates for exhibition changes or closures.
Hikone Castle Museum opens at 09:00. Check official visit-date information for exhibition changes and temporary closures.
Day 3 · Hachiman-bori
- Hikone Station → Omihachiman Station
Take a Kyoto-bound JR Biwako Line train stopping at Omihachiman. On arrival, use the north exit and walk to the bus bay. JR fares and bus waits are separate.
JR West Sagano/Biwako Line stopping station map, revised 2024-03-16JR search
- Omihachiman Station north exit → Hachiman-bori bus stop
From Omihachiman Station's north exit, use bay 6 or 7 as assigned for your service stopping at Hachiman-bori (Osugicho) Hachimanyama Ropeway-guchi. Search canal-bound and station-bound buses together in the official travel-date timetable.
- Hachiman-bori bus stop → Canal and historic streets
Walk from the stop to the canal and historic streets and eat nearby. The canal is directly accessible on foot from the stop. The basic plan is a walk; sightseeing boats and paid facilities are separate options. For a boat ride, check its landing, operating days and fare, reducing sightseeing to fit your return bus.
- Canal and historic streets → Omihachiman Station
Return to Hachiman-bori stop and take an Omihachiman Station-bound bus. Adult station–canal fares are JPY 260 one way or JPY 520 return. Check the return bay and departure separately in the official travel-date timetable.
- Omihachiman Station → Hikone Station and same hotel
Return to the same hotel on a JR Biwako Line train towards Maibara or Nagahama stopping at Hikone. Allow bus-to-JR platform access and waiting. Check actual-date return JR fares and bus connections separately.
JR West Sagano/Biwako Line stopping station map, revised 2024-03-16JR search
Search Hikone–Omihachiman return trains together with canal-bound and station-bound buses. Boats are separate from the walking plan, with landings, operating days and fares to check separately.
Day 4 · Castle-town streets and departure
- Hotel near Hikone Station → Streets and open shops
Walk to Yume Kyobashi Castle Road, about 20 minutes from Hikone Station, to browse open shops. Add street walking, meals and the return walk separately to this one-way approach.
- Streets and open shops → Your booked departure station
After walking and eating, return to Hikone Station for your booked departure. Allow time back to the station and platform. Skip the final walk for an early train.
Include final-day sightseeing or walks only if time remains before your departing train. Allow the return to the station and platform access separately from visiting time.
Included: Hikone Castle/Genkyuen JPY 1,000 + separate-day individual castle museum ticket JPY 700 + Hachiman-bori bus return JPY 520
Extra costs: Hikone–Omihachiman JR, hotel return trips, luggage storage, accommodation, meals, boats, paid activities, extra visits and final departure transport
Castle/garden, a separate-day castle museum ticket and Hachiman-bori return buses total JPY 2,220 per adult. JR, boats, paid activities, accommodation, meals and final departure transport are excluded. Check museum closures and actual-date JR/buses; allow time to return to Hikone Station and board on departure day.
Hikone Castle visitor guideOfficial museum guideHachiman-bori bus fares and return timetable
Frequently asked questions
Do both four-day itineraries visit the same museum?
They visit different museums. Itinerary A stays in Kusatsu and takes the bus from Kusatsu Station to Lake Biwa Museum. Itinerary B stays in Hikone and visits Hikone Castle Museum on a separate day from the castle and garden. Ordinary admission is ¥840 for Lake Biwa Museum's permanent exhibitions and ¥700 for the castle museum's separate ticket. Check each museum's closure days before setting your dates.
Museum accessLake Biwa Museum feesLake Biwa Museum opening calendarOfficial museum guide
Can I visit Hikone Castle from Kusatsu and return to the same hotel?
Itinerary A takes a Maibara-bound JR Biwako Line service stopping at Hikone, then walks to the castle from Hikone Station's west exit. After the visit, take a Kyoto-bound JR service stopping at Kusatsu and return to the same hotel. The roughly 15-minute station-to-castle walk excludes ticket queues, stairs in the keep and walking to your hotel. Check return trains and fares for your date first.
JR West Sagano/Biwako Line stopping station map, revised 2024-03-16JR searchHikone Castle access
Do I have to buy a JR pass for Hikone Castle?
You can use ordinary tickets. To compare the WEST QR Kansai Area Pass, list your actual JR journeys and dates, check whether they are covered, then compare ordinary fares. The attraction and bus costs shown in the itineraries exclude JR fares. Buses to the temple, museums and Hachiman-bori, and attraction admission, are paid separately from the pass.
JR West Sagano/Biwako Line stopping station map, revised 2024-03-16JR searchOfficial WEST QR Kansai Area Pass conditionsKojaku Bus revised fares, March 1, 2026Official Ohmi bus guideHachiman-bori bus fares and return timetable
Official sources and check dates
- Museum access ·
- Hachiman-bori access ·
- Hikone Castle access ·
- Kojaku Bus revised fares, March 1, 2026 ·
- Ishiyama Station-bound timetable from Sanmon-mae stop 2 ·
- Hachiman-bori bus fares and return timetable ·
- Hikone Castle visitor guide ·
- Bus departures ·
- JR search ·
- Official museum guide ·
- Current fees and exceptions ·
- Official bus guide ·
- Official Ohmi bus guide ·
- Lake Biwa Museum fees ·
- Lake Biwa Museum opening calendar ·
- Outward service ·
- Return service ·
- Kusatsu city access and facilities guide ·
- Official Shiga access guide ·
- Shopping street shop list ·
- Official Hikone Castle guide ·
- Official Hachiman-bori guide ·
- JR West Sagano/Biwako Line stopping station map, revised 2024-03-16 ·
- Official WEST QR Kansai Area Pass conditions ·