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One night in Shiga: where should I spend my time?

For less travel, stay one night in Hikone for the castle and garden on one day and museum the next. For a temple and indoor exhibitions, visit Ishiyamadera on day one, stay in Kusatsu and visit Lake Biwa Museum the next day. Check return bus times so you can reach Kusatsu Station and board your departure train afterwards.

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Choose a 2 days / 1 night itinerary

2 days / 1 night A

Hikone Castle, garden and museum in one city

Stay one night in Hikone, visiting the keep and Genkyuen Garden on day one and the castle museum the next day. The museum opens at 09:00 on day two. If your train leaves early, move the museum to day one or omit it.

Hikone Castle, garden and museum in one city →2 days / 1 night B

Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum

Stay one night in Kusatsu to give Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum a day each. Explore the temple grounds on day one, then exhibits about freshwater life and life around the lake on day two. Change dates or choose another course if the museum is closed or your train departs early.

Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum →
2 days / 1 night A

Hikone Castle, garden and museum in one city

Stay one night in Hikone, visiting the keep and Genkyuen Garden on day one and the castle museum the next day. The museum opens at 09:00 on day two. If your train leaves early, move the museum to day one or omit it.

Day 1: Hikone Castle and garden

This course starts at Hikone Station on day one.

  1. Hikone Station → Hikone Castle ticket office

    Official guidance gives about 15 minutes on foot from Hikone Station to the castle. Leave by the west exit and walk towards the castle, then use the on-site map to find your entrance and ticket office. Allow extra time for ticket queues and the climb to the keep.

    Hikone Castle access

  2. Hikone Castle ticket office → Castle and Genkyuen Garden

    Adult castle and Genkyuen admission costs 1,000 yen. Decide how much to explore with the slopes and stone steps to the keep in mind. Castle hours are 08:30–17:00, with last admission at 16:30.

    Hikone Castle visitor information

  3. Castle and Genkyuen Garden → Return to the starting station and same hotel

    Eat nearby, then return to the same hotel near the station. The basic itinerary uses individual tickets to visit the castle and garden on one day and museum on another. The 1,500-yen combined ticket instead covers visits on the same day.

    Hikone Castle visitor informationOfficial museum information

Last admission to the castle and garden is 16:30. The museum has separate opening times and closure dates, so check each facility for its planned visit date.

Day 2: museum, then departure

Check museum opening times and closure dates separately from the castle.

  1. Hotel near Hikone Station → Hikone Castle Museum

    Go to the museum from your hotel near Hikone Station. Official guidance gives a 15-minute walk from the station; allow extra time to reach the station from your actual hotel and queue for admission.

    Official museum information

  2. Hikone Castle Museum → Museum exhibitions

    Individual adult admission costs 700 yen. Hours are 09:00–17:00 March–November, with last admission at 16:30, or 09:00–16:30 December–February, with last admission at 16:00. The museum opens later than the castle, so time your visit for museum hours.

    Official museum information

  3. Museum exhibitions → Your booked departure station

    After visiting and eating, return to Hikone Station for your booked departure. Check museum closure dates in the official visitor information. If it is closed or your departure is early, move the museum to day one or omit it. The basic castle and garden ticket plus an individual museum ticket on another day totals 1,700 yen.

    Hikone Castle visitor informationOfficial museum information

Add last-day sightseeing or walks only if time remains before your departure train. Allow separate time to return to the station and reach the platform.

Checked costs and conditions: One adult: admission subtotal 1,700 yen; JR extra

Included: Hikone Castle and Genkyuen: 1,000 yen; individual museum ticket on a separate day: 700 yen

Extra costs: JR travel to the base, return hotel journeys and other travel, luggage storage, accommodation, meals, extra visits and final departure transport

Adult admission totals 1,700 yen: 1,000 yen for the castle and Genkyuen on day one, plus a 700-yen individual museum ticket the next day. If visiting both on the same day, check availability of the 1,500-yen combined ticket. JR, accommodation and meals are separate. From October 2026, the museum opens at 09:00. Move it to day one or omit it for closures, exhibition changes or early departure. Allow time to return to Hikone Station and board your train.

Hikone Castle visitor informationOfficial museum information

2 days / 1 night B

Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum

Stay one night in Kusatsu to give Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum a day each. Explore the temple grounds on day one, then exhibits about freshwater life and life around the lake on day two. Change dates or choose another course if the museum is closed or your train departs early.

Day 1: Ishiyamadera, then your Kusatsu hotel

This course starts at JR Ishiyama Station on day one.

  1. JR Ishiyama Station → Ishiyamadera-Sanmon-mae stop

    From stand 1 at JR Ishiyama, take a service on route 1, 4, 14, 52, 54 or 55 stopping at Ishiyamadera-Sanmon-mae. The ride takes about ten minutes.

    Official bus information

  2. Ishiyamadera-Sanmon-mae stop → Ishiyamadera worship area

    Alight and enter through the temple gate for ordinary admission at 600 yen. Hours are 08:00–16:30, with last admission at 16:00. The inner sanctuary and Hozoden charge separately.

    Current fees and exceptions

  3. Ishiyamadera worship area → JR Ishiyama Station

    After lunch, return from Sanmon-mae stop 2 on an Ishiyama Station-bound bus. Distinguish it from Otsu-bound route 14. The temple return bus fare totals 500 yen.

    Sanmon-mae stop 2: Ishiyama Station-bound timetableKojak Bus fares revised March 1, 2026

  4. JR Ishiyama Station → JR Kusatsu Station and your booked hotel

    From Ishiyama, take a JR Biwako Line service towards Maibara or Yasu stopping at Kusatsu. Check trains and fares for your date, allowing time from the bus to the JR platform. JR is excluded from the 2,900-yen subtotal. On reaching Kusatsu, go to your booked hotel for the night.

    JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map (revised 2024-03-16)JR search

Return from Sanmon-mae stop 2 on an Ishiyama Station-bound bus, then reach the JR platform and take a service stopping at Kusatsu. If you arrive late in the afternoon, move the temple to the next day or omit it.

Day 2: Lake Biwa Museum, then departure

Visit Lake Biwa Museum, then return to Kusatsu Station for departure. Change the visiting date or omit the museum if it is closed or your departure is early.

  1. Kusatsu hotel and Kusatsu Station west-exit stand 2 → Lake Biwa Museum stop

    From west-exit stand 2 at Kusatsu Station, take an Ohmi Bus service to Lake Biwa Museum and alight at the museum stop after about 25 minutes. If leaving luggage before departure, check storage availability and collection time. Omit the museum if sightseeing with your luggage is impractical. Choose outward and return buses from the official timetable for your date and allow extra waiting time.

    Museum accessOhmi Bus: official informationOutward services

  2. Lake Biwa Museum stop → Lake Biwa Museum permanent exhibitions

    Walk from the stop to the museum. General permanent-exhibition admission costs 840 yen; special exhibitions charge separately. Hours are 09:30–17:00, with last admission at 16:00. Mondays are closed except public holidays, and temporary closures also occur; check the calendar for your visit date.

    Museum accessLake Biwa Museum feesLake Biwa Museum opening calendar

  3. Lake Biwa Museum permanent exhibitions → Lake Biwa Museum stop

    After exhibitions and a meal, go to the museum bus stop. Finish your visit in time to reach the stop before the return departure. Look up services in the required direction using the official timetable for your date.

    Museum accessReturn services

  4. Lake Biwa Museum stop → Kusatsu Station west exit, luggage collection and departure station

    Take a bus back to Kusatsu Station west exit, then continue to your booked departure station. If you left luggage at the hotel, collect it first. When choosing the bus and departure train, allow time for the hotel stop and reaching the platform.

    Return servicesOhmi Bus: official information

Choose the museum return bus and departure train together on your last day. If luggage is at the hotel, allow time to collect it and return to the station. Move the museum to day one or omit it if time is short.

Checked costs and conditions: One adult: admission and bus subtotal 2,900 yen; JR extra

Included: Ishiyamadera ordinary admission: 600 yen; museum permanent exhibitions: 840 yen; temple return bus: 500 yen; museum return bus: 960 yen

Extra costs: JR Ishiyama–Kusatsu, extra day-one luggage-storage journeys, return hotel journeys, luggage storage, accommodation, meals, inner sanctuary, Hozoden, special exhibitions and final departure transport

Adult admission totals 1,440 yen: Ishiyamadera ordinary admission at 600 yen plus Lake Biwa Museum permanent exhibitions at 840 yen. Adding the temple return bus at 500 yen and museum return bus at 960 yen gives a 2,900-yen subtotal. This uses each facility’s basic admission, excluding the temple’s inner sanctuary and Hozoden combined ticket and museum special exhibitions. JR from Ishiyama to Kusatsu, extra day-one luggage-storage journeys, luggage storage, accommodation, meals and final departure transport are separate. Change dates for museum closures; omit it if the last-day return bus leaves too little time to board your departure train.

Current fees and exceptionsLake Biwa Museum feesKojak Bus fares revised March 1, 2026Ohmi Bus: official information

Frequently asked questions

How do costs differ between the Hikone course and the Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum course?

Course A visits Hikone Castle and Genkyuen on one day and the castle museum on another, for 1,700 yen in general adult admission. Course B’s basic Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum admission plus both return bus journeys totals 2,900 yen. Intercity JR, accommodation, meals, luggage storage and final departure transport are excluded.

Hikone Castle visitor informationOfficial museum informationCurrent fees and exceptionsLake Biwa Museum feesKojak Bus fares revised March 1, 2026Ohmi Bus: official information

Can I visit a museum if my day-two train leaves early?

Hikone Castle Museum opens at 09:00; after Lake Biwa Museum, you need a bus back to Kusatsu Station. Move the museum to day one or omit it if there is too little time to catch your booked train. When moving it, check closure dates, admission deadlines and hours for other facilities planned that day too.

Official museum informationMuseum accessLake Biwa Museum feesLake Biwa Museum opening calendar

Official sources and check dates