Two nights in Shiga: where should I go on day two?
Stay two nights in Hikone for the castle and garden on day one, then a return trip to Hachiman-bori’s canal and old streets on day two. Alternatively, stay two nights in Kusatsu and give Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum a day each. On the last day, walk streets or a park near your hotel only if time remains before your train.
Choose a 3 days / 2 nights itinerary
Hikone Castle, Hachiman-bori and departure-day castle-town streets
Stay two nights in Hikone. Visit the keep and garden on day one, then make a return trip for Hachiman-bori’s canal and old streets the next day. The canal trip combines JR and local buses, so check outward and return services together. Walk the castle-town streets on the last day only if time remains before your train.
Hikone Castle, Hachiman-bori and departure-day castle-town streets →3 days / 2 nights BStay in Kusatsu for Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum
Stay two nights in Kusatsu for Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum, keeping departure-day travel short. This itinerary assumes you are already in the area on the first morning. Visit the temple on day one and museum exhibitions on day two.
Stay in Kusatsu for Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum →Hikone Castle, Hachiman-bori and departure-day castle-town streets
Stay two nights in Hikone. Visit the keep and garden on day one, then make a return trip for Hachiman-bori’s canal and old streets the next day. The canal trip combines JR and local buses, so check outward and return services together. Walk the castle-town streets on the last day only if time remains before your train.
Day 1: castle and garden
This course starts at Hikone Station on day one.
- 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 ticket office → Castle and Genkyuen Garden
Visit the keep and garden with the ordinary 1,000-yen castle and Genkyuen ticket. Hours are 08:30–17:00, with last admission at 16:30. There are slopes and stone steps to the keep, so decide how far to explore accordingly. For the museum on the same day, check its hours, closure dates and availability of the 1,500-yen combined ticket separately.
Hikone Castle: official informationHikone Castle visitor informationOfficial museum information
- Castle and Genkyuen Garden → Return to the starting station and same hotel
Eat around the castle, then return to the same Hikone accommodation. The keep involves slopes and stone steps, and castle admission ends at 16:30. If you arrive late, check that there is enough time to visit the keep. Today’s adult admission is 1,000 yen.
Visit the castle and garden, then return to the same Hikone hotel. If you arrive late, check that enough visiting time remains before last admission.
Day 2: Omihachiman’s canal
- Hikone Station → Omihachiman Station
From Hikone, take a Kyoto-bound JR Biwako Line train to Omihachiman.
JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map (revised 2024-03-16)
- Omihachiman Station → Hachiman-bori stop
From north-exit stand 6 or 7 at Omihachiman, as required for your bus, take a service stopping at Hachiman-bori (Osugicho) Hachimanyama Ropeway-guchi. Look up outward and station-bound return buses together in the official timetable for your date.
- Hachiman-bori stop → Canal and old streets
Walk from the stop to explore the canal and old streets, and eat nearby. The canal is directly accessible on foot from the stop. The basic itinerary is a walk; cruises and paid facilities are optional extras. For a cruise, check the boarding point, sailing dates and fares, then shorten sightseeing to fit your return bus.
- Canal and old streets → Omihachiman Station
After your walk and meal, take an Omihachiman Station-bound bus from Hachiman-bori. Adult fares between station and canal are 260 yen each way or 520 yen return. Cruises are excluded. Look up services in the required direction using the official timetable for your date.
- Omihachiman Station → Hikone Station and the same hotel
Take a JR Biwako Line service towards Maibara or Nagahama stopping at Hikone, then return to the same hotel. Return JR fares are separate; allow extra time to reach the platform after the bus and wait for your train.
JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map (revised 2024-03-16)JR search
Look up return trains between Hikone and Omihachiman alongside canal-bound and station-bound buses. Cruises are separate from the walking itinerary; check their boarding point, sailing dates and fares too.
Day 3: streets with an easy station return
- Hotel near Hikone Station → Streets and open shops
Walk about 20 minutes from Hikone Station to explore Yumekyobashi Castle Road’s shops and streets. Shop hours and meal costs are separate.
- Streets and open shops → Your booked departure station
After your walk and meal, return to Hikone Station for your booked departure. Allow time for the station return and platform access. Omit the last-day walk if your train leaves early.
Shiga Prefecture: official access informationShopping street shop list
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.
Included: Hikone Castle and Genkyuen: 1,000 yen; Hachiman-bori return bus: 520 yen
Extra costs: JR Hikone–Omihachiman, return hotel journeys, luggage storage, accommodation, meals, cruises, paid experiences, additional museum admission and final departure transport
Confirmed admission and buses for the basic visits total 1,520 yen per adult: castle and Genkyuen at 1,000 yen, plus Hachiman-bori return buses at 520 yen. JR between the cities, optional cruises, meals, accommodation and departure transport are separate.
Hikone Castle visitor informationHachiman-bori bus fares and return timetables
Stay in Kusatsu for Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum
Stay two nights in Kusatsu for Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum, keeping departure-day travel short. This itinerary assumes you are already in the area on the first morning. Visit the temple on day one and museum exhibitions on day two.
Day 1: Ishiyamadera
This course starts at Kusatsu Station on day one.
- Kusatsu Station → JR Ishiyama Station
From Kusatsu, take a Kyoto-bound JR Biwako Line service stopping at Ishiyama. Use JR’s search and station information to check departure times, fares and platforms for your date. JR is excluded from this course’s 2,900-yen subtotal.
JR searchJR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map (revised 2024-03-16)
- JR Ishiyama Station → Sanmon-mae stop
From stand 1 at JR Ishiyama, take a service stopping at Ishiyamadera-Sanmon-mae and alight there. The ten-minute ride excludes waiting for the bus and walking from the JR platform to the stand. Check services for your visit day.
- Sanmon-mae stop → Temple worship and lunch
Alight and enter through the temple gate with the ordinary 600-yen ticket, then eat nearby. Hours are 08:00–16:30, with last admission at 16:00. The inner sanctuary and Hozoden charge separately.
- Temple worship area → JR Ishiyama Station
After worship and a meal, take an Ishiyama Station-bound bus from Sanmon-mae stop 2. Distinguish it from Otsu-bound services. Allow time to change to JR after reaching Ishiyama.
- JR Ishiyama Station → Kusatsu Station and the same hotel
Take a JR Biwako Line service towards Maibara or Yasu stopping at Kusatsu, then return to the same hotel. Allow time between leaving the bus and reaching the JR platform, and check trains and fares for your date. For a late-afternoon arrival, swap the temple with another visiting day or omit one facility.
JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map (revised 2024-03-16)JR search
The return bus departs Sanmon-mae stop 2 for Ishiyama Station. Distinguish it from Otsu-bound services and allow time to reach the JR platform after alighting. Look up outward and return services for your date.
Day 2: Lake Biwa Museum
- Kusatsu Station west-exit stand 2 → Lake Biwa Museum stop
From west-exit stand 2 at Kusatsu, take an Ohmi Bus service to Lake Biwa Museum and alight at the museum stop after about 25 minutes. Look up outward and return buses together in the official timetable for your date, allowing extra waiting time.
- Lake Biwa Museum stop → Lake Biwa Museum permanent exhibitions
Walk from the stop to the museum and allow time for permanent exhibitions, meals and a rest. General permanent-exhibition admission costs 840 yen; special exhibitions are extra. Hours are 09:30–17:00, with last admission at 16:00. Check your date’s calendar for Monday closures, public-holiday openings and temporary closures.
Museum accessLake Biwa Museum feesLake Biwa Museum opening calendar
- Lake Biwa Museum permanent exhibitions → Kusatsu Station and the same hotel
After exhibitions and a meal, take a bus from the museum stop to Kusatsu Station west exit. Finish visiting in time for your return bus, then go back to the same Kusatsu hotel after reaching the station.
Check museum closure dates and Kusatsu-bound buses for your date. Allow time to walk from the galleries to the stop.
Day 3: park, then departure
- Hotel near Kusatsu Station → Walking paths
Walk about six minutes from Kusatsu Station to the paths at Deai Hiroba · de愛ひろば. The management office’s 09:00–17:00 hours are not opening hours for the whole park.
- Walking paths → Your booked departure station
After your walk and meal, return to Kusatsu Station for your booked departure. Allow time for the station return and platform access. Omit the last-day walk if your train leaves early.
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.
Included: Ishiyamadera ordinary admission: 600 yen; museum permanent exhibitions: 840 yen; temple return bus: 500 yen; museum return bus: 960 yen
Extra costs: Return JR travel between Kusatsu and Ishiyama, extra hotel journeys, luggage storage, inner sanctuary, Hozoden, special exhibitions, accommodation, meals, final departure transport and park events
The 2,900-yen subtotal covers basic temple and museum admission plus both return bus journeys. JR return travel between Kusatsu and Ishiyama is excluded. Look up trains and fares for your date separately, allowing time to change from temple bus to JR and return from the museum to your Kusatsu hotel.
Current fees and exceptionsLake Biwa Museum feesKojak Bus fares revised March 1, 2026Ohmi Bus: official information
Frequently asked questions
How do I get from Hikone to Hachiman-bori?
Take a Kyoto-bound JR Biwako Line train from Hikone to Omihachiman. From north-exit stand 6 or 7, as required for your bus, take a service stopping at Hachiman-bori (Osugicho) Hachimanyama Ropeway-guchi. Adult bus fares between station and canal are 260 yen each way or 520 yen return. Check Hikone–Omihachiman JR fares and train and bus times for your date separately.
JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map (revised 2024-03-16)Hachiman-bori bus fares and return timetables
What are the admission and bus costs for the two-night courses?
Hikone course A totals 1,520 yen: castle and Genkyuen at 1,000 yen plus Hachiman-bori return buses at 520 yen. Kusatsu course B totals 2,900 yen: Ishiyamadera ordinary admission at 600 yen, Lake Biwa Museum permanent exhibitions at 840 yen, temple return buses at 500 yen and museum return buses at 960 yen. JR, accommodation, meals, luggage storage, departure transport, extra visits and cruises are separate. The courses visit different facilities, and neither amount is a total trip budget.
Hikone Castle visitor informationHachiman-bori bus fares and return timetablesCurrent fees and exceptionsLake Biwa Museum feesKojak Bus fares revised March 1, 2026Ohmi Bus: official information
Official sources and check dates
- Museum access ·
- Hachiman-bori access ·
- Hikone Castle access ·
- Kojak Bus fares revised March 1, 2026 ·
- Sanmon-mae stop 2: Ishiyama Station-bound timetable ·
- Hachiman-bori bus fares and return timetables ·
- Hikone Castle visitor information ·
- Bus departure timetable ·
- JR search ·
- Official museum information ·
- Current fees and exceptions ·
- Official bus information ·
- Ohmi Bus: official information ·
- Lake Biwa Museum fees ·
- Lake Biwa Museum opening calendar ·
- Outward services ·
- Return services ·
- Kusatsu City: access and facility information ·
- Shiga Prefecture: official access information ·
- Shopping street shop list ·
- Hikone Castle: official information ·
- JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map (revised 2024-03-16) ·