Where should you spend two days in Shiga?
For less travel, stay one night in Hikone and visit the castle and garden one day and the castle museum the next. For a temple and indoor exhibits, visit Ishiyamadera on day 1, stay in Kusatsu, and visit Lake Biwa Museum the next day. Check the return bus so you can reach Kusatsu Station before your departure train.
Choose an itinerary for 2 days, 1 night
Hikone Castle, garden, and museum in one city
Stay one night in Hikone. Visit the castle keep and Genkyuen Garden on day 1, then the castle museum on day 2. The museum opens at 9:00 AM on day 2. Move it to day 1 or skip it if your departure train is early.
Hikone Castle, garden, and museum in one city →2 days, 1 night BIshiyamadera Temple and Lake Biwa Museum
Stay one night in Kusatsu to give Ishiyamadera Temple and Lake Biwa Museum a day each. Explore the temple grounds on day 1, then exhibits about Lake Biwa's freshwater life and life around the lake on day 2. Change your visit date or choose another plan if the museum is closed or your departure train is early.
Ishiyamadera Temple and Lake Biwa Museum →Hikone Castle, garden, and museum in one city
Stay one night in Hikone. Visit the castle keep and Genkyuen Garden on day 1, then the castle museum on day 2. The museum opens at 9:00 AM on day 2. Move it to day 1 or skip it if your departure train is early.
Day 1 · Hikone Castle and garden
Begin your first day at Hikone Station.
- Hikone Station → Hikone Castle ticket office
Official guidance lists about a 15-minute walk from Hikone Station to the castle. Use the west exit, walk toward the castle, and check the on-site map for your entrance and ticket office. Allow extra time for ticket lines and the climb to the keep.
- Hikone Castle ticket office → Castle and Genkyuen Garden
Adult admission to the castle and Genkyuen Garden is ¥1,000. Choose your visit scope with the slopes and stone steps on the way to the keep in mind. Castle hours are 8:30 AM–5:00 PM, last admission 4:30 PM.
- Castle and Genkyuen Garden → Your starting station and same hotel
Eat nearby, then return to the same lodging near the station. The standard plan visits the castle and Genkyuen Garden and the museum on different days using separate tickets. Distinguish this from the ¥1,500 combination ticket for visiting both on the same day.
Admission to the castle and garden is available until 4:30 PM. The museum has its own opening time and closing days the next day; check each facility for its visit date.
Day 2 · Museum visit, then departure
Check the museum's opening time and closing days separately from the castle.
- Lodging near Hikone Station → Hikone Castle Museum
Head from your lodging near Hikone Station to the museum. Official guidance lists about a 15-minute walk from the station; allow extra time to reach the station from your actual lodging and wait for admission.
- Hikone Castle Museum → Museum exhibits
An individual adult ticket costs ¥700. March–November hours are 9:00 AM–5:00 PM, last admission 4:30 PM; December–February hours are 9:00 AM–4:30 PM, last admission 4:00 PM. The museum opens later than the castle, so plan around its own hours.
- Museum exhibits → Booked departure station
After sightseeing and your meal, return to Hikone Station for your booked departure. Check official visitor guidance for museum closures on your date. Move the museum to day 1 or skip it if it is closed or your departure is early. The standard plan's castle and Genkyuen Garden ticket plus a separate museum ticket for another day total ¥1,700.
Add final-day sightseeing or walking only if you have time before your departure train. Leave separate time to return to the station and reach your platform.
Included: Castle and Genkyuen Garden ¥1,000 + individual Hikone Castle Museum ticket for a different day ¥700
Extra costs: JR travel to your base, round trips to lodging and additional travel, luggage storage, lodging, meals, extra visits, and final departure transportation
Adult admission totals ¥1,700: castle and Genkyuen Garden ¥1,000 on day 1 plus an individual museum ticket ¥700 the next day. Check availability of the ¥1,500 combination ticket if visiting both on the same day. JR, lodging, and meals cost extra. The museum opens at 9:00 AM from October 2026; move it to day 1 or skip it for closures, exhibition changes, or an early departure. Allow time to return to Hikone Station and board your departure.
Ishiyamadera Temple and Lake Biwa Museum
Stay one night in Kusatsu to give Ishiyamadera Temple and Lake Biwa Museum a day each. Explore the temple grounds on day 1, then exhibits about Lake Biwa's freshwater life and life around the lake on day 2. Change your visit date or choose another plan if the museum is closed or your departure train is early.
Day 1 · Ishiyamadera to lodging in Kusatsu
Begin your first day at JR Ishiyama Station.
- JR Ishiyama Station → Ishiyamadera Sanmon-mae bus stop
From stop 1 at JR Ishiyama Station, take a service on route 1, 4, 14, 52, 54, or 55 that stops at Ishiyamadera Sanmon-mae. The ride takes about 10 minutes.
- Ishiyamadera Sanmon-mae bus stop → Ishiyamadera temple visit area
Get off and enter through the temple gate for a regular visit costing ¥600. Hours are 8:00 AM–4:30 PM, last entry 4:00 PM. The inner sanctuary and Hozoden cost extra.
- Ishiyamadera temple visit area → JR Ishiyama Station
After lunch, take an Ishiyama Station-bound bus from Sanmon-mae stop 2. Distinguish it from Otsu Station-bound route 14. The temple bus round trip costs ¥500.
Sanmon-mae stop 2 timetable toward Ishiyama StationKojak Bus fares, revised March 1, 2026
- JR Ishiyama Station → JR Kusatsu Station and booked lodging
From Ishiyama Station, take a JR Biwako Line service toward Maibara or Yasu that stops at Kusatsu. Look up trains and fares for your travel date, allowing time to walk from the bus to the JR platform. JR is excluded from the ¥2,900 subtotal. After arriving in Kusatsu, head to your booked lodging for the night.
JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map, revised March 16, 2024JR journey search
Return from the temple on an Ishiyama Station-bound bus at Sanmon-mae stop 2. Walk from the bus to the JR platform before boarding a service stopping at Kusatsu. If arriving late in the afternoon, move the temple to the next day or skip it.
Day 2 · Lake Biwa Museum, then departure
Visit Lake Biwa Museum, then return to Kusatsu Station for departure. Change the visit date or skip the museum for a closure or early departure.
- Kusatsu lodging and west-exit bus stop 2 at Kusatsu Station → Lake Biwa Museum bus stop
From west-exit stop 2 at Kusatsu Station, take a museum-bound Ohmi bus and get off at the museum stop after about 25 minutes. If storing bags before departure, confirm availability and when to collect them. Skip the museum if sightseeing with your bags is difficult. Choose outbound and return buses from the official timetable for your date and allow extra waiting time.
- Lake Biwa Museum bus stop → Lake Biwa Museum permanent exhibition
Get off and head to the museum. General admission to the permanent exhibition is ¥840; special exhibitions cost extra. Hours are 9:30 AM–5:00 PM, last admission 4:00 PM. Closed Mondays but open on public holidays; temporary closures also occur, so check the calendar for your date.
Museum accessLake Biwa Museum admissionLake Biwa Museum opening calendar
- Lake Biwa Museum permanent exhibition → Lake Biwa Museum bus stop
After exhibits and your meal, head to the museum bus stop. Finish your visit in time to reach the stop before your return bus departs. Look up services in the correct direction for your date in the official timetable.
- Lake Biwa Museum bus stop → Kusatsu Station west exit, luggage collection, and departure station
Take a bus back to Kusatsu Station's west exit, then head to your booked departure station. Stop to collect bags first if you left them at your lodging. When choosing the return bus and departure train, allow time to stop at your lodging and reach the platform.
Choose your museum return bus and departure train together on the final day. If you left bags at your lodging, allow time to collect them and return to the station. Move the museum to day 1 or skip it if time is short.
Included: Regular Ishiyamadera admission ¥600 + Lake Biwa Museum permanent exhibition ¥840 + Ishiyamadera bus round trip ¥500 + Lake Biwa Museum bus round trip ¥960
Extra costs: JR from Ishiyama to Kusatsu, extra travel for day 1 luggage storage, round trips to lodging, luggage storage, lodging, meals, inner sanctuary, Hozoden, special exhibitions, and final departure transportation
Adult facility admission totals ¥1,440: regular Ishiyamadera admission ¥600 + Lake Biwa Museum permanent exhibition ¥840. Add the temple bus round trip ¥500 and museum bus round trip ¥960 for a ¥2,900 subtotal. Each facility's basic admission is calculated separately; the temple's inner sanctuary/Hozoden combination ticket and museum special exhibitions are excluded. JR from Ishiyama to Kusatsu, extra travel for day 1 luggage storage, storage, lodging, meals, and final departure transportation cost extra. Change dates if the museum is closed; skip it if you cannot reach your departure in time after the return bus.
Current prices and exceptionsLake Biwa Museum admissionKojak Bus fares, revised March 1, 2026Official Ohmi Bus guide
Frequently asked questions
How do the castle and museum route and the temple and Lake Biwa Museum route differ in cost?
Route A's general adult admission totals ¥1,700 for visiting Hikone Castle, Genkyuen Garden, and the castle museum on separate days. Route B totals ¥2,900 for basic admission at Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum plus round-trip buses to both. Intercity JR trains, lodging, meals, bag storage, and final departure transport are excluded.
Hikone Castle visitor guideOfficial museum guideCurrent prices and exceptionsLake Biwa Museum admissionKojak Bus fares, revised March 1, 2026Official Ohmi Bus guide
Can I visit a museum if my day 2 train leaves early?
Hikone Castle Museum opens at 9 a.m. After Lake Biwa Museum, you need a bus back to Kusatsu Station. If there is not enough time before your booked train, move the museum to day 1 or skip it. Before moving it, check closures, admission deadlines, and hours of any other attraction you plan to visit.
Official museum guideMuseum accessLake Biwa Museum admissionLake Biwa Museum opening calendar
Official sources and checked dates
- Museum access ·
- Hikone Castle access ·
- Kojak Bus fares, revised March 1, 2026 ·
- Sanmon-mae stop 2 timetable toward Ishiyama Station ·
- Hikone Castle visitor guide ·
- JR journey search ·
- Official museum guide ·
- Current prices and exceptions ·
- Official bus guide ·
- Official Ohmi Bus guide ·
- Lake Biwa Museum admission ·
- Lake Biwa Museum opening calendar ·
- Outbound bus ·
- Return bus ·
- JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map, revised March 16, 2024 ·