Where should you go on day 2 of a Shiga trip?
Stay two nights in Hikone to visit the castle and garden on day 1, then walk Hachiman-bori's canal and historic streets on day 2 before returning. Stay two nights in Kusatsu for a day each at Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum. On the final day, add a walk near your hotel only if you have time before your train.
Choose an itinerary for 3 days, 2 nights
Hikone Castle, Hachiman-bori, and castle-town streets before departure
Stay two nights in Hikone. Visit the castle keep and garden on day 1, then walk Hachiman-bori's canal and historic streets the next day before returning. The Hachiman-bori trip involves a transfer between JR and a local bus; check both outbound and return services. Walk the castle-town streets on your final day only if time allows before departure.
Hikone Castle, Hachiman-bori, and castle-town streets before departure →3 days, 2 nights BStay in Kusatsu for Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum
Stay two nights in Kusatsu to visit Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum while avoiding a long trip on your departure day. This plan assumes you are locally available from the first morning: visit the temple on day 1 and museum exhibits on day 2.
Stay in Kusatsu for Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum →Hikone Castle, Hachiman-bori, and castle-town streets before departure
Stay two nights in Hikone. Visit the castle keep and garden on day 1, then walk Hachiman-bori's canal and historic streets the next day before returning. The Hachiman-bori trip involves a transfer between JR and a local bus; check both outbound and return services. Walk the castle-town streets on your final day only if time allows before departure.
Day 1 · 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
Visit the keep and garden with the ¥1,000 standard castle/Genkyuen Garden ticket. Hours are 8:30 AM–5:00 PM, last admission 4:30 PM. The route to the keep has slopes and stone steps; choose your visit scope to suit your walking ability. To add the museum on the same day, check its opening time, closing days, and availability of the ¥1,500 combination ticket separately.
Official Hikone Castle guideHikone Castle visitor guideOfficial museum guide
- Castle and Genkyuen Garden → Your starting station and same hotel
Eat near the castle, then return to the same lodging in Hikone. The keep involves slopes and stone steps, and castle admission ends at 4:30 PM. Do not force a keep visit if arriving late. The day's facility cost is ¥1,000 per adult.
Return to the same Hikone lodging after the castle and garden. If arriving late, first check whether you have enough sightseeing time before last admission.
Day 2 · Omihachiman's canal
- Hikone Station → Omihachiman Station
From Hikone Station, take a Kyoto-bound JR Biwako Line train to Omihachiman Station.
JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map, revised March 16, 2024
- Omihachiman Station → Hachiman-bori bus stop
From north-exit stop 6 or 7 at Omihachiman Station, use the stop for your bus and board a service stopping at Hachiman-bori (Osugicho) Hachimanyama Ropeway-guchi. Look up both the outbound bus and the return bus to the station in the official timetable for your date.
- Hachiman-bori bus stop → Canal and historic streets
Get off, walk along the canal and historic streets, and eat nearby. The canal is directly accessible on foot from the stop. The standard plan is a walk; sightseeing boats and paid facilities are optional extras. For a boat ride, check the boarding point, operating dates, and price, then shorten sightseeing to fit your return bus.
- Canal and historic streets → Omihachiman Station
After your walk and meal, take a station-bound bus from the Hachiman-bori stop. Buses between the station and canal cost ¥260 one way or ¥520 round trip per adult. Sightseeing boats are excluded. Look up the service in the correct direction for your visit date in the official timetable.
- Omihachiman Station → Hikone Station and same lodging
Take a JR Biwako Line service toward Maibara or Nagahama that stops at Hikone, then return to the same lodging. JR round-trip fares and time to walk from the bus to the platform and wait for your train are extra.
JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map, revised March 16, 2024JR journey search
Look up round-trip trains between Hikone and Omihachiman together with buses to the canal and back to the station. A sightseeing boat is separate from the walking plan; check its boarding point, operating dates, and price separately.
Day 3 · Streets with an easy return to the station
- Lodging near Hikone Station → Streets and open shops
Walk about 20 minutes from Hikone Station to explore shops and streets on Yume Kyobashi Castle Road. Shop hours and meal costs are separate.
- Streets and open shops → Booked departure station
After your walk and meal, return to Hikone Station for your booked departure. Leave time to return to the station and reach the platform. Skip the final-day walk if your train leaves early.
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 + Hachiman-bori bus round trip ¥520
Extra costs: JR between Hikone and Omihachiman, round trips to lodging, luggage storage, lodging, meals, sightseeing boats, paid activities, an additional museum visit, and final departure transportation
Confirmed facility and bus costs for the standard visit total ¥1,520 per adult: castle and Genkyuen Garden ¥1,000 + Hachiman-bori bus round trip ¥520. Round-trip JR between the two cities, optional sightseeing boats, meals, lodging, and departure transportation cost extra.
Hikone Castle visitor guideHachiman-bori bus fares and round-trip timetables
Stay in Kusatsu for Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum
Stay two nights in Kusatsu to visit Ishiyamadera and Lake Biwa Museum while avoiding a long trip on your departure day. This plan assumes you are locally available from the first morning: visit the temple on day 1 and museum exhibits on day 2.
Day 1 · Ishiyamadera
Begin your first day at Kusatsu Station.
- Kusatsu Station → JR Ishiyama Station
From Kusatsu Station, take a Kyoto-bound JR Biwako Line service that stops at Ishiyama. Enter your travel date in the JR search and check station guidance for departure times, fares, and platforms. JR is excluded from this plan's ¥2,900 subtotal.
JR journey searchJR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map, revised March 16, 2024
- JR Ishiyama Station → Sanmon-mae bus stop
From stop 1 at JR Ishiyama Station, board a service stopping at Sanmon-mae and get off at Ishiyamadera Sanmon-mae. The approximately 10-minute ride excludes bus waits and the walk from JR to the bus stop. Check services for your visit day of the week.
- Sanmon-mae bus stop → Temple visit and lunch
Get off and enter through the gate with a ¥600 regular admission ticket, then eat lunch nearby. Hours are 8:00 AM–4:30 PM, last entry 4:00 PM. The inner sanctuary and Hozoden cost extra.
- Temple visit area → JR Ishiyama Station
After your temple visit and meal, take an Ishiyama Station-bound bus from Sanmon-mae stop 2. Distinguish it from Otsu Station-bound services. Allow time to transfer to JR after arriving at Ishiyama Station.
- JR Ishiyama Station → Kusatsu Station and same lodging
Take a JR Biwako Line service toward Maibara or Yasu that stops at Kusatsu, then return to the same lodging. Allow time to walk from the bus to the JR platform and look up trains and fares for your date. On a late-afternoon arrival day, swap the temple with another sightseeing day or skip one facility.
JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map, revised March 16, 2024JR journey search
Use an Ishiyama Station-bound return bus from Sanmon-mae stop 2. Distinguish it from Otsu Station-bound services, and leave time to walk from the bus to the JR platform at Ishiyama. Look up round-trip services for your visit date.
Day 2 · Lake Biwa Museum
- Kusatsu Station west-exit bus stop 2 → 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. Look up outbound and return buses together in the official timetable for your date, allowing extra waiting time.
- Lake Biwa Museum bus stop → Lake Biwa Museum permanent exhibition
Get off and head to the museum, leaving time for the permanent exhibition, meals, and breaks. General permanent-exhibition admission is ¥840; special exhibitions cost extra. Hours are 9:30 AM–5:00 PM, last admission 4:00 PM. Check Monday closures, public holiday opening, and temporary closures in the calendar for your date.
Museum accessLake Biwa Museum admissionLake Biwa Museum opening calendar
- Lake Biwa Museum permanent exhibition → Kusatsu Station and same lodging
After exhibits and your meal, take a bus from the museum stop toward Kusatsu Station's west exit. Finish your visit to fit the return bus, then return to the same lodging in Kusatsu after arriving at the station.
Check museum closures and buses toward Kusatsu Station for your date. Allow time to walk from the exhibition rooms to the bus stop.
Day 3 · Park walk and departure
- Lodging near Kusatsu Station → Walking path
Walk about 6 minutes from Kusatsu Station to explore the path at Deai Hiroba · de愛ひろば. The management office's 9:00 AM–5:00 PM hours are not the opening hours of the entire park.
- Walking path → Booked departure station
After your walk and meal, return to Kusatsu Station for your booked departure. Leave time to return to the station and reach the platform. Skip the final-day walk if your train leaves early.
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: Regular Ishiyamadera admission ¥600 + Lake Biwa Museum permanent exhibition ¥840 + temple bus round trip ¥500 + museum bus round trip ¥960
Extra costs: Round-trip JR between Kusatsu and Ishiyama, extra travel to lodging, luggage storage, inner sanctuary, Hozoden, special exhibitions, lodging, meals, final departure transportation, and park events
The ¥2,900 subtotal covers basic admission to the temple and museum and both bus round trips. Round-trip JR between Kusatsu and Ishiyama is excluded. Look up trains and fares separately for your date; allow time to transfer from the temple bus to JR and return from the museum to your Kusatsu lodging.
Current prices and exceptionsLake Biwa Museum admissionKojak Bus fares, revised March 1, 2026Official Ohmi Bus guide
Frequently asked questions
How do I get from Hikone to Hachiman-bori?
Take a Kyoto-bound JR Biwako Line train from Hikone to Omihachiman Station. At the north exit, use stop 6 or 7 for your bus and take a service stopping at Hachiman-bori (Osugicho) Hachimanyama Ropeway-guchi. The station-to-canal bus costs ¥260 each way or ¥520 round trip per adult. Check JR fares between Hikone and Omihachiman and train and bus times for your date separately.
JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map, revised March 16, 2024Hachiman-bori bus fares and round-trip timetables
What are the admission and bus subtotals for Shiga's two-night itineraries?
Hikone route A costs ¥1,520: ¥1,000 castle and Genkyuen Garden admission plus ¥520 round-trip Hachiman-bori bus fare. Kusatsu route B costs ¥2,900: ¥600 general Ishiyamadera admission, ¥840 Lake Biwa Museum permanent exhibition admission, ¥500 round-trip temple bus fare, and ¥960 round-trip museum bus fare. JR trains, lodging, meals, bag storage, departure transport, extra visits, and sightseeing boats cost extra. The routes visit different attractions; neither subtotal is the full trip cost.
Hikone Castle visitor guideHachiman-bori bus fares and round-trip timetablesCurrent prices and exceptionsLake Biwa Museum admissionKojak Bus fares, revised March 1, 2026Official Ohmi Bus guide
Official sources and checked dates
- Museum access ·
- Hachiman-bori access ·
- Hikone Castle access ·
- Kojak Bus fares, revised March 1, 2026 ·
- Sanmon-mae stop 2 timetable toward Ishiyama Station ·
- Hachiman-bori bus fares and round-trip timetables ·
- Hikone Castle visitor guide ·
- Bus departures ·
- 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 ·
- Kusatsu City access and facilities ·
- Official Shiga access guide ·
- Shopping street store directory ·
- Official Hikone Castle guide ·
- JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map, revised March 16, 2024 ·