What should you add to a three-night Shiga trip?
Stay three nights in Kusatsu for a day each at Ishiyamadera, Lake Biwa Museum, and Hikone Castle. For more time at Hikone Castle Museum, stay three nights in Hikone. Visit the castle and garden and the castle museum on separate days, and take a day trip to Hachiman-bori.
Choose an itinerary for 4 days, 3 nights
Stay in Kusatsu for Ishiyamadera, Lake Biwa Museum, and Hikone Castle
Stay three nights in Kusatsu, giving Ishiyamadera, Lake Biwa Museum, and Hikone Castle a day each. Return to the same lodging after sightseeing. On departure day, add a short walk near the station if time allows.
Stay in Kusatsu for Ishiyamadera, Lake Biwa Museum, and Hikone Castle →4 days, 3 nights BStay in Hikone for the castle, canal, and museum
Stay three nights in Hikone, visiting the castle keep and garden and the castle museum on different days. Make a day trip to Hachiman-bori for the canal and historic streets. This plan does not visit Lake Biwa Museum.
Stay in Hikone for the castle, canal, and museum →Stay in Kusatsu for Ishiyamadera, Lake Biwa Museum, and Hikone Castle
Stay three nights in Kusatsu, giving Ishiyamadera, Lake Biwa Museum, and Hikone Castle a day each. Return to the same lodging after sightseeing. On departure day, add a short walk near the station if time allows.
Day 1 · Temple round trip
Begin your first day at Kusatsu Station.
- Kusatsu Station → JR Ishiyama Station
Take a Kyoto-bound JR Biwako Line service that stops at Ishiyama. Look up trains and fares for your date, and allow time to reach the bus stop at Ishiyama Station.
JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map, revised March 16, 2024JR journey search
- JR Ishiyama Station bus stop 1 → Ishiyamadera Sanmon-mae bus stop
Take a service on route 1, 4, 14, 52, 54, or 55 stopping at Sanmon-mae; the ride takes about 10 minutes. Look up services in the correct direction for your date in the official timetable.
- Ishiyamadera Sanmon-mae bus stop → Ishiyamadera temple visit area
Enter through the gate with a ¥600 regular admission ticket, then eat nearby. Hours are 8:00 AM–4:30 PM, last entry 4:00 PM. The inner sanctuary and Hozoden cost extra. Swap the temple with another day or skip it if you lack enough sightseeing time before last entry.
- Ishiyamadera temple visit area → JR Ishiyama Station
Take an Ishiyama Station-bound bus from Sanmon-mae stop 2. Distinguish it from Otsu Station-bound services and allow time to walk from the bus to the JR platform.
- JR Ishiyama Station → Kusatsu Station and same lodging
Take a JR Biwako Line service toward Maibara or Yasu stopping at Kusatsu, then stay at the same lodging. The ¥500 temple bus round trip is separate from JR round-trip fares; JR is excluded from the plan's partial costs.
JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map, revised March 16, 2024JR journey searchKojak Bus fares, revised March 1, 2026
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 · Museum exhibits
- 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 · Hikone Castle
- Kusatsu Station → Hikone Station
Take a Maibara-bound JR Biwako Line service that stops at Hikone. Look up outbound services and fares for your date together with return Kyoto-bound services stopping at Kusatsu.
JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map, revised March 16, 2024JR journey search
- Hikone Station west exit → 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.
- Castle and Genkyuen Garden → Hikone Station
After eating near the castle, return to Hikone Station. Allow time to walk from the castle, reach the platform, and wait for your train. Shorten your visit if needed to avoid missing your return service while adding other facilities.
- Hikone Station → Kusatsu Station and same lodging
Take a Kyoto-bound JR Biwako Line service that stops at Kusatsu, then return to the same lodging. JR round-trip fares, train times, and the walk to your lodging are separate from the facility and bus subtotal; check them for your date.
JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map, revised March 16, 2024JR journey search
Allow sightseeing time before last admission at 4:30 PM. To add the museum, also check its opening time, closing days, and combination-ticket availability. Look up return trains and your route from the station to lodging separately.
Day 4 · Short Kusatsu walk, then departure
- Lodging near Kusatsu Station → Deai Hiroba · de愛ひろば area
Walk around Deai Hiroba · de愛ひろば, about 6 minutes from Kusatsu Station. This is the one-way walk from the station to the park; walking from lodging to the station and time in the park are extra.
- Deai Hiroba · de愛ひろば area → 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 + Hikone Castle and Genkyuen Garden ¥1,000 + Ishiyamadera bus round trip ¥500 + Lake Biwa Museum bus round trip ¥960
Extra costs: Intercity JR, round trips to lodging, luggage storage, lodging, meals, Hikone Castle Museum, inner sanctuary, Hozoden, special exhibitions, park events, and final departure transportation
Basic facility admission and both bus round trips total ¥3,900 per adult: facilities ¥2,440 + temple buses ¥500 + museum buses ¥960. Choosing the same-day combination ticket that also includes Hikone Castle Museum brings the total to ¥4,400. JR, lodging, meals, extra visits, park events, and final departure transportation are excluded. Adjust the visit order for facility closures and bus operating dates.
Current prices and exceptionsLake Biwa Museum admissionHikone Castle visitor guideKojak Bus fares, revised March 1, 2026Official Ohmi Bus guide
Stay in Hikone for the castle, canal, and museum
Stay three nights in Hikone, visiting the castle keep and garden and the castle museum on different days. Make a day trip to Hachiman-bori for the canal and historic streets. This plan does not visit Lake Biwa Museum.
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
After eating near the castle, return to the same Hikone lodging. Castle admission ends at 4:30 PM; if arriving late, swap dates with the following day's museum visit.
Allow sightseeing time before last admission at 4:30 PM. To add the museum, also check its opening time, closing days, and combination-ticket availability. Look up return trains and your route from the station to lodging separately.
Day 2 · Castle museum
- Lodging 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 an individual ticket for ¥700. The walk from your lodging to the station is extra. March–November opening is 9:00 AM, different from the castle's 8:30 AM.
- Hikone Castle Museum → Your starting station and same hotel
After the exhibits, eat and rest near the castle or station, then return to the same lodging. This does not split a combination ticket across two days. Change dates for an exhibition change or closure.
Hikone Castle Museum opens at 9:00 AM. Check exhibition changes and temporary closures in the official visitor guide for your date.
Day 3 · Hachiman-bori
- Hikone Station → Omihachiman Station
Take a Kyoto-bound JR Biwako Line service that stops at Omihachiman. Use the north exit and head to the bus stop. JR fares and bus waits are separate.
JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map, revised March 16, 2024JR journey search
- Omihachiman Station north exit → 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
Return to the Hachiman-bori stop and take a bus toward Omihachiman Station. Adult buses between the station and Hachiman-bori cost ¥260 one way or ¥520 round trip. Check your return bus stop and departure time separately in the official timetable for your date.
- 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. Leave time to reach the JR platform after the bus and wait for the train. Check JR round-trip fares and bus connections separately for your date.
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 4 · Castle-town streets and departure
- Lodging near Hikone Station → Streets and open shops
Walk to Yume Kyobashi Castle Road, about 20 minutes from Hikone Station, and browse open shops. Add walking, meals, and the return walk separately to this one-way access time from the station.
- 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 + individual Hikone Castle Museum ticket for a different day ¥700 + 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, extra visits, and final departure transportation
The castle and garden, castle museum on another day, and Hachiman-bori bus round trip total ¥2,220 per adult. JR, sightseeing boats, paid activities, lodging, meals, and final departure transportation are excluded. Look up museum closures and JR and bus services for your date, and leave time to return to Hikone Station and board your train on departure day.
Hikone Castle visitor guideOfficial museum guideHachiman-bori bus fares and round-trip timetables
Frequently asked questions
Do both three-night routes visit the same museum?
They visit different museums. Kusatsu route A takes a bus from Kusatsu Station to Lake Biwa Museum. Hikone route B visits Hikone Castle Museum on a separate day from the castle and garden. General admission is ¥840 for Lake Biwa Museum's permanent exhibition and ¥700 for a separate castle museum ticket. Check each museum's closures before choosing dates.
Museum accessLake Biwa Museum admissionLake Biwa Museum opening calendarOfficial museum guide
Can I visit Hikone Castle from Kusatsu and return to the same hotel?
Route A takes a Maibara-bound JR Biwako Line train from Kusatsu that stops at Hikone, then walks from the west exit to the castle. After sightseeing, take a Kyoto-bound JR train stopping at Kusatsu and return to the same hotel. The roughly 15-minute station-to-castle walk excludes ticket lines, keep stairs, and walking to your hotel. Check round-trip trains and fares for your date first.
JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map, revised March 16, 2024JR journey searchHikone Castle access
Do I need a JR pass to visit Hikone Castle?
You can use ordinary tickets. To compare the WEST QR Kansai Area Pass, choose your actual JR sections and dates, check whether they are covered, and compare ordinary fares. The itinerary admission and bus subtotals exclude JR fares. Temple, museum, and Hachiman-bori buses and attraction admission cost extra even with the pass.
JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map, revised March 16, 2024JR journey searchOfficial WEST QR Kansai Area Pass conditionsKojak Bus fares, revised March 1, 2026Official Ohmi Bus guideHachiman-bori bus fares and round-trip timetables
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 ·
- Official Hachiman-bori guide ·
- JR West Sagano and Biwako Line station map, revised March 16, 2024 ·
- Official WEST QR Kansai Area Pass conditions ·