Date I went: 04/15/2020
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Today I'll be going on a bit of a bike ride from Kyoto to Shirahige Shrine; and then a little bit further North to the Takashima area of Lake Biwako
Bike Route from Kyoto to Takashima
In total it was about a 110 kilometer ride from my Airbnb around Heian Shrine up to Shirahige Shrine to Biwako Kodomo-no Kuni and then back home. I probably ended up going closer to 120 kilometers though with the detours I made along the way.
Lake Biwa (琵琶湖)
The beast that is Lake Biwa. It is the largest freshwater lake in Japan and is estimated to be the 13th oldest lake in history.
Bike Route through Yamashina Ward
The first leg of my journey today was going from my Airbnb through the Yamashina Ward of Kyoto in order to get to Lake Biwa. There's a couple hills on this part, but nothing I couldn't manage.
Getting to the Lake from the Higashiyama district of Kyoto is a little over 10 kilometers, which takes me about 40 minutes to traverse.
Hiyoshi Taisha Shichihonyanagi Torii (日吉大社 七本柳鳥居)
The first site I come across on my journey is the Hiyoshi Taisha Shichihonyanagi Torii. It's a pretty low key site to see, and you would really only see it from the Biwako Bicycle path. There are no train stops nearby either so I think it's more of a spot locals would know of. There were a few fishermen here when I came, and the view looking out into the Lake is quite picturesque.
I quickly start passing through more rural towns as I travel up the Western shores of the Lake. Some sections of houses in Japan are quite old, while others appear to be built within the last decade.
Ogoto Soapland District (雄琴 ソープランド)
At the time I biked through the Ogoto Soapland I had no idea what the deal with this place was. There were so many crazy looking hotels and buildings that I thought it was just another random Japanese artifact. I learned later that this was a Soapland district, which are basically brothels in Japan. Foreigners are not allowed in many of these establishments, and they can be found all throughout Japan even in the most rural areas like this one was.
These guys flying around are called Koinobori (鯉のぼり) which means "carp streamer" in Japanese. Usually they are flown on Children's Day (May 5th), but here they seemed to be flying all year round.
Here's a little summary of their meaning according to Wikipedia - "According to the Japanese American National Museum, the koi fish was chosen as a symbol for Boys' Day because "the Japanese consider it the most spirited fish — so full of energy and power that it can fight its way up swift-running streams and cascades. Because of its strength and determination to overcome all obstacles, it stands for courage and the ability to attain high goals. Since these are traits desired in boys, families traditionally flew Koinobori from their homes to honor their sons." The streamers also pay homage to a myth from the late Han Dynasty about a golden koi fish that swam up a waterfall at the end of the Yellow River and became a dragon."
I saw a lot of construction sites in Japan using cartoon characters like Luffy from One Piece or other cute characters as guard rails. Luffy definitely makes the construction site look more friendly and safe.
This Sakura tree was being held up almost like a Christmas tree. The picture on the right features the Ono Station (小野駅) where the Biwako Train line runs.
There are many points along the Biwako Bicycle path where you can walk right up to the water.
It was all rural countryside riding along the Western shores of the Lake. There are plenty of small towns along the road though as well as plenty of convenience stores, eateries, and train station stops are not spaced too far apart.
This was an interesting European looking cottage I came across along the bicycle route. I think they were selling some kind of crafts inside as well.
I'm getting close to my Shirahige Shrine now, but still a little more countryside to go through.
The road is pretty narrow around Shirahige shrine, but provides some great Lake side riding views. There was also a trendy cafe around the shrine area called Seikousha Cafe (ルヴァン), but it was closed today.
Shirahige Soba Noodle (白ひげ蕎麦)
There is also this cool traditional looking Soba Noodle Shop around the Shirahige Shrine. The restaurant has a 3.5 rating on Google, but I guess the nice lakeside views are why people would come here.
Shirahige Shrine (白鬚神社)
Shirahige Shrine Zoom In
50 kilometers later I've finally made it to Shirahige Shrine! It's a very unique shrine located in the Lake, and the most picturesque Torii you can find around Lake Biwako. There is also a few steps you can sit on that go down from the road to the Lake's edge. Across the street there is a Temple that is connected with the Shrine.
According to the Shirahige Shrine website -
"It is a legendary torii that is said to have suddenly appeared in the lake in front of the shrine as a sign of a catastrophic event, even though the torii was visible and hidden at the beach from ancient times. This mysterious torii was actually built in 1937 by the donation of Mr. Kyubei Konishi, a drug wholesaler in Osaka, and the current torii was rebuilt in 1981."
Shirahige Shrine: http://shirahigejinja.com/
Takashima (高島市)
Takashima Zoom In
Although I should have started biking back home at this point (it was around 2 p.m.) I decided to bike a bit further North to the adjacent neighborhood of Takashima. It's a sizable farming district, with a few cool sites to check out. The large wooden buckets featured above are for making Shoyu.
Omi-Takashima Gulliver Monument (ガリバー像)
One of the most random monuments/sites you can find around the Lake is definitely the Omi-Takashima Gulliver Monument (ガリバー像). Yes it is Gulliver from Gulliver's Travels. There doesn't seem to be any apparent reason for this monument. Somehow it makes sense to have it here since this is Japan where random things like this monument can appear and no one questions why it is here.
Sakura Kaido (さくら街道)
A really cool road you can check out around Takashima is the Sakura Kaido (さくら街道). I'm not sure exactly how long the road runs, but if you head to the Ado River (安曇川) in Takashima you will find it on the South side of the river. You can go up and down the road driving through the Sakura when they are in season here; the road is not very wide, but you can drive on it. I definitely recommend biking on it though.
Biwako kodomo-no kuni (滋賀県立びわ湖こどもの国)
My last stop for the day was at Biwako Kodomo-no Kuni (滋賀県立びわ湖こどもの国). It's a children's playground, but there were some intense play structures here! Just take a look at this 90 degree drop slide.
You can also find a scenic area where the peddle sand beach meets the Lake at the playground.
It was already around 5:30 p.m. when I started biking back home, so I didn't get back until around 10 p.m. It was definitely the most wiped I had been biking in Japan. It's quite safe biking at night in Japan, but of course I don't recommend it. At night time around Lake Biwa I heard many many frogs croaking at night though, which freaked me out a bit since I am not used to the wildlife here.
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