Shiga Prefecture

Shiga Prefecture (滋賀県 Shiga-ken^?) is a Japanese prefecture, which forms part of the Kansai region in the western part of Honshu island.^[1]

Its capital is Ōtsu.^[2]

Shiga was known as Ōmi Province or Gōshū before the prefectural system was established.^[3]
Omi was a neighbor of Nara and Kyoto, at the junction of western and eastern Japan.

Shiga borders Fukui Prefecture in the north, Gifu Prefecture in the east, Mie Prefecture in the southeast, and Kyoto Prefecture in the west.

Shiga's most prominent feature is Lake Biwa.
The many mountains around the lake offer beautiful views.

Lake Biwa, Japan's largest, is located at the center of this prefecture. It occupies one-sixth of its area. The Seta River flows from Lake Biwa to Osaka Bay through Kyoto. This is the only natural river that flows out from the lake. Most other natural rivers flow into the lake.

Shiga's climate sharply varies between north and south. Southern Shiga is usually warm, but northern Shiga is typically cold with high snowfall and hosts many skiing grounds.

Cultivated areas occupy nearly one-sixth of the prefecture. Rice is the principal crop: over 90 percent of the farmlands are rice fields.

Biwa town (now a part of Nagahama) is a home of The Tonda Traditional Bunraku Puppet Troupe. Founded in the 1830s, the group is one of the most active traditional Bunraku puppet theaters in Japan outside the National Theater in Osaka. Toyosato and Higashiomi are known to a mecca of Goshu ondo.
Museums include the Sagawa Art Museum in Moriyama, the Lake Biwa Museum in Kusatsu and the Miho Museum in Kōka.

In Kōka, a ninja house (the Kōka Ninja House) is preserved as a visitor center.^[10]

Shiga has many tourism resources, but Shiga is overshadowed by its much more famous neighbor Kyoto.

Unique festivals include the hikiyama festival (floats parade festival), held in ten areas such as Nagahama, Otsu, Maibara, Hino and Minakuchi.