Omihachiman is a castle town of Hachiman-yama-jo. The castle was built in 1585 on the eastern shore Japan’s largest lake, Lake Biwa. It is also known as a base town for Omi-shonin, or Omi merchants.
The quaint streets with lattice windows, the pine trees stretching out from the gardens of private residence, ‘udatsu’ (roof of unusual shape) and the Hachiman-bori area that was the hub of ship transport all are listed and preserved as a national important preservation district for the group of historic buildings.
In the Lake Nishinoko area, from Omihachiman to Azuchi, is Japan‘s largest waterfront area, regarded as one of the eight most beautiful spots of Lake Biwa and as “a water district of Azuchi Hachiman in spring colors.” There you can enjoy cruising by houseboat through reed beds in a maze of waterways, while listening to the songs of waterbirds and watching seasonal views. Today, it is designated as the first Important Cultural Landscape in Japan, because of the importance of its ecosystem, where reeds have a water purification effect.
( * refer to : Japan National Tourism Organization “Japan,the official guide)
Omihachiman – City, Shiga – Prefecture, Japan
October 2013
Olympus OM-D E-M5