Town guide
Hikone
彦根市
A castle town on the east shore of Lake Biwa that grew around Hikone Castle, the seat of the Ii clan. It was also a stop on the Nakasendo road.
3 places to see · 4 protected local foods · 3 traditional crafts
City in Shiga
Good to know
- Hikone Castle was built from 1603 to 1622 by Ii Naokatsu; it is one of only twelve castles with an original keep and one of five with National Treasure buildings.
- The castle now stands about a kilometre from Lake Biwa because of land reclamation, but it was built right on the shore.
- Hikonyan, the city's samurai-helmeted cat mascot, was created in 2007 for the castle's 400th anniversary.
- The Sawayama Castle ruins are nearby.
Things to see in Hikone
Hikone Castle Museum
彦根城博物館A castle in Shiga Prefecture, Japan.
Genkyu-en
玄宮園A garden in Shiga Prefecture, Japan.
Hikone Castle
彦根城One of Japan's 12 original castle keeps and a National Treasure, on a hill near the shore of Lake Biwa.
Map of Hikone
Every place on this page, on the map. Switch on places to eat and stay nearby.
Things to do in Hikone
Nearby towns and day trips
Taste and take home
Foods with a protected name and officially recognised crafts from Shiga.
Local foods from Shiga
Crafts from Shiga
Japan Heritage stories in Shiga
- Iga and Koka: in search of the real ninja
- The railway across the sea: Nagahama, Tsuruga and Imajo
- The Six Ancient Kilns: pottery born and raised in Japan
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.
- Official city websiteHikone City official website(in Japanese) (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia (Japanese)Hikone (Japanese Wikipedia)(in Japanese) (opens in a new tab)
- WikipediaHikone, Shiga (Wikipedia) (opens in a new tab)
- WikipediaHikone Castle (Wikipedia) (opens in a new tab)
- WikipediaHikonyan (Wikipedia) (opens in a new tab)