Japan Heritage story
Lake Biwa Canal: the waterway of hope from Otsu to Kyoto
京都と大津を繋ぐ希望の水路 琵琶湖疏水
When Japan's capital moved to Tokyo, Kyoto lost about a third of its people. Its answer was the Lake Biwa Canal, a waterway from Otsu built entirely by Japanese engineers, which brought Kyoto power, trams, boats, gardens and clean water, and still flows today.
Key facts
- Theme
- Sea and waterside
- Era
- Heian, Meiji
- Region
- Kansai
- Official name in Japanese
- 京都と大津を繋ぐ希望の水路 琵琶湖疏水
- Official subtitle in Japanese
- ～舟に乗り、歩いて触れる明治のひととき～
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 京都府（京都市）・滋賀県（大津市）
The story
In 1885, under Governor Kitagaki Kunimichi, work began on a canal from Lake Biwa to Kyoto, costing about two years of the prefecture's budget. The chief engineer, Tanabe Sakuro, was just 21. Workers made most materials themselves, trained by night and built by day, and fought floods of groundwater in the tunnels. In 1890 the First Canal opened, Japan's first great civil engineering project done only by Japanese, and tunnel entrances still carry plaques written by statesmen such as Ito Hirobumi.
Midway through, Tanabe visited a hydropower plant in Aspen, Colorado, and persuaded the governor to add electricity. In 1891 the Keage Power Station became Japan's first hydropower plant for public supply, powering factories and Japan's first electric railway. Boats carried goods from Otsu to Kyoto and on to Osaka, canal water protected the Imperial Palace from fire, and garden designer Ogawa Jihei used it to create the famous gardens of Okazaki.
What to see
- Biwako Sosui boat: the canal boat revived in 2018 after about 70 years, from Otsu to Keage.Google Maps びわ湖疏水船 大津乗下船場 (opens in a new tab)
- Keage: the second Keage power station and the water purification plant, which opens to the public each year and famous for about 4,800 azaleas.Google Maps 蹴上発電所 (opens in a new tab)
- Murin-an: Yamagata Aritomo's Kyoto villa, with a garden fed by canal water.Google Maps 無鄰菴 (opens in a new tab)
- Heian Shrine garden: its ponds take canal water from Lake Biwa.Google Maps 平安神宮神苑 (opens in a new tab)
Plan your trip with the Kyoto prefecture guide and the Shiga prefecture guide, and see more gardens and parks.
Good to know
- Book the Biwako Sosui boat ahead for a slow ride through the Meiji-era tunnels.
- Look for the stone plaques above the tunnel entrances, written by Meiji statesmen.
- Visit the Keage water purification plant on its open day in azalea season.
Questions travellers ask
Why was the Lake Biwa Canal built?
To revive Kyoto after the capital moved to Tokyo, bringing water for power, transport, farming, fire protection and gardens.
Can I ride a boat on the canal?
Yes. The Biwako Sosui boat runs between Otsu and Keage, revived in 2018 after about 70 years.
Where it comes from
More heritage stories from the same area
- 800 years of Japanese tea in Uji and southern Kyoto
- Esashi: the herring town that outshone Edo
- Hida no Takumi: 1,300 years of master woodworkers in Takayama
- Iga and Koka: in search of the real ninja
- Kitamaebune: the merchant ships that made Japan's port towns rich
- Lake Biwa: villages that live with the water
- Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage: Japan's 1,300-year journey of the heart
- Tango chirimen: 300 years of silk on Kyoto's north coast
- The railway across the sea: Nagahama, Tsuruga and Imajo
- The Six Ancient Kilns: pottery born and raised in Japan
- Yokosuka, Kure, Sasebo and Maizuru: Japan's naval port cities
Local foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.