Japan Heritage story
Lake Biwa: villages that live with the water
琵琶湖とその水辺景観
Around Lake Biwa people still draw spring water into their kitchens, row through canal villages and keep the reed beds alive. It is a living lesson in how to use water without spoiling it.
Key facts
- Theme
- Castles, Sea and waterside, Festivals and rituals, Food and sake
- Era
- Kamakura, Muromachi, Azuchi-Momoyama, Edo
- Region
- Kansai
- Official name in Japanese
- 琵琶湖とその水辺景観
- Official subtitle in Japanese
- 祈りと暮らしの水遺産
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 滋賀県（大津市，彦根市，近江八幡市，高島市，東近江市，米原市，長浜市、草津市、守山市、野洲市）
The story
For the Japanese, water has always been more than a resource: it purifies, heals and is worshipped. Around Lake Biwa in Shiga, temples were built facing the lake, and villages worked out rules for sharing water that are still followed today.
What to see
- Kabata in Takashima: homes with a spring-fed washing place, used in steps for drinking, cooking and washing, with carp at the end to eat the scraps. An Edo-period bamboo-pipe water system is still kept running there.
- Nishinoko in Omihachiman: the largest remaining inner lake, with reed beds cut in autumn and burned in early spring.Google Maps 西の湖 近江八幡 (opens in a new tab)
- Iba: a village laced with canals, where houses have kawato steps down to the water.
- Sugaura: a lakeside village at the steep northern end, run by a close community since the Middle Ages.
- Hikone Castle: its moats once carried boats and goods; see more castles.Google Maps 彦根城 (opens in a new tab)
- Ishiyama-dera: where Murasaki Shikibu is said to have been inspired to write The Tale of Genji by the moon over the lake.Google Maps 石山寺 (opens in a new tab)
Good to know
- Kabata are in people's homes. Join a local guided walk instead of looking into houses on your own.
- Try funazushi, fermented crucian carp with rice, the lake's famous and very strong-tasting dish.
- Go to Nishinoko in autumn or early spring to see the reed cutting or burning that keeps the landscape alive.
Questions travellers ask
What is a kabata?
A washing place inside or beside a house, fed by a natural spring. Clean water is used first for drinking, then for cooking and washing, and carp keep the last pool clean.
Where should I start around Lake Biwa?
Omihachiman for canals and reed beds, Takashima for kabata, or Hikone for the castle. All are in Shiga.
Where it comes from
More heritage stories from the same area
- 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
- Lake Biwa Canal: the waterway of hope from Otsu to Kyoto
- Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage: Japan's 1,300-year journey of the heart
- The railway across the sea: Nagahama, Tsuruga and Imajo
- The Six Ancient Kilns: pottery born and raised in Japan
Local foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.