Shiga Prefecture sits an eight-minute train ride from Kyoto, but it operates at an entirely different pace. Here, Japan’s largest lake spreads across the landscape like an inland sea, a real castle still stands on the hill where it was built four centuries ago, and children can throw shuriken at a village where the techniques of historical ninja have been preserved and taught for generations. For families travelling Japan, this is a prefecture that repays a full day or two without requiring a car.
Koka Ninja Village — Shuriken Throwing and Shinobi History
The Koka region produced one of Japan’s two great ninja traditions. While Iga across the border in Mie Prefecture is the more internationally famous name, Koka (sometimes written Koga) was equally significant in the history of shinobi espionage and unconventional warfare. At Koka Ninja Village, children and adults can encounter this history not through static display cases but through hands-on activity.
The admission fee is ¥800 per adult, with discounts for children. Shuriken throwing is the headline attraction — instructors demonstrate technique and then let visitors attempt the star-shaped throwing weapons against wooden targets. The throwing lane is short enough for young children to engage with confidently, and the satisfaction of a successful throw tends to linger for the rest of the day.
Beyond shuriken, the village contains obstacle courses modelled on ninja training grounds, exhibits on the tools and tactics of historical intelligence operatives, and demonstrations of disappearing techniques and concealed passages. The complex is designed for active engagement rather than passive observation, which means it holds attention considerably better than most history museums for younger visitors.
Getting There
Koka Ninja Village is accessible from Koka Station on the Kusatsu Line. From Kyoto, take the JR Biwako Line to Kusatsu and change to the Kusatsu Line for Koka — total journey around 50 minutes. A local bus connects Koka Station to the village. Check the timetable in advance as buses run on a limited schedule.
Hikone Castle — A Real Keep and a Very Famous Cat
Hikone Castle is one of Japan’s small number of original castle keeps — a structure that survived the centuries, the Meiji-era demolitions, and the Second World War still standing on the hill where it was completed in 1622. It holds National Treasure status, the highest designation the Japanese government applies to historic structures. For families, the combination of genuine historical architecture and one of Japan’s best-loved mascot characters makes it a natural anchor for a day in Shiga.
The castle donjon is steep and compact, with ladders rather than staircases between some floors — manageable for most children but worth knowing in advance if travelling with very young ones. From the upper floor, Lake Biwa spreads across the entire northern horizon. The grounds include a garden, Genkyuen, originally laid out in 1677 for the lord of Hikone, which is beautifully maintained and worth the separate ¥200 entry fee for older children and adults.
Hikonyan — Japan’s Castle Cat
Hikonyan is the white cat mascot of Hikone Castle, inspired by a legend connecting a lucky cat to the castle’s founding lord. He is consistently ranked among Japan’s most beloved yuru-kyara characters and has maintained extraordinary popularity since his debut in 2007. Appearances are scheduled three times daily: 11:00, 14:00, and 16:00. Each appearance lasts approximately 15 minutes and takes place in the castle courtyard area. Children gather in significant numbers, but the appearances are not so brief that photographs are difficult to obtain.
Arrive at the castle grounds well before the scheduled appearance and position yourselves near the main plaza area. The appearances are announced in advance on the castle’s official schedule; confirm current times on the day as seasonal variations apply.
Entry to the castle grounds and donjon costs ¥800 for adults, ¥200 for children. From Hikone Station (JR Biwako Line, 45 minutes from Kyoto), the castle is an eight-minute walk.
Biwako Otsu Cruise — Lake Biwa from the Water
Lake Biwa covers 670 square kilometres and holds roughly one-sixth of all freshwater in Japan. That scale is difficult to appreciate from the shore. The Biwako Otsu cruise, departing from Otsu Port near the southern end of the lake, takes passengers out onto open water for 60 minutes aboard a comfortable sightseeing vessel, returning with a perspective on the surrounding mountains and shoreline that only the lake itself can provide.
The standard round-trip fare is ¥1,540 for adults, with reduced rates for children. The vessel is enclosed and comfortable in poor weather, with observation decks for clear days. The views of the Hira Mountains across the western shore are excellent from mid-morning onward.
Otsu Port is accessible from Otsu Station or Hamaotsu Station, both a short walk from the water. Otsu itself is eight minutes by JR from Kyoto Station — the lake is genuinely closer to Kyoto’s main station than many of Kyoto’s own suburban sights.
Shigaraki Tanuki Pottery — Paint Your Own
Shigaraki, a town northwest of Lake Biwa, is one of Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns and has produced ceramics for over 1,200 years. It is also the undisputed national capital of tanuki figurines — the round-bellied raccoon dogs whose statues stand outside businesses and homes across Japan as symbols of good fortune. The connection between Shigaraki and tanuki pottery runs deep: the local clay produces the particular warm brown surface that became the signature of the style.
Several studios in Shigaraki accept walk-in visitors for hands-on painting experiences. Children can select an unglazed tanuki figurine and paint it according to their own design — the traditional big belly, straw hat, and sake bottle are all conventional options, but the studios encourage creative variation. Finished pieces are fired and shipped to your address (allow several weeks for domestic delivery), or, for some experiences, a take-home piece is available the same day.
Painting experiences typically run ¥1,500–¥2,500 depending on the studio and the size of the figurine. Shigaraki is reachable from Kibukawa Station on the Kusatsu Line, with a further bus or taxi to the main pottery district. The town can be combined with a Koka Ninja Village visit as both lie along the same rail line.
Lake Biwa Museum — Free for Children Under 15
At the southern end of Lake Biwa in Kusatsu, the Lake Biwa Museum is dedicated entirely to the ecology, history, and culture of the world’s third-oldest lake. The freshwater aquarium section houses species found nowhere else on earth — Lake Biwa has been isolated long enough to evolve its own endemic catfish, bitterling, and other species visible in the museum’s large tanks. Children under 15 enter free; the adult admission is ¥800.
The museum covers not only the natural history of the lake but also the human communities that developed around it: the Omi merchants who traded across Japan’s road network, the fishing traditions, and the agricultural systems fed by the lake’s tributaries. Interactive exhibits make the ecological content accessible for younger visitors, and the aquarium section can hold attention for considerably longer than the estimated visit time suggests.
From Kusatsu Station (JR Biwako Line, 20 minutes from Kyoto), a community bus runs to the museum on a regular schedule.
Planning a Family Day in Shiga
The simplest approach for families based in Kyoto is to begin at Otsu for the morning lake cruise, continue to Hikone by the lunchtime Hikonyan appearance, and spend the afternoon at the castle. A second day can incorporate Koka Ninja Village and Shigaraki pottery, with the Lake Biwa Museum as a lower-energy option for late afternoon.
All sites described above are accessible without a car using JR and local bus connections. A JR Biwako Line day pass is worth calculating against individual fares if the itinerary involves multiple station stops. Children in particular tend to find the train travel itself — running along the eastern shore of Lake Biwa with the water visible from the windows — a genuine highlight of the journey.