Shiga Prefecture Profile
Natural features
Shiga Prefecture, located in about the middle of the Main Island of Japan, is known for the grand Omi Basin, and the lake of Biwa covering a sixth of the whole area of the prefecture. Shiga is bordered by mountainous areas in every direction: Nosaka Mountains form its northern border with Fukui, Ibuki Mountains constitute the eastern border with Gifu, Suzuka Mountains form the south-eastern border with Mie, and Hira and Hiei Mountains constitute the western border with Kyoto. The prefecture has been an important place of traffic from old times, where three highways from the eastern region--Hokuriku, Tousan (Nakasendo) and Tokai--converge, so that there have been healthy circulation of information and communication of people. The people here are therefore positive and open, so that the prefecture has been producing a lot of great merchants--what is called "Omi merchant"--who, with this characteristic disposition of Shiga, dared to advance even into the market of Tokyo, not to speak of Kyoto or Osaka.
Climate and vegetation
Adjacent to the Hokuriku Districts in the north, and to the Nanki Districts (the southern part of Kinki) in the south, Shiga possesses a highly complicated composition of climate within itself. If we divide the prefecture in two by the lake of Biwa, Kohoku (the northern half) has a climatic type of the district along the Sea of Japan, whereas the climate of Konan (the southern half) is the one typical of the Pacific seaside of Japan. The more northern you go, the more snowfall you have, and in some districts in the north, it snows more than one hundred days a year in total. Although Hokuriku and Tokaido railways run between Kosei (the western part) and Kohoku, snowplows are needed every year because of the heavy snow.
Geographical characteristics
The lake of Biwa, the biggest lake in Japan, covers an area of 679.5 square kilometers, which is surrounded in every direction by mountainous areas as above-mentioned. You had to cross over a ridge in days of old, and now you must go through a tunnel, in order to enter Shiga Prefecture. There are historically famous ridges of Aichi, Fuwa, Suzuka, and Ousaka. The Hiei Mountain dominates Konan district, over which stretch the plateaus of Tagami and Shigaraki. Many rivers such as Archi, Hino and Yasu Rivers rising in the mountainous areas around, pour into the lake of Biwa.
Men and History
Because of its location in the Kinki Districts, as well as its importance in traffic, Shiga has been always under the influence of the central politics, so that there are many ancient tombs throughout the prefecture. Shiga itself was the political centre for some time, as we know from the old capital of Otsu in the reign of Tenchi emperor, and the castle of Azuchi in the reign of Nobunaga Oda, neither of which, however, exist now because of the frequent war flames. Konan district produced the greatest Haiku poet, Basho Matsuo, while Takashima county produced the sage of Omi, Toju Nakae.
Culture and festivals
Hikiyama Festival held in the Nagahama Shrine in the city of Nagahama started in celebration of the birth of a boy begot by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, where twelve Dashi(floats) parade the streets of the city. Kabuki theatre on the stage of Hikiyama is so famous as to attract many visitors from outside the prefecture. Moreover, Sagicho Festival of the Himurehachiman Shrine in the city of Omihachiman, held on the weekend in the middle of March every year, is a fire festival established in the Azuchi Momoyama era under the reign of Nobunaga Oda. Thus the festivals in Shiga are related to the historic persons--which is very much like the prefecture.
Industries
There are not very large areas under cultivation, but the lands are fertile especially around the big mouth of the lake of Biwa. As an important part of the granary of the Kinki Districts, Shiga raises a rich crop of rice which is known as Koshu rice. The fishery is also thriving in the lake of Biwa, where, as they say, live almost all kinds of freshwater fish in Japan. Furthermore, according as the traffic networks like Meishin Highway and the national highway 1 develop, the enterprises related to automobile and to industrial machinery have launched one after another, so that they nowadays perform an increasingly important function as a relay point between the Hanshin Districts and the Chukyo District.
One-point tourist guide
The lake of Biwa presents picturesque views from any direction. There are numerous places to see--the old temples like Enryakuji and Ishiyamadera, and the national property, Chikubu island, for example. You can fully appreciate the beauty of the Lake Biwa, around which sight-seeing buses and excursion ships are in service. Many skiers visit the mountain regions of Kohoku, which are covered with snow every winter
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