Begin your journey at Otsu Station and make your way through the lively shopping streets towards the Otsu Hyakucho-kan. Step into the history of the “hundred districts” that flourished during the Edo period, when Otsu was a bustling post town filled with inns, shops, and teahouses that served travellers journeying along the great highway between Kyoto and Edo.
Feel the pulse of Otsu as a town of commerce and hospitality, where merchants and pilgrims from across Japan once gathered. From there, move to the venerable Sakamotoya, famous as the original home of funazushi, a fermented fish delicacy unique to Lake Biwa. Learn how funazushi was more than just a dish: it symbolised preservation, ingenuity, and the intimate connection between the lake and the people who lived around it.
Continue with a visit to an Otsu-e shop, the last surviving place dedicated to the city’s own art form. Otsu-e paintings, which began as Buddhist images sold to travellers as charms, later evolved into humorous and satirical works that earned them the name “pop art of the Edo period.” Unlike ukiyo-e prints that celebrated actors and landscapes, Otsu-e conveyed wit, faith, and charm in simplified lines, and today they remain a rare but fascinating window into popular culture and imagination of the past.
The highlight of the tour is a guided exploration of Miidera (Onjo-ji Temple), one of the great Buddhist temples of Japan. Here, your expert guide will lead you through expansive temple grounds that resonate with history and faith. At the Moon-Viewing Stage and the Hall of One Hundred Kannon, learn about pilgrimage culture and the enduring devotion to Kannon Bodhisattva.
Pass along paths lined with ancient halls, cross stone bridges, and arrive at sacred sites such as the Reisho-do and the Akaiya spring. Encounter legends that connect Miidera to emperors, warriors, and monks. In front of the main hall, hear the storey of the “Evening Bell of Miidera,” celebrated as one of the Eight Views of Omi and immortalised in Japanese poetry and art.
Finally, as you exit through the grand Niomon Gate, reflect on the many layers of Otsu that you have experienced: the merchant town that prospered on the Tōkaidō, the lakeside city nourished by Biwa’s waters, the spiritual sanctuary of Miidera, and the cultural hub where art and tradition intersected.
