Selected as one of the "Top 100 in Japan"
We will introduce you to the famous places of Takashima.
Selected by the Japanese Green Pine Preservation Society in 1987
Makino-cho to Imazu-cho in Takashima City
More than 2 black pines stand in a forest that stretches for about 5 km, and together with the gently curving sandy beach that stretches on and on, create a beautiful lakeside landscape of white sand and green pines.
Selected by the Japan Sakura Association in 1990
Makino Town, Takashima City
The Somei-Yoshino cherry trees are over 80 years old and are so beautiful and gorgeous that a famous painter once stopped painting. From early to mid-April, about 4 of them bloom, creating a splendid atmosphere that stretches for 800km. The view from the lake shore, which is unique to Kaizu, is also popular.
1990 Green Literature Society,
Green Renaissance,
Selection of the Green Earth Defense Fund, etc.
Shishigaseki, Takashima City
This famous waterfall is located at the source of the Kamo River, which originates northeast of Mt. Takenagatake, the highest peak in the Hira mountain range. As its name suggests, there are eight pools, each with a different look.
1994: 120th Anniversary of the Yomiuri Shimbun
Makino Town, Takashima City
Approximately 2.4 metasequoia trees are planted along the 500 km road leading from Makino Pick-Land to Makino Highlands. They captivate visitors throughout the year with their budding spring buds, the dazzling new greenery of early summer, the deep green of summer, the fiery foliage of autumn, and the snowy scenery of winter.
1996: Selected by the Central Committee as one of Japan's 100 Best Beaches
Katsuno, Takashima City
It is a quiet and scenic beach blessed with shallow beaches and green pine forests, and in autumn and winter it becomes a quiet and peaceful place of relaxation for people and birds.
Selected by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 1999
Takashima City Field
There are 359 rice terraces spread out in a geometric pattern at the foot of Mt. Hira. The well-maintained rice fields are neatly piled up on stone-built banks, with an elevation difference of 100m. The rice terraces play a major role in maintaining the ecosystem, and along with efforts to maintain and conserve them, they are also highly regarded as a scenic example of "Japan's original landscape." Currently, active efforts are being made to preserve the rice terraces, including exchange programs with urban areas through the Rice Terrace Owner System and other initiatives.
2000 Selected by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Makino Town, Takashima City
In Makino Town, each region is developing its town in line with the principles of its water town culture, making use of the lifestyles and spirit that have been born from coexistence with nature since ancient times.
Selected by the Fisheries Agency in 2006
Azumigawa Town, Takashima City
This is a traditional fishing method in which a net is set up in a fan shape and sweetfish swimming upstream are chased onto the riverbank and caught. In 1090, Kitafunagi in Azumigawa Town became the mikuriya (sacred kitchen) of Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto, and fresh fish caught in the Azumi River and Lake Biwa were presented as offerings. This tradition has been passed down to the present day. It is a historic traditional fishing method that has developed while protecting the privileges of the mikuriya. (Mikuriya refers to sacred land established from the Nara period onwards to present seafood, fruit, and other items to the imperial family.)
Selected by the Ministry of the Environment in 2006
Makino Town, Takashima City
This swimming and camping site has a resort feel and is renowned for having the cleanest water in Oku-Biwa Lake. The wide beach, with shallow water stretching for 1 km, is perfect for families and groups. From north to south, there are Takagihama and Chiuchihama.
It was selected as a "special selection" in the lake category of the 100 Best Swimming Beaches in Japan.
Selected by the Ministry of the Environment in 2008
Shinasahicho, Takashima City
The Harie district is an area rich in water, with underground water from the Hira mountain range springing out. The people call this water shozu (raw water) and have used it with great care. Many homes in the village have a washing area called "kabata" that uses the spring water, and the wisdom of our ancestors has been passed down to the present day. Since NHK General TV focused on the unique culture of this region and aired a program introducing the activities of people and nature called "Visual Poetry: Satoyama - The Waterside Where Life Flows," in recent years, there has been a steady stream of visitors from all over the country.
Selected by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2010
Imazucho, Takashima City
This lake is located north of Hakodateyama Ski Resort. It was originally an artificial lake that local people completed over a period of 15 years during the Taisho era to secure irrigation water for the foot of the mountain. The surrounding scenery is beautiful and it has been selected as one of the XNUMX most scenic spots in Lake Country. In spring, rhododendrons and azaleas bloom in abundance, in summer the natural beauty and coolness of the plateau are comfortable, and in autumn the autumn leaves create a vibrant landscape that visitors will never tire of. Benzaiten is enshrined on a floating island in the middle of the lake.
Takashima City Kutsuki
The park is located in the Kutsuki-Katsuragawa Prefectural Natural Park area, on the northwestern part of the mountain, halfway up Mt. Mikuni. It is said that beech trees are a barometer of the richness of the mountains. In the past, beech forests developed in the cool climate of the mountainous areas of Shiga Prefecture, at altitudes of 600 to 700 meters or more above sea level, but most of them have been cut down, and only a few remain today.
Beech, Mizunara, Sugar maple, Japanese horse chestnut, and Magnolia obovata
Beech, Witch hazel, Japanese cypress, Japanese laurel
Japanese holly fern, Japanese holly fern
Makino Town, Takashima City
A mountain with an altitude of 823.8m that towers over Fukui Prefecture. The view from the summit, overlooking Wakasa Bay to the northwest and Lake Oku-Biwa to the southeast, is well worth a visit. It has been designated as one of the "XNUMX Famous Flower Mountains Climbing Guide" and "XNUMX Famous Kansai Mountains" by Yama-to-Keikoku-sha Publishing.
Makino Town, Takashima City
The Kaizu, Nishihama, and Chiriuchi districts of Makino Town are home to a diverse water culture, including rivers and inland lakes such as Lake Biwa, stonework on the lakeshore, communal wells, and the traditional fishing in the Chiriuchi River. The waterfront landscape of this district has been selected as the fifth Important Cultural Landscape in Japan. Historically, the area has been a hub of the lake and land transportation network from the Sea of Japan to Kyoto and Osaka via Lake Biwa, and many people and goods have passed through it since ancient times. In particular, during the Edo period, the area prospered as a post station and port town on the Nishiomi Road (Hokkoku Kaido). The Important Cultural Landscape "Takashima City Kaizu, Nishihama, and Chiriuchi Waterfront Landscape" designates the stonework of Kaizu and Nishihama, the former warehouse of the Kaizu Fisheries Cooperative Association, the former warehouse of the Chiriuchi River Fishermen's Association, and five townhouses built during the Edo period as important elements that make up the landscape.
Shinasahicho, Takashima City
The "Waterside Landscape of Harie and Shimofuri" covers the area of the reed colonies remaining along the lakeshore in Harie, Shinasahi-cho, Takashima City, the area including the Lake Biwa water area, the Harie-Shimofuri settlements, the Harie Okawa River that connects the two, and the rice paddy area that spreads between them. In this area, spring water originating from the underground water of the Azumi River and groundwater flowing down from the Hira Mountains springs up in various places, and washing and watering places called "kabata" have been left to use this water for daily life, and are still used in daily life today. In general, "kabata" is designed so that spring water flows through three tanks in the order of "Motoike" → "Tsuboike" → "Hataike" and finally into a waterway. The unique waterside landscape of this area has been created by the gratitude for the water that continues to spring up without end and the lifestyle and culture of the local people who have continued to protect "kabata" without separating it from their daily lives while accepting modernization.
Katsuno, Takashima City
The "Omizo Waterfront Landscape" is located in the former Takashima Town, and covers an area of approximately 6 hectares, including the ruins of Omizo Castle and the castle town, which were developed in 1578 by Oda Nobuzumi, the waterways running through the town, Otome-ga-ike Pond, an inner lake of Lake Biwa, and the traditional village landscape of Uchioroshi Village along Otome-ga-ike Pond, which makes use of the water surface. The Omizo Waterfront Landscape is a scenic spot that continues to this day the spatial structure of Omizo Castle and its castle town, which dates back to the Middle Ages and Early Modern Periods, and has been shaped by the lives and occupations of people who skillfully use the water of Lake Biwa and the inner lake, or the spring water at the foot of the mountain.
