Lake Biwa Self-Driving Tour

#BiwaLake has always been a place I've longed to visit. After taking the JR Lake Tour last year to explore the beauty of Lake Biwa, I decided to take a self-driving tour this year starting from Kyoto. I first crossed the #BiwaLake Bridge (bridge fee ¥150) to the #Sagawa Art Museum. The architectural style is unique, and the water shadows seem to be projected after precise processing. Then we crossed the bridge again and headed towards Takashima. On the way, we arrived at #Shirahige Shrine to see the underwater torii. There is a parking lot at the shrine. After checking in, we headed to our first night’s accommodation, Auberge RUKAWA, which can be considered a luxury B&B that combines traditional Japanese architecture with modern aesthetics. The next morning, we arrived at #メタセコイアNamiki in the north of Takashima City. Although the red leaves have not yet fully bloomed, the scenery is beautiful. There are also different camp sites and hot springs nearby, which is suitable for visiting in the summer. Follow the mountain road, pass Kaizu Osaki, enjoy the scenery along the way, and come to the #つづら尾崎Observatory, where you can see the northern side of Lake Biwa. There is also a store on the observation deck for some supplies. Then after passing #Jianyue, we came to #Jizu Temple to see the red leaves. We went up from #Sekido Temple where there were fewer people. After viewing the red leaves, we headed to our second night’s accommodation, the #Biwako Grand Mercure Hot Spring Hotel in Nagahama City. It includes a buffet breakfast with many varieties and a large public bath, which is very popular among Japanese people. On the third day, we drove up #Ibukiyama. It was the 60th anniversary of the Ibukiyama driveway. After parking the car at the 9th station, we could walk up the mountain road to the top of the mountain, which took about 40 minutes. However, due to the lack of cold-resistant equipment, we did not go up the mountain this time. After the tour, we went to the B&B #大津町家粋世 in Otsu, and also went to #三井outletpark石贺龙王 in Kusatsu for shopping. By the way, the three-day trip to Lake Biwa ended.