Shiga Prefecture is my home town located prefecture. Shiga Prefecture is located almost center of Japan.
It has the biggest lake in Japan called Lake Biwa. Why it was named as Lake Biwa?
There is a small island in Lake Biwa called Chikubu-shima. From ancient times, it is an island of faith and is God living island. In the Nara period, the 8th century, Gyogi placed statue of the 4 Heavenly Kings in the island and this is the start of faith. In the south part of the island, there is Tsukubu-shima Shrine and it enshrines Benzaiten. Benzaiten is widely worshiped as a goddess of entertainment and economic fortune. Benzaiten has an instrument called Biwa. The shape of the lake looks like Biwa and that is why this lake was named as Lake Biwa.
<Benzaiten and Biwa>
You can come to Shiga Prefecture via bullet train, Shinkansen, from Tokyo through Kyoto. After you arrive at Kyoto Station, you need to take east bound of Tokaido Honsen of JR West. From Osaka, you also need to take east bound of Tokaido Honsen of JR West.
From next blog, I will touch about 3 temples located in east of Lake Biwa. Those 3 temples are called Koto Sanzan, Saimyo-ji Temple, Kongorin-ji Temple and Hyakusai-ji Temple. Those temples belong to the Tendai sect and have been chosen as 3 of The 100 Best Fall Foliage Spots in Japan. So, the best season to visit is autumn.
Comments