Hikone is a fairly small sized city located on Lake Biwa’s eastern edge in Shiga Prefecture. Hikone is most famous for Hikone Castle, one of the original castles of Japan dating back to 1622. Besides visiting Hikone Castle, some other top things to do in Hikone include a visit to Genkyuen Garden and exploring the Yume Kyobashi Castle Road. Also while in Hikone, make sure to take a photo with their official mascot, Hikonyan!
To further my mission of visiting all the original castles in Japan, Hikone was high on my list of places to visit due to the Hikone Castle. On our latest trip toward Kanazawa, we stopped in Hikone for a day from Nagoya. We stayed the night here at Hotel Sunroute Hikone in order to see the castle both at night and during the day.
Hikone is small enough where a half to full day should suffice. Obviously, there are amazing day trips from Hikone and cycling Lake Biwa seemed to be a very popular activity. If you are looking for things to do in Hikone, this post outlines how we spent our time exploring Hikone.
Hikone Castle
Like Matsumoto Castle, Hikone Castle is listed as a National Treasure and is one of Japan’s 12 original castles. Hikone Castle’s main keep is in tact or original, as is the inner moats, walls surrounding the castles, guard towers scattered throughout the grounds, and even the gates are original.
The construction of Hikone Castle was completed in 1622. Part of the reason Hikone Castle was listed as a National Treasure was because of the beautiful architecture on the castles exterior, primarily the roof design. This castle is fairly small with only 3 floors. To get to the main keep, there is a wooden bridge that extends across two walls. During times of war, this bridge could have easily been destroyed discouraging attackers.
Today visitors can walk the castle grounds, enter the main keep, and explore a few of the turrets and gates that are open.
Visiting Hours and Admission Fees
Hours
Daily from – 8:30 to 17:00
Admission
¥800 for Castle and Gekyuen Garden
¥1200 for Castle, Garden, and Museum
Below are photos taken both at night and during the day of Hikone Castle from the moat.
Genkyuen Garden
Originally, we were going to skip Genkyuen Garden and just do the castle. We had a full day ahead of us and wanted to get to Kanazawa before nightfall. The entrance price to the castle included both visiting the castle grounds and the Genkyuen Garden. So we decided to briefly see the garden upon our exit from Hikone Castle.
To be honest, we did a lot more then just briefly see the garden. Genkyuen Garden was much more beautiful and interesting then I thought and we were both glad we spent the extra time walking around this peaceful garden.
Genkyuen Garden was built during the Edo Period. According to the brochure at the site, this garden was the subsidiary residence of the lord at the time. There is a large pond in the center of the gardens with four islands being connected by bridges. Visitors can even enjoy a cup matcha tea at the tea house.
Yume Kyobashi Castle Road
One of the nicer castle towns I’ve visited while in Japan was Hikone’s Yume Kyobashi Castle Road.
Yume Kyobasi Road is just on the other side of the Kyobashi Bridge when exiting the castle grounds and continues straight for several blocks. Each side of the road is lined with restaurants and shops that sell treats, souvenirs, and sweets.
Besides the food and shopping, the main draw to Yume Kyobashi Castle Road is the gorgeous buildings on either side of the road. The castle road was created to replicate what the street would have looked like during the Edo Period. The buildings all have white walls with black latticework.
Hikonyan - Hikone's Mascot
Hikonyan is Hikone’s official mascot. This mascot first came about in 2007 for Hikone Castles 400th anniversary.
Hikonyan is a white cat wearing a “Kabuto” or warrior helmet. The mascot is based on a real legend, Li Naotaka who was a feudal lord.
Hikonyan can be found all over Hikone. From the shores of Lake Biwa to base of the castle. You might even spot the mascot walking around other famous tourist sites!
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